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Most children were dressed up for photographic portraits. There were exceptions, but for thee most part, mother dressed up the children in their best clothes. As s a result, the proportion of boys or girls for that matter photographed in pinafores is surely not a good indicator of the number that may have actually wore pinafores. We see that in the school photography at the time. We see classes with many of the girls wearing pinafores, in some cases nearly all of the girls. Yet we have only a handfull of portraits with the girls wearing pinafores. The pinafores was a utilitarian garments. And mothers wanted show off a child's best clothing, not cover them up. It is not entirely clear to us why a mother would have had her child photographed in a pinafore rather than their best clothes. Which rather explains why there are so few studio portaits of the children wearing pinafores, even during the decades when pinafores were very common. We do not have snapshots, which are a much better reflection of what was being worn to any extent until the 20th centurty. A complicationn here is that some pinafores were made as dressy garments wiyj lace and ruffles. They were not worn for every day, but saved for everyday.
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