Quote Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown View Post
French cuffs (or double cuffs as they are also sometimes referred to) were invented so that when soiled they could be folded over to present a clean appearance. This was, of course, back in the days when a shirt might see more than a "few days" service before it went to the laundry. As at the "first" wear of the cuffs they were folded inside the sleeve, folding them back might give the impression that you weren't wearing a fresh shirt unless, of course, the cuffs were ironed back. Nowadays I doubt anyone would notice, or even understand, the significance of an un-ironed French cuff.
Just a bit of history: In the "Gas-Light Era" a gentleman changed his cuffs and collar daily, and his shirt once a week, whether it needed it or not! It wasn't until sometime around WW I that the cuffs and shirts became a single unit. Possibly the coming of Electricity and the washing machine?

My wife, who was well into highschool before electricity came to the farm, well remembers the old job of boiling the shirts in soapy water and scrubbing them by hand on a wash board. (Wonderful nostalgia, but she has NO desire to ever return to that era!)