Smocks Collection

Childrens nursery, Chorlton Union Cottage Homes, Styal
View inside a childrens nursery at the cottage homes in Styal, Cheshire, with a large group of girls and boys posing for their photograph

The Breakfast Table
BAL10718 The Breakfast Table by Clausen, George (1852-1944); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Blything Union Childrens Home, Yoxford, Suffolk
Children and staff stand in front of the Blything Union childrens home at Yoxford, Suffolk. The home, opened in the early 1900s, accommodated pauper children away from the workhouse

Hop-picking, 1858. Creator: Unknown
Hop-picking, 1858. Seasonal workers. Beautiful as the hop-gardens appear when the hops are in their pride and prime, and ere a pole has been pulled or a bine cut

Testimonial to Mr. Fuller, 1858. Creator: Unknown
Testimonial to Mr. Fuller, 1858. The testimonial which we have engraved was intended to be presented to the late Mr. Eliott Fuller, but, his death occurring before the completion of the work

Playing Children, Enghave Square, 1907-1908. Creator: Peter Hansen
Playing Children, Enghave Square, 1907-1908

Opening of the Central Somerset Railway - Procession in the Abbey Grounds, at Glastonbury, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Opening of the Central Somerset Railway - Procession in the Abbey Grounds, at Glastonbury, 1854. The line...carries a road of iron into the very heart of pastoral Somerset...It is a single line

The Annual Exhibition of the Smithfield Club - Bringing in Hereford Ox, 1850. Creator: Unknown
The Annual Exhibition of the Smithfield Club - Bringing in Hereford Ox, 1850. Agricultural show in London. Amongst the oxen, the competition, as well as the prizes

Two Walloon Country Girls, 1888 (oil on canvas)
471170 Two Walloon Country Girls, 1888 (oil on canvas) by Frederic, Leon Henri Marie (1856-1940); 124x91 cm; Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium; © Art in Flanders

Irish Whiteboys (engraving)
3656111 Irish Whiteboys (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Irish Whiteboys. Illustration for The Pictorial History of England (W & R Chambers, 1858)

Babes in the Wood (oil on canvas)
AFR97179 Babes in the Wood (oil on canvas) by Rothenstein, William (1872-1945); South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa; © South African National Gallery

Children on rocking horse, c. 1890 (b / w photo)
FMB409193 Children on rocking horse, c.1890 (b/w photo) by Thomas, B. (fl.c.1890); Fashion Museum Bath; eFashion Museum Bath; British, out of copyright

Enter certain reapers, properly habited, illustration from William Shakespeares
3260689 Enter certain reapers, properly habited, illustration from William Shakespeares The Tempest, pub. 1926 (colour litho) by Rackham

Campo Voltantin, near Salve Bridge, Bilbao, Spain. circa 1905

Group photo of children, the girls wearing smocks
Group photo of children in a garden, the girls wearing smocks. circa 1900

Group of children wearing wild flowers, Somerset, England
Group of children wearing garlands of wild flowers round their faces, Somerset, England. Date: 1922

Pig with bottles on a cutout Christmas card. Date: circa 1890s

Postcard depicting a farmer in the Haute-Loire selling food at the market, c
REV382790 Postcard depicting a farmer in the Haute-Loire selling food at the market, c.1900 (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: carte postale)

The End of Misery in Brittany, The Miraculous Sardine Fishing Happened In The Days Gone (colour Litho)
2798665 The End of Misery in Brittany, The Miraculous Sardine Fishing Happened In The Days Gone (colour Litho) by Beltrame

Oxen Ploughing a Downland Field (w / c on paper)
AGN281879 Oxen Ploughing a Downland Field (w/c on paper) by Hills, Robert (1769-1844); 8.2x12.1 cm; Private Collection; Photo eAgnew s, London; English, out of copyright

Manchester school children dressed as gnomes for school pantomime. December 1982

Lobstermen repair their pots in their shanty at the West End of Bridlington harbour whilst stormy weather prevents them putting to sea. June 1936 P23066

Horses going to a Fair, 1821. Creators: Theodore Gericault, Charles Joseph Hullmandel
Horses going to a Fair, 1821

Life in the agricultural districts 1872
Life in the agricultural districts, labourers home. Date: 1872

Enter certain reapers, properly habited, illustration from William Shakespeares The Tempest, pub. 1926 (colour lithograph). William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616); Act IV: Scene I, Line 138;

Cuckoo flower or Ladys smock (Cardamine pratensis), Ireland, Europe

Woolwich Union Goldie Leigh Homes, Plumstead
A group of children and their house mother at the Woolwich Union Goldie Leigh cottage homes. The homes, at Bostall Heath, Plumstead (then in Kent, now in south east London)

Four pigs with festive food on a cutout Christmas card (front). (1 of 2) Date: circa 1890s

Children at a school, Normandy, France
Children in the grounds of a school or orphanage, Normandy, France. Date: circa 1899

Two Isle of Wight Farmers assess a tricky situation
Why the Natives are called Isle of Wight Calves. " Well, what shall us do Bill? Is pose there baint nothin else but to Cut his ed off." Date: 1907

Countrymen with horses in the City of London
Countrymen with horses in Love Lane, City of London. Date: 20th century

Countrymen in a London street
Countrymen in smocks, with a haycart and horses, in a London street. Date: 20th century

Protecting crews from burning oil by G. H. Davis
Protecting the crews of tankers from burning oil during the Second World War. The new one-piece fireproof smocks, with other fire-resisting devices. Date: 1941

Children dancing round a maypole at an English country fete. Date: early 20th century

Bee-fly (Bombyliidae) on Ladys Smock (Cardamine pratensis)

Harvest Festival of the World - Farm Workers 1843, complete with flail, arriving at Canterbury cathedral for the opening service of the Canterbury Festival Harvest Festival of the World

Life Studies At Art School
San Francisco, California: c. 1914. Students at an art school drawing life studies from a nude model

Four young inmates, Wigmore Schools, West Midlands
Four young inmates (two boys and two girls) at the Walsall and West Bromwich District School on Pennyhill Lane, Wigmore. The boys are in band uniform and hold a trumpet or cornet

Father with two daughters, Mid Wales
A father with his two young daughters, in the photographers studio. There is a painted backdrop with a curtain draped at the side, and they are standing on a large furry rug

Girls at Crickhowell School, Crickhowell, Powys, Mid Wales
A group photo of the girls class at Crickhowell School, Crickhowell, Powys, Mid Wales. There are two teachers, one male, one female

Girls outside a (clothes-making?) workshop
A group of working-class girls stand outside a workshop, possibly connected to the clothing trade. A note on the back of the picture reads These are a few of our girls from the workshop

View of the harbour and pier at St Ives, Cornwall
A view of the harbour and Smeatons Pier at St Ives, Cornwall, with a range of boats. Two little girls in large-brimmed hats and smocks are doing some beachcombing

Sports Day, Medway Union Cottage Homes, Chatham, Kent
Staff and children at the Medway Union Cottage Homes annual sports day in 1907. The homes, opened in 1903 on Pattens Lane, Chatham, Kent

Classroom of girls
A classroom of girls in a girls school. They are all wearing white smocks

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"Smocks: A Timeless Garment That Tells Stories of Childhood" Step into the world of Blything Union Children's Home in Yoxford, Suffolk, where little ones found solace and comfort wearing their trusty smocks. These simple yet sturdy garments became a symbol of resilience and unity among the children. Travel north to National Children's Home in Edgworth, Lancashire, where smocks adorned the playful spirits of youngsters as they explored the vast grounds. Each brushstroke on Two Walloon Country Girls' oil painting from 1888 captures the essence of innocence embodied by these smock-clad children. In Birmingham Union Cottage Homes at Marston Green, Warwickshire, Kings Sutton Church stood tall as a backdrop for countless Sunday gatherings. Smocked dresses and shirts added an air of elegance to these young churchgoers as they learned about faith and community. From Irish Whiteboys engraving depicting historical struggles to Babes in the Wood oil painting telling tales of adventure, they have witnessed it all. They were there when children rode rocking horses with joyous abandon or when certain reapers donned them while working diligently in fields illustrated by William Shakespeare himself. At The Breakfast Table or Campo Voltantin near Salve Bridge in Bilbao, Spain – wherever life took them – children proudly wore their smocks. In group photos capturing cherished memories, girls radiated charm with their beautifully embroidered designs adorning these timeless garments. As time passes and fashion evolves, one thing remains constant – the enduring legacy of smocks. Whether worn by those who sought refuge at Blything Union Children's Home or graced by carefree souls captured in black-and-white photographs from c. 1890; each thread weaves together stories that remind us how childhood is truly universal across time and place. So let us celebrate this humble garment that has accompanied generations through laughter and tears alike - for within its folds lie tales of resilience, joy, and the unbreakable spirit of childhood.