Figure 1.--

There are countless illustrations in children's books of English boys and girls wearing gayly colored smocks. Most of these illustrations beginning with Kate Greenaway appear highly imaginative. We simply have no evidence yet to confirm that boy commonly wore smocks to school in the late 18 and early 19th century. (Of course tht does not mean that they definitively did not.) We have noted boy at home wearing smocks during the late 19th and early 20th century--generally boys from affluent families. We know more about this period as there are many photographic school portraits. English schools for the most part, however, not require smocks. State schools did not require iunifoms. Boys rarely appear in these images wearing smocks. Private schools did require uniforms, but we know of very few schools that required older boys to wear smocks. A few private schools did use smocks for the pre-prep boys. This may have been realtively common in the 19th century. Even in the 20th century, however, smocks were work at some prep schools. They may have just been used at school, primarily for the younger boys. They may also have been used for especially messy activities like art. Some schools appear to have used them as the school uniform, but this was very rare. One choir school, St. Mary of the Angles Song School, used smocks as the everyday uniform. There is some indication that smocks were also used at a prep school in Eastboure, but our information here is limited.

Created: April 26, 2003
Last updated: April 26, 2003