Typical Working Man's Smock

[Shotgun Steve]

The smock in the image above is a typical working man's smock. What is humorous, though, is that the man dons a very fashionable English hat along with this everyday work frock.

The typical 1850s wardrobe for men consisted of a jacket, trousers, a shirt, a vest, and a necktie. However, farmers and other working men often wore simple smocks during the day. New England farmers are known to have worn white cotton or unbleached linen smocks even into the late 1880s.

1850s Working Smock: Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900, 1995.