Colonial American Women's Clothing from 1700

Many colonial women in the early 1700's did not own more than about 2-4 outfits. Their clothing would usually be made of wool or linen and would all be hand sewn. The styles of the times dictated that elbows and knees be covered at all times! Standards of cleanliness were very different from today as germs had not been discovered yet and the links between dirt, infection and disease had not been made. This meant that clothing was not washed often and some items that did not touch the skin, such as a gown, might never be washed!

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