Child's pinafore
Category
Costume
Date
circa 1860 - circa 1879
Materials
Cotton
Measurements
435 mm (length)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658522
Summary
An 1860s or 1870s child's pinafore made from white cotton with a glazed finish and a tiny diamond pattern in the cotton towelling weave. The main piece of the fabric appears to be used on the wrong side - may have been used as a towel first. The main part is a single piece of fabric joined at the shoulders, leaving wide armholes which are bordered on all but the lower sides with a narrow crocheted picot edging. The lower sides comprise straight channels through which long, narrow lengths of tape are threaded (sewn in at the front end and loose at the back). The pinafore is fastened by means of a belt made from the same fabric, which is sewn to the centre front (gathering the fabric) for a length of approximately 70mm. There is a fabric-covered button on one end of the belt and a buttonhole on the other. Around the neck edge is a narrow channel through which a narrow length of tape is threaded, for tying.