A CHAT ABOUT CHILDREN AND THEIR CLOTHING.
"The childhood shows the man,
As morning shows the day."--_Milton._
Of children's dress in olden times we have singularly few details, and,
as a rule, it may be concluded that their raiment was fashioned on
similar lines to that worn by the men and women of the country in which
they lived, and was more or less ornamented, according to their station
in life.
[Illustration: CHILDREN OF CHARLES I. (_After a painting by Vandyck._)]
One or two biblical references enlighten us as to Eastern customs. On
the authority of St. Luke, our Saviour in infancy was wrapped in
swaddling clothes. "Samuel," we are told, "being a child, was girded
with a linen ephod," which appears to have been a close robe or vest
reaching from the shoulders to the loins, and confined by a girdle.
Considering the climate and the habits of the people, it was probably
the only garment used in summer, but in cold weather was supplemented,
we presume, by the little coat his mother bought him from year to year,
when she and her husband came to offer the annual sacrifice, at Shiloh,
where Eli, the High Priest, lived. A coat of many colours was also
presented to Joseph in his youth as a mark of Jacob's affection for the
child of his old age.
Greek and Roman children of the gentler sex are usually represented in
the chiton, or loose classical gown, combined with a shawl or himation
weighted at the four corners, so as to assist the wearer in adjusting
it. How to put on this garment was carefully taught as part of a girl's
education. The long end was first thrown over the left shoulder. The
front part was arranged in folds across the body, passed under the right
arm and over the left shoulder or forearm. The girdle sometimes
consisted of a cord, at others of metal bands, and by drawing the chiton
over it, a double thickness of the fabric covered the vital organs of
the body. Boys wore the tunic and toga, and the latter is supposed to
have been oblong, with the corners rounded off, so as to give a
semicircular effect. Hats were not commonly worn, except by the poor or
when on a journey, a fold of the toga or mantle serving for a head
covering, and sandals protected the feet.
The Egyptian labouring classes allowed their children to be nude, and
infants were unfamiliar with swaddling clothes. The working man and boy
had simply a loin cloth and girdle, and the girl a loose tunic fastened
with strings at the neck and reaching to her feet. On the other hand,
children of the upper classes in Egypt were repetitions of their elders
on a small scale. Girls wore a linen skirt embroidered in colours and
fastened with a bright sash, or suspended from the shoulders, and over
this a loose transparent robe with long sleeves. The male costume
consisted of a loin cloth, and a full robe with short sleeves, or a
tunic, and both sexes had elaborately curled or plaited wigs, as the
natural hair was only allowed to grow in times of mourning.
The Roman occupation of Britain left its impress for a long period on
the costume of the Anglo-Saxon race. The long-sleeved banded tunic was
the usual habit of the industrial classes through the Middle Ages and
leg bandages and cross gartering preceded breeches. Quite young boys
appear in this dress, and little girls are seen in ancient MSS. in the
kirtle and gunna, the equivalents of the modern petticoat and dress.
Their hair, however, was allowed to fall naturally, or was dressed with
two pendant plaits, and was not concealed, as was so often the case with
adult females, by means of the head-rail. The materials used in clothing
were to a great extent the produce of household industry. The women
servants were employed in spinning, weaving, and sewing, and ladies of
the highest rank did not disdain to participate in such labours. Several
articles of dress were derived from the tanner, who worked up his
leather into shoes, ankle leathers, and leathern hose. The art of
tanning skins with the wool or hair on, was also practised, and dyeing
was in great request, for in a rude age a love of gaudy colours is a
natural characteristic of the people. The most skilful artificers were
found in the religious houses, but under each landowner serfs were
trained in the mechanical arts. Silk was worn by the wealthy, but the
common materials for wearing apparel in this country were cotton, linen,
and woollen.
[Illustration: CHILDREN'S COSTUME, PRESENT DAY.]
Among the Anglo-Saxons and their pagan ancestors the desertion of
children sometimes occurred, but as the influence of Christianity
increased, it was regarded as a crime, and a law was passed for its
repression. For fostering a foundling the State allowed 6s. the first
year; 12s. the second; and 30s. for the third year; and afterward the
foster parent was to receive a sum varying according to the appearance
of the child. Children bereft of their father, remained under the
mother's care, but until the eldest child became of age were subject to
the guardianship of the husband's relations. Mothers usually nursed
their own children, cradles were used, and for the first few months
their clothing was swathed with a bandage. In this compact form they
were more easily carried, though the constraint to which they were
subjected, probably prevented that free development of the limbs, which
we now consider so essential to health and beauty. If very poor, the
father was allowed to sell his son into slavery for seven years,
providing the consent of the child was obtained, and one ten years old
could give evidence. Until a daughter was fifteen years of age, her
father could marry her as he pleased, but afterwards had no power to do
so. A boy of fifteen could enter the monastic life if so disposed, and a
girl at a somewhat later period. Monasteries offered the best education
then procurable, and the clergy were directed to "teach youth with care,
and to draw them to some craft." Schoolboys appear to have been kept in
order, by the dread of personal chastisement, and great respect and
reverence was exacted by their elders.
[Illustration]
In the dress of the Blue-coat School (Christ's Hospital), we see the
ordinary costume of boys of the Tudor period. It consisted of a long
coat reaching to the heels and knee-breeches, a striped vest, yellow
stockings, and a small round cap placed on the side of the head. The
dress of little girls may be found on various monumental effigies, in
which they appear like their mothers, in full skirts, sometimes
distended by a fardingale, the body imprisoned in whalebone to the hips,
a folded ruff encircling the neck, and their stockings (according to
Stubbs) were of the finest yarn, silk, thread, or cloth that could
possibly be had, of changeable colours, cunningly knit, with curiously
indented points, clocks, and open seams. The shoes were of black, green,
white and yellow velvet, or of leather stitched with silk and
embroidered with gold and silver all over the foot.
[Illustration]
The paintings of Vandyck bring graphically before us the picturesque
elements of the dress of the Stuart era. There is an air of richness and
refinement about the long skirted silken frocks embellished with lace,
the pointed collars, and beaver hats with trailing feathers universally
worn, and the quaint lace caps, which, by a turn of fashion's wheel,
have been remodelled for the children of today.
[Illustration]
At no period in the history of costume were the styles so offensive to
those with a true conception of colour and form than in the first half
of the nineteenth century. We have only to turn to the sketches of Leech
and contemporary artists to find bare necks and arms, conspicuous
underwear, very short skirts distended by a stiffened petticoat or
crinoline, white cotton stockings, low shoes fastened by a strap and
single button, mushroom hats, aprons and pinafores devoid of elegance
and grace, and the hair cut close to the head or arranged in rows of
stiff ringlets. Nor did the boys of England, in trousers buttoned high
on short jackets, or with tunics worn with frilled linen collars and
leathern belts, show to greater advantage. Queen Victoria inaugurated a
new system of clothing for boys, when she dressed the young Princes in
Scotch and sailor suits, and the wardrobes of all classes have been
considerably extended of late, by the open-air life and outdoor sports
in which every self-respecting lad indulges. Cricket, tennis, boating,
football, and cycling, all imperatively demand appropriate apparel, and
tailors now give reasonable attention to this important branch of their
business, and provide fabrics and designs suited to the needs of the
rising generation.
[Illustration]
Habits of personal cleanliness and the influence of dress on the minds
of growing girls is hardly realized except by those directly concerned
in education. Many a sensitive child's character has been warped by the
thoughtless jeers of schoolfellows, who were quick to perceive that her
clothing was not up-to-date or of such good material as their own. On
the other hand, vanity, envy, and uncharitableness have been engendered
by foolish mothers, who have provided their daughters with inappropriate
and extravagant outfits.
[Illustration]
Though many advocate uniforms with distinctive trimmings for girls'
colleges, there are drawbacks to the scheme being adopted. Such a course
would probably destroy the individuality which we all desire to see
applied to the choice of clothing, and it would leave no field for
original ideas. Children must be _trained_ to select and wear their
clothes to the best advantage, and it is folly to think that they will
do so by intuition. Some may possess naturally an artistic sense and a
keen eye for colour, but they are certainly in the minority, and
rational dress reformers have pushed sensible ideas to the verge of
absurdity, till now the name is almost regarded as a term of reproach.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
How much we owe to pioneers of children's dress reform, and especially
to Messrs. Liberty, who evolved what is generally known as the aesthetic
style in dress. From sketches courteously placed at my disposal, I am
enabled to put before the reader examples of children's clothing which
are artistic in form, light of texture, and which in no way impede the
physical development. Those who have the care of children should
remember what a sacred charge is imposed upon them, and that their
future health mainly depends, upon the manner in which they are clothed
during the first few years of life. There must be no tight bands, belts,
or garters to prevent circulation and to cause organic troubles; and
where corsets are dispensed with, as happily they are in many cases
where growing girls are concerned, the weight of the clothing should be
borne by the shoulders, not the waist, and this is ensured by cutting
undergarments in the princess or combination forms. Many young people
suffer from being carelessly shod, and hideous malformations of the feet
arise in consequence, while obscure diseases of the brain can sometimes
be traced to heavy head-gear, and the strain of over-study. Hats should
be of light construction, and afford a grateful shade to the eyes, if
that far-reaching ailment of civilisation, short sight, is to be
successfully combatted; and special attention must be paid to infants,
who may often be seen in public thoroughfares with a hot sun beating
down upon them, and the nurse oblivious to the fact. The sight of a
tender infant entrusted to the care of a young woman, who has not the
glimmering of a notion of how to look after its fragile body, must fill
any right-minded person with indignation. Is it unreasonable to expect
those who undertake the charge of children to acquaint themselves with
at least an elementary knowledge of the construction and functions of
the human body? The ignorance of the average nursemaid is appalling;
and though a board school education may have acquainted her with the
mysteries of the First Book of Euclid, or the rudiments of music, the
curriculum rarely includes the simplest instruction on the healthy
training of children; and, in consequence, the high rate of infant
mortality in this country is a national disgrace.