Pantalettes were leg-covering worn by women, girls, and very young boys before breeching, primarily during the early to mid-19th century. Designed for comfort and practicality, they often featured an open-crotch construction to facilitate ease of use while also serving a role in preserving modesty—especially when worn under crinolines
History and design of pantalettes
First introduced in
France in the early 19th century, pantalettes quickly gained popularity in Britain and
United States. They were leg-covering undergarments, sometimes resembling
leggings, and could be either a single-piece garment or two separate sections—one for each leg—fastened at the waist with buttons or ties.
Pantalettes and modesty in women's fashion
Ankle-length pantalettes were worn beneath
and
in the 19th century to preserve modesty, ensuring that a woman's legs remained covered in the event of movement or exposure.
As societal norms emphasised discretion, these undergarments provided an additional layer of protection, particularly when skirts shifted due to wind, movement, or seating positions.
Children's wear and the practice of breeching
Pantalettes for children and young girls were mid-calf to ankle-length and designed to be visible beneath shorter dresses and gowns. Until the mid-19th century, very young boys were commonly dressed in dresses, gowns, and pantalettes—garments more closely associated with girls' clothing—until they were breeched, typically between the ages of 2 and 8, sometimes older.
[Baumgarten, Linda: What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America, Yale University Press, 2002. . p. 166] This style of dress for young boys persisted at least until they were
Toilet training, reflecting both practical considerations and changing societal expectations.
Materials and decorative elements
Most often made from white
linen, pantalettes were frequently adorned with decorative elements such as tucks,
lace,
cutwork, or broderie anglaise, reflecting broader clothing traditions of the time.
Hygiene and practicality of the open-crotch design
The open-crotch design was a common feature, intended for hygiene and practicality. It allowed women, girls, and young boys to relieve themselves more easily without needing to pull down their undergarments or remove multiple layers of clothing—an especially useful feature in an era when sanitation facilities were often inconvenient, scarce, or lacked modern efficiency.
Since people primarily relied on chamber pots, outhouses, or communal , facilities often lacked privacy, cleanliness, and convenience. The ability to relieve oneself without fully undressing was crucial for efficiency, modesty, and hygiene. In households with shared sanitation facilities, open-crotch pantalettes allowed wearers to maintain discretion while avoiding prolonged exposure to unsanitary conditions or cold weather, especially in rural areas where outhouses were located outside and far from living spaces. Additionally, limited access to clean water made frequent washing difficult, making undergarments that minimised handling and soiling particularly practical.
Cultural references
An Irish reel bears the title of "The Ladies' Pantalettes".
[ "The Ladies' Pantalettes (Reel) – Irish Flute Tune"; tradschool.com]
The US Virgin Islands folk song "Over the Side", records how smuggler and suffragist Ella Gifft used her pantalettes to hide the rum that she was illegally importing there, during the Prohibition era.
In the 1939 film Gone with the Wind Rhett Butler tells Scarlett O'Hara, upon his return from Paris, France, that pantalettes are out of style there.
==Gallery==
See also
-
C. Willett Cunnington & Phillis Cunnington, The History of Underclothes 1951, Dover. .
External links
