What clothing did people wear during the famine?

Running Fool

Hi guys.

I'm involved in the making of a short film that's set during the famine. Can somebody point me in the direction of what clothing people wore during those times? Specifically a family caught up in the worst of the famine?
I presume pretty worn clothes obviously but we want to be as specific as possible.

Thanks

CeannRua

I don't think there is much in the way of contemporary visual representations of the Famine but there are some drawings in the Illustrated London News. You will find these images online if you google for them. I don't know about accuracy v. artistic licence though. In the literature, you will find references to people dressed 'in rags'...

pedroeibar1

The very poor were dressed in rags; clothes and bedding were pawned until the pawnbrokers of the day had too much and refused to take any more. Most of the better books on the Famine describe the clothing of the poor as ‘rags’ and there are some references to ‘near naked’.

Bannasidhe

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

The very poor were dressed in rags; clothes and bedding were pawned until the pawnbrokers of the day had too much and refused to take any more. Most of the better books on the Famine describe the clothing of the poor as ‘rags’ and there are some references to ‘near naked’.

For women's clothes look at images of people like Peig Sayers - the clothes would have been the same. Rough homespun, coarse fabrics, heavy, handmade. Itchy and hot in Summer.
The men would have worn a sort of suit made of the same material. A collarless linen shirt and a waistcoat or a jumper. And a hat - always a hat.




Now imagine this is their only set of clothes. It is all they have. They cannot wash it, they cannot replace it - they can only keep repairing it even as it is falling apart.
Now make them homeless.
Make them gaunt so the rags were their clothes are several sizes too big.

That's how the poor dressed in the Famine.

mikemac1

There is a BBC production called the Hanging Gale set during the famine

Fantastic drama

It's up on youtube, might give you some ideas OP

Edit, I know you came to history forum for a reason, I meant ideas for a production

Kosseegan

People were more concerned about their diet than their wardrobe during the potato crop failure. It wasn't a famine at all. A famine means there is a shortage of food. There was no shortage of food only a shortage of money to buy food.

ha ha hello

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unknown_Labourer_(c1858).jpg

Heres a picture of an "unknown labourer" from 1858, who would never normally have been able to afford to get his picture taken..( don't know the full story behind it). It's a haunting picture really isn't it!? This guy lived through the worst of the famine.
I'd guess the clothes of the poorest a decade earlier were much the same?

MarchDub

You should contact the National Museum. They would have information on this. Mairead Dunlevy [of the National Museum] has published a book called Dress in Ireland which covers - amongst other times - the period of the 1840s. I have a copy and it gives good information on clothes, styles, fabrics, costs for all classes of people.

Remember not everyone was abjectly poor during the time - so dress for the very poor would be substantially different from the dress of the better off classes but may have been hand-me downs or used clothes from them.

baalthor

Frieze was a very popular material worn by poorer people during the 19th century.
Different areas would actually have different colours of the material associated with them - I discovered this from reading one of the Ordnance Survey reports from Cavan written in the 1830s.

Fuinseog

Running Fool wrote: »

Hi guys.

I'm involved in the making of a short film that's set during the famine. Can somebody point me in the direction of what clothing people wore during those times? Specifically a family caught up in the worst of the famine?
I presume pretty worn clothes obviously but we want to be as specific as possible.

Thanks

folks would have made their own clothes. Maybe you should consult The National Museum of Country Life.

Fuinseog

Bannasidhe wrote: »

For women's clothes look at images of people like Peig Sayers - the clothes would have been the same. Rough homespun, coarse fabrics, heavy, handmade. Itchy and hot in Summer.
The men would have worn a sort of suit made of the same material. A collarless linen shirt and a waistcoat or a jumper. And a hat - always a hat.




Now imagine this is their only set of clothes. It is all they have. They cannot wash it, they cannot replace it - they can only keep repairing it even as it is falling apart.
Now make them homeless.
Make them gaunt so the rags were their clothes are several sizes too big.

That's how the poor dressed in the Famine.

the clothing in the second photo is 20th century and the fashion circa 1845 would have been different just as our fashion has changed somewhat in the last half century.

BTW there is an interesting TV series worth consulting called The Hanging Gale.

Balmed Out

Dont know if correct but the heritage museum in skibbereen has a piece on womens clothing. Apparently wore a dark blue or black cloak with a hood similar to ones you would see in pictures from a 100 years ago.

who the fug

Balmed Out wrote: »

Dont know if correct but the heritage museum in skibbereen has a piece on womens clothing. Apparently wore a dark blue or black cloak with a hood similar to ones you would see in pictures from a 100 years ago.

That be a West Cork Shawl, you would still see the odd old one wearing them around Bantry in the seventies

P. Breathnach

who the fug wrote: »

That be a West Cork Shawl, you would still see the odd old one wearing them around Bantry in the seventies

I remember the Kinsale cloak having a brief revival in the seventies as an evening coat: you would see the odd young one wearing them around Ballsbridge.

Still available: http://www.cloaksofireland.com/

pedroeibar1

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I remember the Kinsale cloak ......you would see the odd young one wearing them around Ballsbridge.

You sure that was not Garech de Brun?

P. Breathnach

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

You sure that was not Garech de Brun?

He was an odd young one then.

Balmed Out

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I remember the Kinsale cloak having a brief revival in the seventies as an evening coat: you would see the odd young one wearing them around Ballsbridge.

Still available: http://www.cloaksofireland.com/

The famine museum's display is a very plain version of this, usually blue or black.

franc 91

Have you seen this? (if you scroll down there's a drawing on the right)
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/hunger.htm
and
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/sadlier/irish/starvati.htm

franc 91

Here are some more -http://administaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/FAMINE/
This link won't work but it's - Views of the Famine compiled by Steve Taylor - with material taken from among other newspapers of the time - Pictorial Times.