The first layer of clothing on any man of the 18th century was a shirt. Typically made of linen, the shirt was put on first before anything else. The shirt acted as an undergarment as well as covering the torso and arms, thus would be substantially longer than modern shirts. Most people had multiple shirts, as this would one of the few layers of clothing that would actually touch the body, and it had to be laundered regularly. Having multiple shirts allowed you to always be "clean". Linen was the fabric of choice because of its availability and its ability to be laundered numerous times.