Our ancestors didn't make the same distinction between indoor wear and outdoor wear as we do today. It was not uncommon to wear many layers of clothing in the house in the winter months. Indoor attire might have included: stockings, long johns, combinations, petticoats, bloomers, cloaks, mittens, slippers, scarves, gloves, hat, and dressing gowns.
The Linlithgow Gazette of the 7th February 1899 reminded readers, with some exasperation, that wearing lots of clothing would not, in itself, solve the problem of bodily cold. Quoting Dr Robson Roose, it went on:
"Garments should be of wool, and of equal thicknesses. and should not fit too closely to the body, but be comparatively loose and easy. It should be remembered that the source of heat is in the body itself, not in the clothes. Good food, together with a proper amount of exercise, will produce heat: the business of the clothing is to retain the heat. "
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Spence Family Photos, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, Wikimedia Commons
Fascinating insights into how our ancestors managed in the cold; at a time when everyday must have felt like a cost of living crisis
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