Figure 1.--This image shows a scene after school, probably in the 1900s. Note the two boys in the center wear back buttoning smocks, one dark and one light. Note that after school many of the buttons were undone. I'm not sure what the boy on the right is wearing. I do not believe it is a sleevless smock, but the image is unclear.

HBC does not have a lot of information on smock styles during this per`iod. We do not yet have sufficent images or information to fully assess styles. Available images suggest that they were virtually all back-buttoning smocks. There are many sttylist differences as well as different clors, but the basic design was basically quite similar. The buttoning generally runs from the neck to the waist. Many boys often did not have their smocks fully buttoned at the back, probably because it was a little difficult to do. HBC has not noted any front buttoning smocks during the 1900s and 1910s. We have not noted any pinafore or apron-style smocks during this period. Some unclear images show what may be a pinafore-like sleeveless apron smock, but this could be more of a jacket. At any rate, HBC believes that such garments are unusual. The vast majority of French boys during the early 20th century appear to mostly be wearing back buttoning smocks. HBC simply has not noted a variety of smock types during the early 20th century, the smocks all seem to be the basic back-buttoning smock. There are some stylistic differences, but the basic smock types seem quite similar. Notice the different sleeve treatment on the smocks that the boys in dark and light colred smocks are wearing.