Women’s smocks or shifts in the seventeenth century: survivals, textiles, and cut and construction

Terminology

The word smock is used for the main item of women’s underwear throughout the seventeenth century. The term shift originally meant a change of clothes, or at least of underwear, and is not specific to women. In c.1568 Wager writes, “Of rayment he shall have shiftes twentie.” (1)  The word shift does start to appear for women’s underwear by the middle of the seventeenth century. In 1647 Dorothy Cotton leaves “my two best and largest linen shifts and one apron” (2 pp. 391-3) By 1700 the word shift is more commonly used than smock, but both are used seemingly interchangeably. At the beginning of the eighteenth-century Timothy Burrell pays for both smocks and shifts for his servant Nan West; in 1700 he pays “For two smocks for Nan West, 5s” and in 1701 for “3 flaxen shifts for her, 10s”.  Burrell does the same for his daughter Elizabeth; in 1705 he pays “for 2 ells of cloth to make a smock for my girle, at 5 groates the ell, 3s. 4d,” and  in 1708 “for 4 ells of holland, for shifts, £2 6s.” (3 pp. 136,137,148,155)

Figure 1: Rembrandt. Woman Bathing in a Stream. National Gallery

 

Survivals

Surviving smocks are unrepresentative of smocks in general. Gregory King’s 1688 analysis would indicate that about five million smocks were being made every year. (4) Those that survive often do so because they have highly decorative embroidery or lace; unadorned or coarser quality linen smocks simply do not survive. Rembrandt’s Woman bathing in a stream is one of the few depictions of a fairly ordinary woman in her underwear.  A general overview of the changing cut of smocks can be found in Burnham’s booklet. (5) Another source of information is Patterns of Fashion vol. 4, which has illustrations and patterns from fifteen surviving smocks dating between 1560 and 1660. (6) Links or information on nineteen surviving examples dating from 1600-1700 are given in a list at the end of this post. Where they are referred to in the post it is as numbered: survival 1 etc.

Textiles

Smocks were made of linen, the better the quality of the linen the more expensive. Ann Taylor in Bristol in 1704 seems to have been working as a seamstress, she has in her stock “20 Dowlas shifts.” (7 pp. 50-2) Dowlas, according to The Plain Dealing Linen Draper of 1696, could be made into “Ordinary shifts and shirts for tradespeople.” (8 p. 121) Sometimes smocks are described as flaxen or hempen, in 1630 Frances Raye left her sister a hempen smock. (9 p. 46) Holland was usually a good quality linen, although it was possible to buy coarse holland, and fine holland was widely used for smocks. In her 1617 will Anne Lloyd left Joan Bromley a holland smock. (10 pp. 297-8) In 1672 James Master “paid for 30 ells of holland at 3s 2d ye ell for 6 shirts and 6 smocks for me and my wife £4 15s.” (11 p. 146) As Pepys commented, “in the Privy-garden saw the finest smocks and linnen petticoats of my Lady Castlemaine’s, laced with rich lace at the bottom, that ever I saw; and did me good to look upon them.” (12 p. 21 May 1662)

Figure 2: Smock. (survival 7) 1603-10. London Museum.

 

The Plain Dealing Linen Draper, which lists no less than twenty five different types of linen that could be used to make smocks,  considered that a shift could be made from two ells of holland a yard wide “which is the bredth for shifts for a moderate sized body.” (8 pp. 118-9) An ell in England is usually regard as around 45 inches, which means that on an average height woman (someone between about 5ft 2ins and 5 ft 6ins) it would come to mid-calf. Cambric was another fine linen that was used for shirts and smocks. In 1624 Venetia Stanley had “a cambricke smocke sleeve edged with bone lace worth two shillings” stolen from her.  (13 p. 176)

Some smocks have more than one type of linen used, the most visible areas having a better quality linen, as in survival 16 where three weights of linen have been used, the finest on the neck and sleeves, a coarser linen for the body and a side gore of the coarsest. This may be why Venetia Stanley’s smock sleeve was stolen, possibly it was separate. In 1617 Elizabeth Blakeborne owned “3 paire of ould smocke slives 18d” (14 p. 47)  

Cut and construction

 Women’s smocks are mostly constructed from rectangles, squares and triangles of cloth. They are similar in cut to men’s shirts, but with the addition of side gores, and changes to the neck and cuff.  This use of rectangles, to make the most use of the fabric, continues through the eighteenth century, and is seen in Figure 3, from Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopedie of the 1750s. (15)

Body

In the list of survivals, several are straight rectangles to the body with gores added to the sides as in the left hand, figure 14, illustration in Diderot. This can be in one piece from front hem to back hem, as in survivals 4, 13 and 19. In survival 1 the front and back are separate and joined by two small rectangles forming shoulder sections.  

Figure 3 : From L'Encyclopédie Diderot et d'Alembert : Arts de l'habillement. 

 

Sometimes the fabric is cut and shaped by taking out a triangle from the shoulder to halfway down the body, this makes it narrower at the neck. This triangle is then used to add gores to the bottom of the body. This can be seen in the right hand, figure 15, illustration in Diderot. Survivals 2 and 6 appear to be of this type.

In survival 17 while the body is made of rectangles, the gores are also created using rectangles, but these are tightly pleated in under the armpit.

Underarm Gussets

The underarm gussets are usually a square of fabric inserted where the gores at the sides of the garment meet the sleeve, as in a late sixteenth century example in the Metropolitan Museum. [Figure 4] These gussets vary in size from 4 inches (survival 14) to 9 inches (survival 1)

Figure 4: Gusset on a 1575-1600 Smock. Metropolitan Museum New York

 

Necklines and Collars

Some early necklines are like men’s shirts, and are gathered into a neckband, as in figure 5 (survival 6) in the London Museum. Where the neckline is high the front opening is usually around nine inches deep.

Neck gussets were added to most high necked smocks. In survival 10 the triangular gusset, which is about 2 inches a side on the shorter sides, is slightly shaped to fit the lace insertion over the shoulder area. In survival 6, the two shorter sides of the neck gusset are just under two inches and at right angles, while the longer side is slightly gathered into the neckband. One of these gussets can just be seen in figure 5 on the right hand side of the neck, and another on the left hand side of figure 11.

Figure 5: Smock neck. (survival 6) 1605-1620. London Museum

 

Some smocks have integral collars, rather than neckbands, as in this example in the Somerset Museums collection (survival 11). The lace of the collar also goes down the front opening. [Figure 6] How this might appear when worn, can be seen in a Portrait of an Unknown Woman, from around 1620.

Figure 6: Smock neck. (survival 11) 1600-1625. Somerset Museums Service

 

Some smocks have no collar or gathering at the neck, as in the Elizabeth Periam example in the Victoria and Albert Museum (survival 15), or have wide or low necklines gathered into a casing, as can be seen in the portrait by Van Dyck of Rachel de Ruvigny, Countess of Southampton, dressed as Fortune. [Figure 7] Survival 1 has two or three rows of stitching gathered onto a straight piece of linen, while survival 17 has 48 inches of fabric eased into a 37 inch neckband. 

Figure 7: Detail from Rachel de Ruvigny, Countess of Southampton by Van Dyck.c.1638. Fitzwilliam Museum.

 

Sometimes the neckline is just cut square. A slightly earlier smock in the Manchester collection has a neck opening that is eight inches wide and four and a half inches deep.

Even the low necklines might have a front slit opening, on survival 17 this is 7 and a half inches long.

Sleeves and cuffs

Sleeves can be constructed from rectangles of cloth and then gathered into a cuff at the wrist, as in figure 8, a late sixteenth century embroidered smock in the Metropolitan Museum.  In survival 15 the end of the sleeve is not gathered into a cuff, but is simply embroidered at the cuff end.

Figure 8: Smock cuff. Late 16th century. Metropolitan Museum New York

Some sleeves are cut in a taper, narrowing to the wrist, as in survivals 2, 6 and 10. Survivals 2 and 10 end in a cuff, survival 6 does not, but like survival 15 has embroidery around the cuff end. In survival 7 the taper is produced by alternating straight pieces of cutwork, with trapezoid [narrowing rectangular] pieces of linen. Later smocks have shorter, just below the elbow or three-quarter length, sleeves, following the fashion of the time, as in survivals 18 and 19.

Fastenings

As can be seen in figure 8 cuff fastening could be a loop and toggle. Survival 3, which has been converted from two smocks, has worked eyelets for tape fastenings, which are of ¼-inch wide woven lace. Survival 17 has plaited loops worked either side of the cuff edge, to thread a tape though.

The 1680s survival, no. 18, has a wide neckline which is cased, with an original linen drawstring, and a short opening in front. [Figure 9] The smock belonging to the 1690s doll, Lady Clapham also has a drawcord of white linen at the neck.

Figure 9: Smock. (survival 18) 1680s. Manchester Art Gallery.

The number of smocks owned

In 1575 Thomas Churchyard reported of a maid servant that “she had three smockes, she had no less.” (16) This is not unusual, where smocks appear in probate inventories it is often in multiples of two, three or four smocks. The wealthy might leave money for the poor to be provided with smocks. In 1639 Francis Pinner left money for thirty poor women of the parish of St Mary, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to be provided with a smock every year. (17 p. 170)

Women often left smocks in their wills to their maidservants, for example in 1624 Ann Hutton, the widow of a rector left, “unto my servant Jane Harrison my workdaye apparell, three smocks...” (18 p. 173) In 1620 Elenor Ell, who was herself a maidservant with an estate worth only £1 0s 4d, had “on smock, three wastcotes, on payre of stockings and a payre of old bodies 4s.” (19 p. 31)  Richer women unsurprisingly owned many more smocks. In 1625 Katherine Ware, a single woman with an estate worth £297 8s 4d, of which £275 10s was ready money in the house, owned “three newe smocks, and foure old smocks.” (20 p. 60)  

The cost of making and purchasing

King considered that the average cost of a smock in 1688 was 2s 6d. Spufford and Mee’s work, looking at 105 shirts and smocks from between 1660 and 1700, showed a median price in Lincolnshire of 2s and in Kent of 2s 11d. (21 p. 31) In Cheshire between 1650 and 1660 Edward Harpur’s four daughters were provided with a number of smocks, these records are detailed, for example in 1650 “2 yards quarter ½ of linen cloath for Anna pro a smocke 1s 11½d” and in 1652 “for makinge a smock pro Debora 2d,” which gives values for both the cloth and making. (22 pp. 266-98) With the nobility smocks were much more expensive. For the Marquis of Hertford’s daughters, Lady Frances and Lady Mary, there was “12 ells and half of holland for smockes … at 6s per ell,” and 20 yard of bone [bobbin] lace at 3 shillings the yard to trim the smocks. (23 p. 31) The cost of making is not given in the Hertford accounts, but in 1618 the Howards of Naworth Castle paid “To Jane Bell for making 2 smocks for my Lady 6d.” (24 p. 75)

 

Surviving smocks

Note that earlier garments, and those that are missing the skirts are not included.

1.     c.1600 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/46812 No image. Italian? Wide neck, full sleeves, embroidered with tawny silk. A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4 (6 pp. 54,110-1).

2.     c.1600. National Museums of Scotland  (A.1979.14)

https://www.nms.ac.uk/search-our-collections/collection-search-results?entry=352735 Woman's smock of white linen embroidered in deep pink silk thread with bands of trailing flowers and small animals. A pattern is in Janet Arnold, 'Patterns of Fashion 4 (6 pp. 61,119).

3.     1600-1700 Victoria and Albert Museum (T.770-1919)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O356595/image-robe-unknown/ Italian. Converted from two smocks (the embroidery on the sleeves is different to that on the body) and then used on a religious statue. 1956

4.     1600-50. Manchester Art Gallery. (2003.75)

 https://collections.manchesterartgallery.org/collections/?s=2003.75&view=grid No image. Fine white linen with one straight section forming back and front, two full-length gores inserted each side, small gusset underarm. Sleeves in one section seamed down outer arm. Round neck with front opening. All seams open with patterned stitching of bars on a single vertical thread. Bordered with two lines of silk back stitch, three narrow bands of drawn thread embroidery round neck opening and sleeves, narrow buttonhole stitched edging round opening and sleeves. Probably belonged to Elizabeth Filmer (d. 1638).

5.     1600-50 Victoria and Albert Museum (1080-1901)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O356798/smock-unknown/ Italian. Square neck, full sleeves. Whitework and drawn thread work

6.     1605-20. London Museum (A21968)

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-84649/smock-nightgown/  Embroidered in pink silk. A pattern is in Janet Arnold, 'Patterns of Fashion 4 (6 pp. 62,119)

7.     1603-10 London Museum (28.83)

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-79205/smock/ Cutwork insertions, tapering sleeves. A pattern for this smock was published by Janet Arnold in 'Elizabethan and Jacobean Smocks and Shirts', Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 1977, p.103, and Janet Arnold, 'Patterns of Fashion 4 (6 pp. 60,117)

8.     1605-15. Wadham College, Oxford.

https://library.wadham.ox.ac.uk/dorothyshift.html A smock that supposedly belonged to the College’s founder College's founder, Lady Dorothy Wadham (1534-1618). A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4 (6 pp. 63,120)

 

9.     1610-15. National Museums of Scotland (A.1980.163)

https://www.nms.ac.uk/search-our-collections/collection-search-results?entry=352737

No image. Woman's smock of fine white linen with white handmade bobbin lace insertions.

 

10.  1610- 20 Fashion Museum Bath.

https://www.facebook.com/FashionMuseum/posts/10159801766247366 

High neck tapered sleeves, embroidered. A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4. (6 pp. 63,120)

 

11.  1600-20 Somerset Museums Service.  

First of two linen smocks, information not available online. Both have integral collars One with lace insertions, collar at Figure 6.

 

12.  1600-20 Somerset Museums Service. 

 Second of two linen smocks information not available online. With whitework and an integral collar. [Figure 10]

Figure 10: Neck of smock, (survival 12) 1600-25. Somerset Museums Service.

 
 

13.  1615-30 Victoria and Albert Museum (T.2-1956)  

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78791/smock-unknown/ High neck, shaped sleeves with cuffs. Embroidered in pink silk, some motifs from A Schole-House for the Needle by Richard Schorleyker, published 1624. A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4. (6 pp. 59,116)

 

14.  1620-40 Victoria and Albert Museum (T.243-1959)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O137793/smock-unknown/ High neck, lace insertions. A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4. (6 pp. 60, 117) and (16 pp. 110-9)

15.  1630-60. Victoria and Albert Museum (T.11-2014)

 https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1274830/smock-unknown/  High, ungathered neck, no collar, straight uncuffed sleeves. Embroidered. Believed to have been owned by Elizabeth Periam of Butleigh Somerset in the 1650s.

 

16.  1650-1700 Victoria and Albert Museum  (1081-1901)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O356797/smock-unknown/  Italian; Linen, drawn & pulled thread work, bobbin and needle lace insertions and edgings.

17.  c.1660 Royal Collection., Windsor.

No image. Wide neckline, full sleeves gathered to cuff, cutwork. Believed to have belonged to Catherine of Braganza. A pattern is in Patterns of Fashion 4. (6 pp. 64,122-3)

18.  c.1680-90. Manchester Art Gallery. (1948.74)

https://collections.manchesterartgallery.org/collections/?s=1948.74&view=grid Owned by Elizabeth Palmer who married in 1690, the initials EP are embroidered at the front opening.

19.  1690-1700. Victoria and Albert Museum (T.847-1974)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O82496/dolls-shift-unknown/ The shift belonging to the doll Lady Clapham. Of fine white hand-sewn lawn, mid-calf length. The body of the shift is one rectangle forming front and back, with triangular gores on each side, front and back. It has a low round neck trimmed with English bobbin lace with a draw cord of white linen for adjustment. The sleeves are of just below elbow length and are gathered into a cuff which has eyelet holes for a linen attachment cord.

References

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6. Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion 4: the cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c.1540-1660. London : Macmillan, 2008.

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