One of the more interesting commodities sold at Dupui's general store was the ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive buckle.  It came in two varieties:  knee buckle and shirt buckle.  The knee buckles were purchased in the early days of the store's history, while shirt buckles didn't make their appearance until another decade had passed.  Fashion, like time, marches on.

So what exactly was a shirt buckle, and how was it worn?  Shirt buckles are a sort of brooch that men wore to close the long slit at the front of a shirt. In many cases, worn on top of a ruffle; in other cases, they close a fairly plain slit on the shirt or are pinned to a neckcloth. The waistcoat is unbuttoned far enough down the chest to display the shirt buckle.