Late Medieval Women's Smocks

	Women’s Smocks
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A smock is a woman's undergarment (the men's equivalent is a shirt); usually white linen, though there are a few descriptions of silk smocks (an empress in The Seven Sages of Rome, l. 460; Largesse in The Romaunt of the Rose, Fragment A, l. 1195), these are hardly commonplace sorts of smocks. Other Middle English words for this undergarment include the words for men’s undergarments, including “shirt” or “sark.” See the baths linkspage for examples of a smock worn by women who worked in bathhouses. Chemise of Isabelle (d. 1270), sister of Louis IX of France A 14th century sleeveless chemise, and its pattern Susannah led to her execution (The Hague, MMW, 10 B 23, fol. 260v), 1372 Death of the unfaithful woman, Guiron le Courtois (BNF NAF 5243, fol. 90), c. 1370-1380 Lancelot and the seductive damsel, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 118, fol. 299v), beginning of the 15th century Lancelot challenged by a knight (fol. 412v) , Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 119), beginning of the 15th century Dionysius I humiliates the women of Locri (fol. 98v) and Torture of Agrippina the Young (fol. 196) in De casibus (BNF Fr. 226), first quarter of the 15th century Agrippina (fol. 139) and Epicharis (fol. 141v), De mulieribus claris (British Library Royal 20 C V), first quarter of the 15th century A woman and another woman by the Fountain of Youth, from a fresco c. 1411 at the Castello di Manta Niccolosa (fol. 253v) and Gemmata (fol. 264v), The Decameron (BNF Fr. 239), second quarter of the 15th century Decameron (BnF Arsenal MS 5070, fols. 347v and 387), 1432 The Birth of Mary from an altarpiece at Kloster Neuburg, c. 1438-1440 Sulpicia (fol. 98v), Agrippina (fol. 107), and Epicharis (fol. 109), De mulieribus claris (British Library Royal 16 G V), c. 1440 Jason and Medea put their clothes on, The Trojan War (ÖNB 2773, fol. 18v), c. 1445-1450 St. Anne in The Birth of Mary, c. 1470 The Birth of St. Nicholas from the frescoes at the Church of St. Nicholas in Klerant by Leonhard von Brixen-Umkreis, c. 1475-1485 Marriage, Der Renner (PML M.763, fol. 141r), last quarter of the 15th century Illustration from the Roman de Tristan (Musée Condé 645, fol. 101r), c. 1479-1480 Bohort helps Benigne (BNF Fr. 111, fol. 139), c. 1480 The second part of the story of Patient Griselda, c. 1493-1500

Women’s Smocks

Patterns of Fashion 4: The Cut and Construction of Linen Shirts, Smocks, Neckwear, Headwear and Accessories for Men and Women C. 1540-1660

Reconstructing History 14th century Women's Smock or Chemise Pattern

Reconstructing History 15th Century Women's Accessories Pattern

A smock is a woman's undergarment (the men's equivalent is a shirt); usually white linen, though there are a few descriptions of silk smocks (an empress in The Seven Sages of Rome, l. 460; Largesse in The Romaunt of the Rose, Fragment A, l. 1195), these are hardly commonplace sorts of smocks.

Other Middle English words for this undergarment include the words for men’s undergarments, including “shirt” or “sark.”

See the baths linkspage for examples of a smock worn by women who worked in bathhouses.

Chemise of Isabelle (d. 1270), sister of Louis IX of France
A 14th century sleeveless chemise, and its pattern
Susannah led to her execution (The Hague, MMW, 10 B 23, fol. 260v), 1372
Death of the unfaithful woman, Guiron le Courtois (BNF NAF 5243, fol. 90), c. 1370-1380
Lancelot and the seductive damsel, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 118, fol. 299v), beginning of the 15th century
Lancelot challenged by a knight (fol. 412v) , Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 119), beginning of the 15th century
Dionysius I humiliates the women of Locri (fol. 98v) and Torture of Agrippina the Young (fol. 196) in De casibus (BNF Fr. 226), first quarter of the 15th century
Agrippina (fol. 139) and Epicharis (fol. 141v), De mulieribus claris (British Library Royal 20 C V), first quarter of the 15th century
A woman and another woman by the Fountain of Youth, from a fresco c. 1411 at the Castello di Manta
Niccolosa (fol. 253v) and Gemmata (fol. 264v), The Decameron (BNF Fr. 239), second quarter of the 15th century
Decameron (BnF Arsenal MS 5070, fols. 347v and 387), 1432
The Birth of Mary from an altarpiece at Kloster Neuburg, c. 1438-1440
Sulpicia (fol. 98v), Agrippina (fol. 107), and Epicharis (fol. 109), De mulieribus claris (British Library Royal 16 G V), c. 1440
Jason and Medea put their clothes on, The Trojan War (ÖNB 2773, fol. 18v), c. 1445-1450
St. Anne in The Birth of Mary, c. 1470
The Birth of St. Nicholas from the frescoes at the Church of St. Nicholas in Klerant by Leonhard von Brixen-Umkreis, c. 1475-1485
Marriage, Der Renner (PML M.763, fol. 141r), last quarter of the 15th century
Illustration from the Roman de Tristan (Musée Condé 645, fol. 101r), c. 1479-1480
Bohort helps Benigne (BNF Fr. 111, fol. 139), c. 1480
The second part of the story of Patient Griselda, c. 1493-1500