Child's Victorian Decorative Half-petticoat Slip (late 19th century)


Figure 1.--The petticoat is a girl's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress. The term pettiskirt is also used, but not as commonly. I'm not sure of the derivation of the term. Iwould guess the petti means small and thus a small coat. Here is the front view of a half petticoat. Click on the image for a back view.

The petticoat is a girl's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress. The term pettiskirt is also used, but not as commonly. I'm not sure of the derivation of the term. Iwould guess the petti means small and thus a small coat. The term first appeared in the English language in the late-14th century. The basic meaning is an underakirt, but is often used to mean one that is cull full using a decorative fabric and trimmed with lace and or ruffles. While essentially a girl's garment. They were worn by yopunger boys not yet nreeched. An example is a decorative half petticoat slip, probably dating to the late 19th century.

The Petticoat

The petticoat is a girl's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress. The term pettiskirt is also used, but not as commonly. I'm not sure of the derivation of the term. I would guess the petti means small and thus a small coat. The term first appeared in the English language in the late-14th century. The basic meaning is an underakirt, but is often used to mean one that is cull full using a decorative fabric and trimmed with lace and or ruffles. The term is so assiciated with girls and women that it has offensive connotations when used to describe men.

Boys

While essentially a girl's garment. They were worn by yopunger boys not yet breeched. It is usually not possible to tell, but we note quite a few portraits of unbreeched boys wearing dresses, skirts, and kilt suits who are clearly wearing petticoats and sometimes pantalettes as well. They were not normally worn with tunics or Highland kilt outfits. This was common in the 19th century, but less so after the turn of the 20th century. As this petticoat is a small child's size, it could have been worn by a younger boy. Unlike dresses, I know of no petticoats that were made especially for boys. Rather it was seen as a child's garment, suitabler for girls and small boys.

Figure 2.--This is a closeup of the decorative tim on this half-petticoat.

Garment

An example is a decorative half petticoat slip, probably dating to the late 19th century. The dealer describes it as, "This is really a lovely Victorian child's petticoat/slip of white cotton with crocheted lace and deep tucking around the bottom.It is from the late 1800s. It is for a younger child. The length from the waist to the bottom of the lace is 14". The lace border measures 4". There are button holes in the waistband which button to a garter or waist suit. This is a half petticoat. Full petticoats were made with boddices. piece.








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Created: 3:53 AM 9/13/2005
Last updated: 3:54 AM 9/13/2005