history-pockets

Webster’s dictionary  defines a pocket as:

a : a small bag carried by a person : purse.

b : a small bag that is sewed or inserted in a garment so that it is open at the top or side.

My Research Of The “Pocket”:

After a comprehensive amount of research, I found it ironic; I wasn’t able to stumble on the specific date for the invention of the pocket. It appears that pockets changed throughout history. Pockets have been a component of style and part of our civilization throughout history (over 400 years) since the seventeenth century.

Did you know that pockets started as bags not even incorporated into clothing? During the archaic era people used rawhide or cloth pouches to hold their useful belongings. It was first noticed in the 13th century when pockets appeared in the European’s garments.  According to historian Rebecca Unsworth, it was in the late 15th century that pockets became more noticeable. During the 16th century, pockets increased in popularity and prevalence.

history-pockets

Pockets Were Left Out In The Open, Exposed:

From the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, most ladies had no less than one set of pockets, which filled a comparable need as a woman’s purse does today. Lady’s pockets were exposed or  noticeable in late 1760. Soon after, they were normally worn underneath their petticoat (underskirts). In the eighteenth century, ladies quite often had a couple of pockets hidden on their person. Be that as it may, these were not sewn into the apparel she wore.

Ladies would fill their pockets with coins, jewelry, beauty products, perfumes, and snacks like cakes and oranges! Since ladies’ garments of that day and age frequently comprised of skirts with an under-slip and a swing underneath. The arrangement, rather, was to have ladies tie their pockets around their midsections between the underskirt and the petticoat. Everyday dresses were simple, homemade garments made of wool or linen. These dresses were worn over top a long sleeved undergarment that had one of more petticoats.

Continue reading The History Of The Pocket