** Egypt boys garments







Egyptian Boys Garments



Figure 1.--This 19th century photograph shows Egyptian boys and a man. It is undated, but was probably taken in the 1880s. It is also not identifued, but was probably taken in the 1880s. It seems to be a goof example of the traditional clothes worn in Egypt during the 19th century. It looks to be an example of the photographs taken for the tourist trade or for sale in Europe where Orientalism had become a popular fad. Notice the varied headwear.

Egypt is the most populace country in the Arab world. Traditional clothes appear to be still widely worn in Egypt, especially in rural areas. Early photographic images of Egypt in the 19th century suggest a country where fashion was little chnged for centuries. Traditional clothing was essentially the same for men and boys without age detinction. This is indicative of a society thast was little changed. This despite the fact that the 19th century was a time of dynamic change in Europe. This is more than a fashion curiosity. One must ask why Egyptian society along with that of the wider Arab world did not change for centuries. Traditional clothing is in effect a way of viewing pictorially deepler trends in society. Arab nationalists want to blame the West rather than look at their own society, but in Egypt Britain did not install a protectorate until the 1880s. Traditional dress still doiminated Egypt in the early-20th century, but we do begin to see some Western dress, almost entirely among the upper classess. This was favilitated by the opening of schools based on modern, largely Western curriclum. Until after World War II, traditional clothes were almost universally worn in rural areas. We see Western dress being more commonly worn in the cities and the mniddlke class. Western clothes have gradually become more common, even with the lower-classess. Today we see many children wearing Western clothing, even in rural areas. We hope that Egyptian readers will help provide some information on Egyptian clothing styles. As far as we know, traditional clothing are generalized Arab and not specificlly Egyptian styles. A reader writes, "Men and boys were still dressed like this when I visited Egypt in 1978. They were all different colors, but the women always wore black with just their faces showing no matter how hot it was."

Traditional Clothing

Egypt is the most populace country in the Arab world. Traditional clothes appear to be still widely worn in Egypt, especially in rural areas. Early photographic images of Egypt in the 19th century suggest a country where fashion was little chnged for centuries. Traditional clothing was essentially the same for men and boys without age detinction. This is indicative of a society thast was little changed. This despite the fact that the 19th century was a time of dynamic change in Europe. This is more than a fashion curiosity. One must ask why Egyptian society along with that of the wider Arab world did not change for centuries. Traditional clothing is in effect a way of viewing pictorially deepler trends in society. Arab nationalists want to blame the West rather than look at their own society, but in Egypt Britain did not install a protectorate until the 1880s. As far as we know, traditional clothing are generalized Arab and not specificlly Egyptian styles. A reader writes, "Men and boys were still dressed like this when I visited Egypt in 1978. They were all different colors, but the women always wore black with just their faces showing no matter how hot it was."

Western Clothing

Traditional dress was still worn in Egypt at the beginning of the 19th centuty. Egypt had beena Ottoman province for four centuries, but under Mohammed Ali began to exert itys independence. We have no details as to what this meant in the fashion world. With the construction of the centuries of the Suez Canal, Western dress began to make inroads, at least amomg the urban upper amd middle-class urban population (1860s). This escalated when Britain created a Pryectorate (1882). While Western dress behan to make inroads in the city, the great mass of the population eore traditional clothing, especially in rural areas. And the great bulk of the population lived ijn rural areas. Traditional clotjhing continued to doiminate Egypt in the early-20th century, but Western dress was worn in yhe cities. This was favilitated by the opening of schools based on modern, largely Western curriclum. Until after World War II, traditional clothes were almost universally worn in rural areas. We see Western dress being more commonly worn in the cities and the mniddlke class. Western clothes have gradually become more common, even with the lower-classess. Today we see many children wearing Western clothing, even in rural areas. This is especially the case for younger boys. Men as well as girls and women are more likely to wear traditioinal clothing. Social class is anotherr fsactor. The well-to-do are more likely than the working-class to wear Western clothing. Our information, however, is still very limited. We hope that Egyptian readers will help provide some information on Egyptian clothing styles.







HBC






HBC Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site:
[The 1880s] [The 1890s]
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Smocks] [Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer] [School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



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Created: 3:49 AM 2/28/2010
Last updated: 7:16 PM 4/5/2010