What to Wear in the 17th Century

Wampanoag : English Colonist

 

Wampanoag Clothing

You have probably seen many untrue pictures of Native People in books and movies. Many people lump together all of the Nations of “Indian” People, but we are different Nations all over this country and we were here when the Europeans came.

One such common picture is of a Native in buckskin, riding a horse while his feathered headdress flies in the wind. This image may be correct for People of the Plains, but is incorrect for the Wampanoag and other Nations in the East.

Why a Nation of People wore what it did is interesting because dress is so much a part of each different culture. The People may have dressed as they did because certain materials were easier to find than others. Other reasons may have been modesty, protection from the elements, and possibly to let others know something about who they were.

The basic Wampanoag clothing for men, older boys, young girls and women was the breechcloth. Breechcloths were made from soft deerskin and worn between the legs with each end tucked under a belt, hanging down as flaps in the front and back. Only male children wore nothing until they were around the age of 10 years old.

The deerskin mantle was another garment worn by both men and women. It fastened at one shoulder and was wrapped about the body in various ways, often tied at the waist with a woven belt. During cold weather, mantles of raccoon, otter, beaver, and other animals were worn with the fur side next to the body.

Women often wore skirts primarily made from deerskin. Skirts were wrapped about the waist and tied with a thin belt. Skirts would sometimes be worn under a mantle.

Leggings were worn in cooler weather and for protection from brambles and brush.

Women’s leggings were made of deerskin and were tied at their knees, where men’s leggings were longer and tied at the waist to the breechclout belt.

Moccasinash were worn on the feet in cold weather or rough terrain. (The word moccasin is a Wampanoag word for a single shoe. The correct word for a pair is moccasinash.) Wampanoag moccasinash were made from deerskin. Elk and moose were often used as well.

Painting was the main way of decorating robes, mantles, skirt edges and moccasinash. Occasionally porcupine quills were also used on these articles of clothing.

Wampanoag men and women used to decorate their bodies. Faces were painted with red or yellow ocher, black from charcoal and graphite, or white from clay. Wampanoag People were known to wear different ornaments. Men, women and children wore bracelets mainly made from shell or glass trade beads. Earrings, necklaces, garters, belts and breastplates were worn made from various materials such as bone, copper, wood, shells, stones. Tattooing was reported by Europeans, who saw it on the faces and bodies of some 17th-century Wampanoag People, usually very important People in the Nation.

English Clothing in the 1620’s: Not What You Think

Many people think the English colonists in the 1620’s (some people call them “Pilgrims”) always wore black clothes. This may be because in many pictures of that time from England, people are shown wearing black clothes. People usually had their pictures painted while wearing their best clothes. In the 1620s, best clothes were often black. It was not easy to dye cloth a solid, long-lasting black. It took a great deal of skill. People kept clothes made of such beautiful, expensive cloth for best. Everyday clothes were made of many colors. Brown, brick, yellow and blue were common. Other clothes were made of cloth that was not dyed. These clothes were gray or white, the natural color of the cloth.

Children’s Clothing
All babies in the 1620’s dressed the same. Boys and girls wore gowns (one piece garment covering the whole body) with long sleeves and long skirts. When the baby was learning to walk, long strips of fabric called “ leading strings ” were sewn to the shoulders of their gown. A parent or older child held the strings. If the baby stumbled the older person pulled on the strings to help the baby balance. A toddler might wear a “ pudding ”- a padded roll “ around his forehead. If he fell, the roll would protect his head from bumps.

Babies also wore biggins on their heads. Biggins were made of wool or linen and tied under the chin. They kept the baby’s head warm. Babies also wore aprons over their gowns to help keep the gown clean.

Around age 4 boys began to wear doublets (long sleeved, close fitting jackets) with petticoats (skirts). The doublet looked like the clothes older boys and men wore. Girls still wore gowns.

At around age 6 or 7, boys and girls began to wear clothes that looked like grown-up clothes. The first time a boy was dressed in grown-up clothes was a special event. His family said he “was breeched”. Wearing breeches meant that he was no longer a baby. He would not spend all his time with his mother and sisters near the house. Now he would begin to spend more time with his father, learning to do man’s work.

Underwear in the 1620's was very different from what we know now. Everyone wore a long-sleeved loose-fitting linen garment next to their skin. Linen is a kind of cloth that comes from a plant called flax. For boys and men this garment was called a shirt . The shirt was knee length and open at the bottom sides. This made it easier to tuck into breeches. For girls and women this garment was called a smock or shift . It was longer, about calf length, and wide at the bottom. This made it easier to walk wearing petticoats.

Men’s Clothing
Over the shirt men and boys wore their doublets. The doublets attached to the breeches (knee length pants) to make a suit . Suits were usually made of wool cloth or linen canvas. Wool comes from sheep. Canvas is a heavy kind of linen cloth, like blue jeans. Both wool and canvas are strong and last a long time.

Women’s Clothing
Girls and women wore stays, what we would call a corset, over their smocks. These stays had no sleeves. The stays were stiff, to support and shape the body to fit the clothes. The stays were stiffened with rows of stitching, or reeds, or whalebone. Sometimes the stays had a flat piece of wood, called a busk, inside the center front.

Over the stays the girls and women wore a waistcoat. This garment looked like a long sleeved close fitting jacket. It was usually made of wool or canvas. Women’s waistcoats and men’s doublets looked a little alike. On their legs girls and women wore one or two petticoats. Sometimes, especially when it was cold, they would wear more petticoats. These petticoats were made of wool. Wool is warm, it does not get wet easily, and it protects from fire. If fire gets on wool it takes a long time to burn. Often the fire just goes out. The wool petticoats helped protect the woman’s legs while she was cooking.

Clothing Worn by Everyone
Some clothes were just for men or just for women. Men always wore breeches; women always wore petticoats. Only girls and women wore stays. But other clothes were worn by both men and women. Everyone wore stockings to cover their legs. The stockings came up over their knees. They were tied with garters to keep them up. They wore shoes or short sturdy boots of leather on their feet.

Everyone wore aprons to protect their clothes from messes. Women’s aprons were long like their petticoats. Their aprons were made of linen or wool. Men’s aprons were shorter and sometimes made of leather.

Everyone wore something around their neck. Most people wore ruffled or flat collars of linen cloth. Some had lace on their collars. Some women wore a kerchief of linen around their necks. Kerchiefs looked like large napkins folded in half.

Everyone also wore something on their head. Men and boys wore caps knitted of wool or hats made of felt. The felt hats had wide brims to shade their faces from the sun and keep rain off. Girls and women pinned their hair up on their heads. They wore linen caps called coifs over their hair. Over the caps they too wore felt hats.

In the cold weather everyone wore cloaks or coats of wool. They also wore mittens or gloves to keep their hands warm.

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