As the work and living rules varied substantially from workhouse to workhouse, so did the clothing provided the children. The children in their separate dormitories and classes were dressed uniformily. Most workhouses provided the least expensive clothes possible for the children. There were large numbers of workhouses, especially in England, and there were no nation-wide standards for clothing. I believe that most of the children and adults were issued uniforms. These uniforms issued differed from work house to work house. I have little information on the clothing worn by children at the work houses during the 19th Century. I do, however, have some Edwardian photograhs taken about 1910. Images available for one English workhouse, Crumpsall, show boys of all ages wearing pinafores and simple dresses. There was no provision for the age of the boy, both infants and older boys--semingly up to about 12 years of age are dresses absolutely identically. Presumably the girls were dressed identically. There are two images available, one indoors and another outdoors. There are substantial differences in the two outfits. I'm not sure if the photographs were taken in different years or if the difference is seasonal or even a different outfit when the boys went outside. I think boys who were in the workhouse had to stay there and were not at liberty to leace, even after school. I also am not sure how the boys were occupied after school. There may have been more flexibility on Sunday, but even then at most workhouses I do not believe they were at liberty to leave the workhouse alone or with their parents.

Variations at Different Work Houses

As the work and living rules varied substantially from workhouse to workhouse, so did the clothing provided the children. There were large numbers of workhouses, especially in England, and there were no nation-wide standards for clothing. I believe that most of the children and adults were issued uniforms. These uniforms issued differed from work house to work house.

Uniforms

The children in their separate dormitories and classes were dressed uniformily. We are not yet sure of this, but most of the workhouses ppear to hav issued uniforms.

Cost

Most workhouses provided the least expensive clothes possible for the children.

Clothing Details

I have little information on the clothing worn by children at the work houses during the 19th Century. I do, however, have some Edwardian photograhs taken about 1910. Images available for one English workhouse, Crumpsall, show boys of all ages wearing pinafores and simple dresses. There was no provision for the age of the boy, both infants and older boys--semingly up to about 12 years of age are dresses absolutely identically. Presumably the girls were dressed identically. There are two images available, one indoors and another outdoors. There are substantial differences in the two outfits. I'm not sure if the photographs were taken in different years or if the difference is seasonal or even a different outfit when the boys went outside. I think boys who were in the workhouse had to stay there and were not at liberty to leace, even after school. I also am not sure how the boys were occupied after school. There may have been more flexibility on Sunday, but even then at most workhouses I do not believe they were at liberty to leave the workhouse alone or with their parents.

Types of Clothing

There appears to have been indoor and outdoof clothing at the workhouses.

Indoor clothes

One image at Crumpsall Workhouse shows a room with over 30 boys. They appear to range from infants about 2-3 years old to older boys of about 10 years of age. One tall older bpy at the back looks older, perhaps 12 years old. Every one of the boys is dresses identically in simple frocks. They look to be very simply made frocks with only a slit for the arms without any involved sleeve. The frocks worn by the toddlers appear rather long. Those worn by the older boys at the back appear quite short. There may have been only a couple sizes or perhaps only one standard size and the boys at the back were growing out of their frocks. Little boys in Edwardian England still wore dresses, but certainly not boys as old as the ones in the photograph. These boys would have not left the work house dressed like that. English generally did not commonly wear short pants during this period and they would not have worn short dresses like that.

Figure 5.--Another closeup of the boys playing on the seasaw. This is a good example of how boys even in this depressing environment could still just be boys and enjoy a play seesion with friends.

Outdoor clothes

Another image taken at Crumpsall Workhouse shows a group of six boys playing on a seasaw in the court yard. Notice how stark the yard is and the seasaw is the only playground equipment.

For their play session the boys are outfitted in long, short sleeved dresss. The dresses look to be stripped or perhaps made of corderoy. To protect their dresses the boys wear simple white, back buttoning pinafores. While little boys still wore dresses at the time the photograph was taken, boys of this age did not. It would have been especially unusual to find such old boys to wear pinafores.

Reasons for dresses and pinafores

It is unclear just why these outfits were selected for the boys. The younger boys would not have considered it unusual. The older boys definitely would have. Several poosibilities occur to the author:
Tradition: The clothes pictures here were probably styles adopted in the middle to late 19th Century. Given Britain's conservatism and the liklihood that these institutions paid no attention to fashion, the 19th Century uniforms were probably just continued into the 20th Century.
Cost: One factor must have been cost. Such a simple frock would have been much less expensive that a jacket, shirt, kneepants and long stockings. Such frocks were also easier to maintain and wash.
Discipline: Uniform clothing was an element of discipline. The Edwardians generally believed that adults resorting to the workhouse were shiftless and lazy. Rules were established to instill discipline and this included the children.
Seasonal: The outfit appears to be a seasonal garb. Certainly the workhouses were not oberly heated during the winter, and the light frocks the boys are wearing would not have been warm enough for winterwear, even indoors.
Shame: Resorting to he workhouse was considered shameful at the time. Separating the families and children were one element in this, to shame the "inmates" to leave and get a job instead of relying on public assistance. Such outfits, especially for the older boys would have had the impact of incouraging them to leave on their own. There presumably were rules requiring boys to leave by a certain age.
Control: Dressing boys in this manner probably made it easier to control them as they would be unlikely to try to slip away for a lark.
Leaving age: Boys at mid-19th Century probably entered the work force earlier than in turn of the century Edwardian England. Thus some of the older boys in these pictures may have left the workhouses rather than staying on.

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Created: November 1, 1998
Last updated: August 25, 2003