Figure 1.--This is the gingam (vichy) material of a girl's smock worn in the early 1950s. I might also have been used for a very young boys' smock or a boys' romper suit. Notice the embroidery and light smocking. By the 1950s a pink smock had become to be seen as a girls color, although some younger boys may have worn them. We are not positive just when this color convention was established. |
There were differences in the colors and patterns worn by French boys and girls for their school smocks. The precise details are difficult to develop. HBC has noted much more variation among colors and patterns than was the case for some of the stylistic variations. There has also been more variations over time. Thus some of the accepted conventions concderning color and patterns have changed over time. As HBC does not yet have extensive time-line information on Fench school smocks, we can not yet speak authoitatively on the gender connventions in colors and patterns. We believe, however that mothers adhered less strictly to these comventions that was the case for some of the stylistic convntions. The stlostic differences seem much more widely accepted. Colors and paterns are indeed an important aspect of school smocks. HBC has, however, begun to collect some information on this topic and hopes to develop it in more detail as we acquire additional information. We will post the observations we have noted to date. These are, however, very preliminary and we incourage French readers to submit insights concerning this topic. It is likely that the personal experiences of French boys varied greatly, depending on their mothers's fashion sence and the the time period. Many of tyese conventions are realtively recent and in the early stage of their formation, individual French boys may have had considerably varied experiences. We do not know if there were regional variations.
There were differences in the colors and patterns worn by French boys and girls for their school smocks. The precise details are difficult to develop. HBC has noted much more variation among colors and patterns than was the case for some of the stylistic variations. There are also differences over time that make identifying these conventions somewhat complicated.
At this time, HBC does not have full details on the Color of French school smocks, especially over the many decaded since they were first extensively used in the early 1870s. Thus we can only state the few details that we have and expand on this beginning as we acquire additional information. SWe believe that the smocks worn by school children in the 1870s were dark blue or black. We lnow this was the case for boys' smocks, we are less sure about girls' smocks. We believe that by the turn of the century that boys were also wearing grey smocks, but that the dark blue and black ones were the most common. We note that by the late 1910s that children were wearing light colored smocks. There were many orphans created by World War I and some of the photographs taken in the orphanages show the children wearing light-colored smocks. We do not know if this was a peculaiarity of the orphanages or also reflected what was being worn in schools. Most of the available images during the inter-war era show boys wearing dark blue or black smocks. We know that light colored smocks had become quite common for girls by the 1930s, but we are unsure as ti precisely when they began wearing the dark-colored smocks. While younger boys might wear light colored smocks, by the 1950s the generally accepted convention was vlue and dark colors for the boys and pink and other light colors for the girls.
HBC has even less information about patterns worn as school smocks. We believe that all of the early school smocks were solid colors. HBC noted the first patterned smock, a gingham smock, in the 1900s. This was a smock for home play wear, however, and not a school smock. HBC notes the first patterned school smock for boys in the mid-1930s, they seem to have appeared eralier for girls. The pattern was a kind of check or plaid in zepher. Patterned smocks became quite common fgor girls. They were less popular for boys, but HBC has noted a few boys weearing them in the early 1950s.
There has also been more variations over time. Thus some of the accepted conventions concderning color and patterns have changed over time. As HBC does not yet have extensive time-line information on Fench school smocks, we can not yet speak authoitatively on the gender connventions in colors and patterns.
HBC believes that mothers adhered less strictly to color and pattern comventions that was the case for some of the stylistic convntions. The stylistic differences seem much more widely accepted. There were also stylistic differences in the smocks. After the 1960s, front buttoning smocks for boys becane more common. But yhrough the 1950s both boys and girls generally wore back buttoning smocks. One of the principal differences were that girl's smocks tied in a bow at the back like many dresses. Young boys wearing rompers might have back tieing bows, but boys' school smocks did not. Boys' smocks also had waist bands, but they buttoned in the back and did not tie in the back like girls' smocks often did. Many boys' smocks were collarless. Boys' smocks that did have collars generally had pointed collars while girls more commonly had rounded Peter-Pan collars.
Colors and paterns are indeed an important aspect of school smocks. HBC has, however, begun to collect some information on this topic and hopes to develop it in more detail as we acquire additional information. We will post the observations we have noted to date. These are, however, very preliminary and we incourage French readers to submit insights concerning this topic.
It is likely that the personal experiences of French boys varied greatly, depending on their mothers's fashion sence and the the time period. Many of these conventions are realtively recent and in the early stage of their formation, individual French boys may have had considerably varied experiences. We do not know if there were regional variations.
Color and pattern differences, like stylistic elements, are not always a perfect indicator. They do, however, help to identify the gender intended for the smock. There are, however, several complications which make it difficult to always establis the genderal of a child wearing a scgiol smock or at least the gender intended for the smock. Not every
mother followed the established guidlines, not matter how well acceped they may be. The use of hand-me-downs in particular might complicate matters. There were also smocks that could be worn by either gender, although these non-gender smocks often followed the commonly established guidelines for boys' smocks. Another major complication is that many of these factors changed over time.
Some details are available on the smock image shown in figure 1. This is the gingham (vichy) material of a girl's smock worn in the early 1950s. I might also have been used for a very young boys' smock or a boys' romper suit. Notice the embroidery and light smocking. By the 1950s a pink smock had become to be seen as a girls color, although some younger boys may have worn them. We are not positive just when this color convention was established. The HBC reader who provided the image reports, "At first I hadn't notice it, but the trademark tag on the collar "Sirène" was my Parents' label. My parents had several trademarks. The Sirène label was for smocks, dresses, shirts, and some articles for women. There were 15-20 persons employed for this work. Some in our factory, some at home. They had another labels for boys' outfits and some knitted articles. Those last articles were not made by "confectionneuses," but instead by "culottières". This was the mane given to the women making fashionable and often complicated boys' breeches or short pants. To day I think one says rather "couturières".
