A Mother Hubbard dress is a long, wide, loose-fitting gown with long sleeves and a high neck. It is intended to cover as much skin as possible. It was devised in Victorian western societies to do housework in. It is mostly known today for its later introduction by Christian missionaries in Polynesia to "civilise" those whom they considered half-naked savages.[1]
Although this Victorian garment has disappeared in most of the world, it is still worn by Pacific women, who have altered it into a brighter and cooler garment, using cotton fabric, often printed in brightly colored floral patterns. It is today seen as smart or formal attire and is often worn to church.[2]
- ^ Gray, Sally Helvenston. "Searching for Mother Hubbard: Function and Fashion in Nineteenth-Century Dress." Winterthur Portfolio48, no. 1 (2014): 29-74. doi:10.1086/676031. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/676031?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A0e847f7aac93d99ac0e05631122fad27&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
- ^ Cummings, Maggie (2013). "Looking Good: The Cultural Politics of the Island Dress for Young Women in Vanuatu" (PDF). The Contemporary Pacific Vol 25 No 1. University of Hawai'i Press. Retrieved 2018-12-27.