From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Undergarments covering the legs, worn by women and children
Pantalettes
Young boy in pantalettes, 1836.
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Type
| Underwear
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Pantalettes
are
undergarments
covering the legs worn by women, girls, and very young boys (before they were
breeched
) in the early- to mid-19th century.
Pantalettes originated in France in the early 19th century, and quickly spread to
Britain
and
America
. Pantalettes were similar to
leggings
. They could be one-piece or two separate garments, one for each leg, attached at the waist with buttons or laces. The crotch was left open for hygiene reasons. They were most often of white
linen
fabric and could be decorated with tucks,
lace
,
cutwork
or
broderie anglaise
.
Ankle-length pantalettes for women were worn under the
crinoline
and
hoop skirt
to ensure that the legs were modestly covered should they become exposed. Pantalettes for children and young girls were mid-calf to ankle-length and were intended to show under their shorter skirts. Until the mid-19th century, very young boys were commonly dressed in dresses, gowns and pantalettes, though these were commonly associated with girls' clothing, until the boys were
breeched
at any age between 2 and 8 years of age,
[1]
and sometimes older. Young boys would be dressed in this fashion until at least they were toilet-trained.
Cultural references
[
edit
]
An Irish
reel
bears the title of the Ladies' Pantalettes.
[2]
The
US Virgin Islands
folk song "Over the Side", records how smuggler and suffragist
Ella Gifft
used her pantalettes to hide the rum that she was illegally importing there, during the
prohibition
era.
[3]
[4]
[5]
In the 1939 film,
Gone With The Wind
, Rhett Butler tells Scarlett O'Hara, upon his return from Paris, France, that pantalettes are out of style there.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Baumgarten, Linda:
What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America
, Yale University Press, 2002.
ISBN
0-300-09580-5
. p. 166
- ^
The Ladies' Pantalettes
; tradschool.com
- ^
O'Neal, Joseph Raymond (2004).
Life Notes: Reflections of a British Virgin Islander
. Xlibris Corporation. p. 9.
ISBN
9781465326362
.
- ^
Cohen, Colleen Ballerino (2010).
Take me to my paradise : tourism and nationalism in the British Virgin Islands
. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.
ISBN
978-0-8135-5031-2
.
OCLC
768294567
.
- ^
Storm, Roberts; Roberts, John Storm (1998).
Black Music of Two Worlds: African, Caribbean, Latin, and African-American Traditions
. Schirmer Books.
ISBN
978-0-02-864929-0
.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
pantalettes
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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Upper torso
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Lower torso
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Full torso
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Hosiery
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Historical
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Accessories
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Brands
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Retail
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Related
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