Figure 1.--Here we see an English family picnic, we think in the early-1930s. Yhe boys seem to be wearing some of their schoolmuniforms. Put your cursor on thevimage for another view of the group.

The history of the picnic is largely due to developments in three countries: France, Britain, and America. The French gave us the word and the idea of a kind of meal associated with social interaction. The British took the picnic outdoors and made it a family event. The America with the automobile gave the average family the mobility to easily reach pleasant sites in the countryside. The popularity of the picnic varied from country to country. We have little information on other countries beside France, Germany, and America. Fashions also varied from country to country. Picnics were most common in Britain and America. The French who came up with the idea in the first place were at first resistant to the idea of an outdoor picnic. Outside these three countries there was aide range of attitudes toward picniking. We have not been able to find much information on other countries. A major factor in determinning the popularity of the picnic is the strength of the middle-class. The climate is also a factor. No one is interested in picknicking during a blizzard.

America

It was during the Victorian era (19th century) period at first in England that picnic began to take on its modern meaning. The picnic was among the English cultural traditions the Americans adopted, but with their own twist. One historian explains, at first the picnic in America "remained a genteel pursuit of the urban middle classes; but unlike in England, its bucolic setting was associated more with a flight from civilization than with childlike simplicity. Though still tinged with innocence, depictions of American picnics – such as those by Thomas Cole and Winslow Homer – tended, therefore, to contain fewer rolling fields and more gnarled trees and craggy rocks – especially after the publication of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden (1854)." And as in England, it was the Victorians that turned it into a middle-class practice, primarily because of the rising prosperity of the middle-class and skilled workers. Still there were limitations, primarily transport. Working-class people had no way to gt out into the country to enjoy a picnic, especially with all the food a paraphernalia associated with a picnic. Here Henry-Ford and the trusty Model-T Tin Lizzie solved the problem. At least in America, working people could afford a car giving them unprecedented mobility. Average people could pile the kids, food, drink, blankets, and dishes into the car and get out of the city and enjoy a pleasant day in the country side for a family treat. It was a fun way to spend a beautiful day in the country side, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Depending on the site, a dip, boating fishing, horse shoes, or other summer pastime was often on offer. And because it was inexpensive, most families could afford it. And it could be enjoyed with other family members and friends. And as urban parks sprouted around the country, picnic tables and cooking grates were added. Picnic foods have varied over time, especially as they became a treat for the wider public. Picnics in the 19th century while no longer restricted to the rich were more formal and still a treat for the better off section of society. They might include roast duck or chicken, pate foie gras, meat pies, plum pudding, cheesecake and cold ham or roast beef. Drink was very important and might include claret, sherry and brandy--all served on elegant dishware and glasses. Paper plates and plastic cutlery did not appear until after World War II. People actually dressed up for these events. Men might wear boaters and blazers. Women might wear white or colorful dresses. The really affluent might add coddled trout, dressed lobster, roasted guinea fowl, and even chilled champagne. Americans of course brought the picnic down to earth for the common man. They became simpler and more informal. European immigrants added the frankfurter which became the hot dog when a bun was added. As a result it became standard fair at baseball games and street side food carts. It was tailor made for picnics as the the hamburger. These were foods that could easily be cooked on site. Cold fried chicken was another favorite--although until after World War II, chicken was not low-priced meat. Deviled eggs, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw also became standard picnic fair and of course mom's apple pie. there were regional variations, especially in the south. Here we see barbecue, buttermilk biscuits, cornbread, pecan or sweet potato pie, and watermelon. American boys might wear suits to picnics, but I do not think it was nearly as common as in England.

Australia

An Australian reader tells us that in his town there was "The Smelters Picnic". "It had a big sideshow area and three legged races. My cousin Nicky and I won a whole dollar each on a hot day in 1969 and I had chicken sandwiches with my posh aunty and cups of warm tea with cream biscuits. I was in other picnic races like the egg and spoon race. I was in relay races with a change over wooden baton which was painted a team colour. We had chicken chasing races and sometimes if you caught the hen you took her home to put with your other chooks and I won two and gave a white one to Nicky and he said I was real cuz no joking. We had sprint races and sack races where you get in to a wheat bag which is made of hession and jump up and down in a race and first over the line wins and I won one sack race and then we lined up for the traditional oranges and bag of sweets and Nicky and I lined up three times because we were both quite naughty really but grandfather liked it because we often gave him the oranges. I also went to the Port Pirie Motorcycle Club Picnic every year up around the hills of the Mid North in country South Australia and did basically the same thing as we did at the beaut Smelters Picnic in beautiful Crystal Brook 26kms from my small city of Port Pirie and we either drove, rode our bikes, or caught the bus to the Crytstal Brook Showgrounds where we had bbq's soft drinks cold salads and nice chicken sandwiches and we went to the sideshow alley and went on the many rides and that year was the only year Nicky and I went to the picnic together."

England

Picnics began crossing the Channel to England with the Revolution (1789). But this was the indoors Salon-tyoe picnic. We see it becoming more ribald. Only slowly did it begin to transform into our modern concept. We have no images images yet. We do begin to see literary references. Jane Austen (1775-1817) provided a portrait of a rustic picnic on Box Hill with its celebrated view. Her important novels were published (1811-16). With the advent of the Victorian era, picnics become increasingly popular. The English sought out the bucolic rolling hills of the farm countryside. English picnics could be quite formal. They were often held by YMCAs, companies, churches, and other groups. The ladies might bring white table clothes and polished silver. Boys often wore suits to picnics. Sailor suits were common for younger boys. Fauntleroy suits were less common as they were considered to dressy for most picnics. Suits with Eton collars were common in the 1900s. School boys might wear peaked school caps, even in situations where the school rules were not being enforced. Older boys might wear boaters. The suits were often worn with vests. Boys sometimes removed their jackets and wore their vests. Pants were mostly knee pants worn with long stockings. Short trousers with knee socks became more common in the 1910s. One reason that English picnickers wore their suits more than Americans was that the English were generally more formal. Another factor was the weather. While England can have warm summer days, they are not as hot as in America and there can even be temperate summer days, especially in northern England.

France

The term picnic is French, the origins of which is lost to history. When we first see it, is has none of the modern meaning (17th century). By the end of the century it is being used as a fashionable if not particularly extravagant meal and not out in the country. 【Lee】 Picnics, all still comfortably indoors, became part of Salon society with guests expected to bring food and drink or help pay for the event. Upper-class society discussed the issues of the day while nibbling away. The French connection ended with the Revolution (1789) leading to he Reign of Terror. With French nobles losing their heads to the guillotine, they fled. While they fled to many countries, they primarily crossed the Channel to Britain. the picnic as an event for the average person appeared in the 19th century, but only by mid-century as Victorian society and values became widely accepted. French nobles fleeing the Revolution introduced their version of the picnic to Britain in the late-18th century. With the return of the monarchy (1814-15) the indoor aristocratic picnic returned to France. Only slowly was the Anglo-American version adopted. One historian writes, "When outdoor picnics eventually did begin to gain ground in France – a little before the publication of Zola’s novel – they were regarded with considerable suspicion. Perhaps because of a growing reaction against the Romantic idealization of nature, they were not seen as innocent and wholesome, as they were in Britain and the US, but as decadent and wicked. This is particularly evident in Édouard Manet’s 'Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe' (1862-63), which depicted a naked woman and a scantily clad female bather sharing a picnic with two fully dressed young men in a woodland glade." 【Lee】 Eventually the family-oriented picnic took hold in France as well. we believe that sailor suits were very popular picnic wear in France. I do not think smocks were as common. Smocks were more associated with school and home wear.

Germany

No information yet.

Italy

No information yet.

Sources

Lee, Alexander. "The history of the picnic." History Today Vol. 69, Issue 7 (July 2019).

Created: 9:11 PM 2/7/2024
Last updated: 9:11 PM 2/7/2024