Figure 1.--The New Zealand National Archives describes this group as "two boys and two girls in their best clothes seated on a sofa on a lawn in front of shrubs. All are wearing hats." HBC bekieves that the child in the back is more likely a boy in a smock. (Reference No. 1/2-073134; G).

HBC has no information on the extent to which boys wore smocks in New Zealand. Available photographic images, however, do suggest that in the early 20th century that some boys did indeed wear smocks. We suspect that it was not as common as say France, but instead followed the English pattern where smocks were worn, perhaps more commonly by boys from affluent families or families involved or influenced by continental European culture. We do not know of smocks being worn to school, but do believe that that some boys wore smocks at home.

The image shown here is from the News Zealand National Archives. They describe it as a "group of children photographed outside" in 1911. They indicate that the children are "two boys and two girls in their best clothes seated on a sofa on a lawn in front of shrubs. All are wearing hats." HBC believes that the child in the back is a boy wearing an unsual short sleeved smock. Note how similar the hair of the child in the smock is to the that of the younger boy on the right. We do not know how the indicated New Zealand National Archives desription was arrived at. There is no provinance provided nor are there any names. We uspect the desription was written by some one who though that the child in the rear was dressed in what looks like a girl's clothes. HBC is in the prcess of contacting the News Zealand National Archives to determine just how the gender of the child was detemined.

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Created: February 6, 2001
Last updated: February 6, 2001