* English school uniforms garments -- smocks








English School Uniform Garments: Smocks


Figure 1.--This little English boy wears a checkered school smock in the 1960s. It was a uniform smock. We can see the elbow of another child wearing the same checked smock. Notice the fun animal badge. We are not sure if the hildren wore the smocks to school or put the on once at school. Smocks were not commonly worn like on the continent, but we do see pre-school children wearing them. And some schools had smocks for activities like art. The little boy here is about to finish the jigsaw puzzle he is working on and seems very pleased with himself. Given this was ot a nessy activity, it suggers that these smocks was a kind of school uniform. The boy looks to be about 5 years old.

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 that does not mean that they definitively did not.) We suspect that children in rural areas probably did, but we can not prove it. But unlike America there were few schools in rural areas. England lagged begind America and German in creating a public school system. 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 uniforms. 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.

English Smocks

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 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, did not not require smocks. Private schools did have uniforms, but state schools did not require uniforms.

Prevalence

The smock was not a common English school garment. Smocks were, however, not an unkown garment in England. They were commonly worn in rural England as part of farm dress in the early and mid-19th century. The Kate Greenway images, however, suggest that some children did wear them. We do not, however, see children wearing them or see them at school, although we do not see many photograpgic images until the advent of the the CDV (1860s). We do not, however, see boys wearing smocks to any extent in the photographic record, especially at school. We have found only a few such examples. The examples we have found come from pre schools or pre-prep schools, meaning schools for children only through the first two primary years. We do not see themn at all in state primaries. The smock was an important school garment in several European countries, especially France and Italy, but not in Englkand.

Chronology

We have begun to assess the chronology of English school smocks, but our information to date is limited. We have no evidence yet to confirm that boy commonly wore smocks to school in the late-18th and early-19th century a time at which smocks wereworn in rural areas. (Of course that does not mean that they definitively did not.) We suspect that children in rural areas probably did, but we can not prove it. But unlike America there were few schools in rural areas. England lagged begind America and German in creating a public school system. Boys rarely appear in the 19th century images we have found wearing smocks. French schools began requiring smocks at the onset if the Third Republic (1870s). The idea was to create an ethos of equality. Britain of course was a monarchy and never promoted an ethos of republican eqalitarianism. We know much more about the 20th century. Private schools did require uniforms, but we know of very few schools that required older boys to wear smocks. We have a substantial archive of British school images so e believe smocks would show up if they were very common. 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 worn at some prep schools. They may have just been used at school, primarily for the younger boys. Hee we see a good example in the 1960s (figure 1). Other than the buttoning arrangements, there were other stylistic alternatives.

Styles

We have found so few images of English school snocks to determine any general style trends, other than mostly back-buttoning smocks. The smock was not a common school farment, but we have dpind a few examples. We havebnoted different styles. This was the general approach on the Continent until after World War II. We think that there were just too few smocks worn at English schools for there to be a general stytle. And of course when we have a single child photographed as we see here (figure 1), we do not know if this was a uniform style or if parents simply had to obtain a smock of any style. We believe that most of the smocks worn by English children were back buttoning smocks, like the one the boy here is wearing (figure 1). We note children wearing front-buttoning smocks at one school in the 1930s, but that is the only example we have found. The buttoning approach was not the only stylistic alternative. The collar was another element. We note smocks both with and without collars. What we do not notice is the white collars and bows worn with school smocks in some countries.

Types of Schools

We do not yet have information on smocks being eworn at 19th century English schools. Britain laged behind America and Germany in building a substanial public (state) school system, but finally did so in the late-19th century. We do not see any of these children wearing smocks, although we have very few images at this time. Nor as far as we can tell were they worn in the private schools. Most of the The examples we have found of English school children wearing smocks come from thev 20th century. We are not sure yet about state pre schools. The kmages we have found look like pre-prep schools, meaning schools for children only through the first two primary years (6-8 year olds) before they began their prep schools. We do not see themn at all in state primaries.

Colors and Patterns


Ages


Usage

We have found some school photograpohs where all the children are wearing smocks, more commonly where smocks were worn we note quite a few children not wearing them. It looks rather like the children were encouraged to wear smocks, but that they were not mandatory. The dress code looks rather loosely enforced. While we have found very few images of children wearing smocks as part of a school uniform, we believe that smocks were more commonly used for youger children or for especially messy activities like art activities to protect their clothes. This seens to be the primary reason for the smocks in Britain. This is very different tjan in France and Italy where the primary purpose was to obsure social inequity, some children dressung better than the others. This was not a factor in England because smocks were not worn in the atate schools.

Individual Schools

Some schools appear to have used them as the school uniform, but this was very rare. W have found a fe school examples. 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.







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Created: April 26, 2003
Last updated: 9:11 PM 11/5/2020