Figure 1.--This unidentified portraits of French siblings was taken in Rouen, a seaside city in Normandy. A French reader, tells us the portrait was taken in the early 1920s after the Ministry of Education changed regulations about smocks. We begin to see colored smocks like the ones here. The material is Vichy (gingham) or Zephyr. The smocks seem the same, but the the boy has an Eton collar and bow. The hat seems strange for school and may be a folk influence.

Although I have few details, the French Government appears to have instituted school smocks in the 1870s. I don't know if French boys had already begun wearing smocks and the Government simply acceted an already existing trend or if the Government's decision introduced a new style. French boys in the late 19th Century do seeed to have worn smocks much more than American and British boys as well as other Europen boys. The smock seems to have been more of a Mediterrean style as Italian boys also wore smocks. The decision to require French boys to wear smocks was taken by the Third Republic, the Government replacing Napoleon III after the disatrous Franco-Prussian War. The Government required children in state elementary schools to wear them. The Government's decision seems to have been based on a philosophy of social eqality. Goverment leaders felt that as the smock covered a boys' clothes that would be fewer differences between wealthy and less affluent children. I'm not sure if the Government spelled out precise styles. (Hopefully a French visitor to this web site will enlighten us and provide some details.) While I have no information on the actual Government regulations, it is clear from available images that some schools were enforcing regulations requiring that all boys wear similar smocks. Smocks were in the 1870s were mandated by the Government. It's unclear to me if they provided any specific stylistic requirements. We are not sure when the Government dropped regulations requiring smocks. The Government apparently changed the regulations after World war I.

The 19th Century

Although I have few details, the French Government appears to have instituted school smocks in the 1870s. I don't know if French boys had already begun wearing smocks and the Government simply acceted an already existing trend or if the Government's decision introduced a new style. French boys in the late 19th Century do seeed to have worn smocks much more than American and British boys as well as other Europen boys. The smock seems to have been more of a Mediterrean style as Italian boys also wore smocks. The decision to require French boys to wear smocks was taken by the Third Republic, the Government replacing Napoleon III after the disatrous Franco-Prussian War. The Government required children in state elementary schools to wear them. The Government's decision seems to have been based on a philosophy of social eqality. Goverment leaders felt that as the smock covered a boys' clothes that would be fewer differences between wealthy and less affluent children. I'm not sure if the Government spelled out precise styles. (Hopefully a French visitor to this web site will enlighten us and provide some details.) While I have no information on the actual Government regulations, it is clear from available images that some schools were enforcing regulations requiring that all boys wear similar smocks. Smocks were in the 1870s were mandated by the Government. It's unclear to me if they provided any specific stylistic requirements. We are not sure when the Government dropped regulations requiring smocks.

The 20th Century

Normaly smocks in the 19th and earky 20th centuries were black and required in all state primary schools. One source says they were even required in secindary schools. Boys and girls wore pratically the same style of smock, but we do not have details on the exact regulations. The Government revised regulations after World War I. The national Education Ministry required that smocks had to be changed at least once a week for health reasons (1920). Thev Ministry did not indicate, however, just how to enforce the regultions. Many schools decided that theceadiest way was to require a change of color each week. The Ministry apparently softened the requirement that children wear smocks. We note that while smocks continued to be common, they were no longer worn by all children. We begin to see more variation from school to school. Many Catholic schools, for example, adopted uniforms rather than having the children wear smocks.