We are not enirely sure what clothes boys wore under pinnies. Pinafores were like smocks a protective garment worn over other clothes. We believe that they were usually worn over dresses by girls and unbreeched boys. That would mean mostly dresses and skirts. Wearing them over smocks would seem a bit of protective overkill, but this is not tp say it was never done. Some younger boys may have worn them over suits of some kind, but we cannot yet confirm this. We have not found any clear examples of this in the photographic record, although one of the boys on the previous page may be wearing a shirt amd pants of some sort. German boys wore a kind of play pinafore over short pants and other outfits, but we have not noted that in England. Our archive of pinafore images is still quite limited. And is not always easy to tell in available images, especoally as they are mostly black and white. Water colorist Helen Allingham outfitted her son in what looks like desses and pinafores during the 1880s. The pinafores are obvious, but it is not always clear what her son is wearing under the pinnies.
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