Figure 1.--This class portrait was taken in Cabeção during 1960. It shows 1st and 2nd grade pupils of the village primary school. Cabeção is a Portuguese village about 120 km east of Lisbon. Many of the boys wear light-colored smocks. They do not seem to be mandatory, but most seem to be white and a similar style. This suggests that the school was providing some guidnce.

We do not know a great deal about Portuguese schoolwear, but since the 19th century, many children wore school smocks. We think this was primary schools. We are less sure about secondary schools. We note smocks of different colors and different styles. We note both dark and light-colored smocks. And often the chilren at at specific schools wore the same color and style of smock. t some schools almost all the boys wear smocks which suggests that they if not mandatory, encouragd by the schools. Other schools are more mixed with some boys wearing and not wearing smocks. This of course varied over time and at many schools smocks were not worn. The garments other than smocks seem to reflect the geral fashions at the time. We see primary boys wearing knee pants and short pants in the first half of the 20th century. Long pants tend to become more populr in the second half of the century. Girls wore dresses during most of the 20th century, but we seem more of a variety by the end of the century.

Smocks

We do not know a great deal about Portuguese schoolwear, but since the 19th century, many children wore school smocks. We think this was primary schools. We are less sure about secondary schools. We note smocks of different colors and different styles. We note both dark and light-colored smocks. And often the chilren at at specific schools wore the same color and style of smock. t some schools almost all the boys wear smocks which suggests that they if not mandatory, encouragd by the schools. Other schools are more mixed with some boys wearing and not wearing smocks. This of course varied over time and at many schools smocks were not worn.

Pants

The garments other than smocks seem to reflect the general fashions at the time. We see primary boys wearing knee pants and short pants in the first half of the 20th century. Long pants tend to become more popular in the second half of the century.

Dresses

Girls wore dresses during most of the 20th century, but we seem more of a variety by the end of the century.

Footwear

A HBC reader writes, "I spent 2 weeks in São Mamede do Coronado, a little village near Porto, in northern Portugal (September 1979). There and in the other villages of the region (it was different in the town) I never saw a child wearing shoes. School had still not started, so I don't know if the children went to school barefoot. I saw some shod children at Sunday mass, but in everyday life the children were always barefoot. Also most women were also barefoot. The men in contrast wore shoes."

Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[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: 9:00 PM 1/8/2008
Last updated: 10:21 PM 5/29/2009