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Through 1784 women were already wearing black fabric bonnets. Those bonnets had a wide brim to shield the eyes from the sun and were still worn in the 1820s.
They predated the entry of bonnets into high fashion, which did not occur until 1795.
Those fashionable bonnets had a very round shape and were entitled the "sun bonnets". -
As can be seen in George Stubbs' paintings entitled "Haymakers and Raepers", rural farm women and laborers mainly wore a bed-gowns worn over a petticoat and a kerchief around their necks. These garments were made of white cotton with a printed pink pattern. This garment could be reminiscent of a "kimono" but it has an open front and has short sleeves. -
Trousers were given much political influence significance by the French Revolution. Indeed, it was the trousered peasants against the aristocratic establishment. Thus, any male who considered himself liberal and radical adopted trousers, as tight as possible.
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The Napoleonic wars resulted in Britain having a huge shortage of food, clothing and armaments but after the peace, trade came to a halt, and a general depression set in.
According to William Cobbett, (who recorded what was happening in the "Rural Rides") in November 1821 through the Marlborough area the workers, labourers, country folk and reapers were wearing shabby clothes. -
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The working class people in 1800 wore linen underwear and while women wore cotton, linen and woolen dresses, men would only wear woolen clothes. But by 1844, the only textile working classes wore was cotton.
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In the 18th century the liveries were created. working class people would wear it to court to work for the royalty as servants. The "scarlet state livery" is still worn nowadays for footmen and other attendants for state occasions. It is handmade and embroidered. They were the first uniforms created. -
A Neo-classical style coming from France took place in London: fashionable ladies had to wear only one petticoat instead of three to look like the French woman. However, working women were against such "semi-nudity". -
The study "Microcosm" by W. H. Pyne deals with the creation and appearance of "smocks" which are sleeved blouses made of heavy canvas and worn over clothes but more commonly called in our century "blouses". They are worn by ploughmen, dairymen and shepherds because they protected the men from splashes or stains and concealed the clothes worn underneath. The study notes that when men in the Sussex countryside did not wear smocks, they always looked dirty and uncomfortable! -
The sailors of Liverpool did not have a uniform yet and were only noticed by their "blue jacket" and their white pants and more "tar" which were the only characteristic of the sailors. For the funerals, they wore the same thing to pay homage except for the black scarf around the arm that signified mourning, hat, and gold medal for the battle of Trafalgar. Only the commander could afford to change his outfit. -
In 1809 as doctors were expensive the poor looked up to the village wise woman. They were wearing a labourer's corduroy jacket. At the time Aprons were worn by all country women, but the daughter had the new pinafore. -
Under the reign of Victoria, the black evening suit was a suit made for butlers to differenciate them apart from the guests. -
In the mills, a special apron evolved made of white linen or cotton, it was put on over the head and consisted of a sleeveless bodice back and front. It protected the clothes over the chest and trousers as the boys leant forward over the machines.
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In 1814 the Yorkshire miner is described as wearing a white suit bound with red, consisting of a jacket and knee breeches. What can explain this surprising choice of shade is the fact that miners had to wash every day so their clothes were also washed frequently. They were mainly wearing white so that the miners could see each other underground as they had only candles to work by. -
In Yorkshire, the costume of the laboring poor was studied by George Walker. He showed them on sailors and whalebone scrapers, in undid canvas or blue, with undid shirts or blue or red. -
In 1806 it was too soon for trousers to be seen inland. Indeed, fishermen and sailors had them. However, the spread of trousers became significant after the Napoleonic war ended in 1815.
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Leather gaiters were originally military items but reached the population. Made of leather or canvas, they were perfect for infantry, while the poorest had bags or straw to protect their legs.
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In 1819, women in Wales had created a specific look consisting of a hip-length smock worn over a skirt, with a belt or apron to pull it in at the waist, and over their linen caps they wore bowler hats.
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Welsh miners wore a padded suit with a tunic and pants not unlike sailor's clothing. This padding protected the bodies from the shocks in the mine and made the work more comfortable but over the next 30 years, padded suits lost their popularity in Wales. -
The concept of "hiring fairs" was introduced to help those who offered their services to find an employer. For instance, young girls were dressed in their finest clothes and exhibited at the fair to be hired by their would-be employers. However, by the 1840s such associations were being condemned. -
As late as 1842 clothing for peasants was very inadequate, especially for women: they were too poor to afford more than one outfit. However, a clothing club was created, usually run by the parson's wife. Club in which laborers' families could contribute to buy some second-hand Sunday or holiday outfits. Still, at best they would only have two lots of clothes, which had to last a lifetime.
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Even with the creation of the sun bonnets, the ancient straw hat did not disappear and maintained a long run beside it. Their making was dominated by women and this type of industry was really important throughout England because straw hats were the most popular hat in the market in summer.