Like other garments covered recently in this series, the trousered overalls known popularly as dungarees originated in India – or rather the name did, for dungri is a Hindi term for a cheap calico (cotton) material first worn in the 1700s by the poorer classes in a former area of Bombay near Dongari Killa. The coarse cloth, like many Indian textiles, was exported and used to fashion economical, sturdy work wear in the west, where its name was pronounced ‘dungaree’. Also, navies around the world used the tough fabric for ships’ sails and quite possibly it was the tendency of sailors to make clothes out of old sail cloth that caused the name ‘dungaree’ to mean not only the low grade material, but also the articles made from it.
Initially the garments that we popularly call dungarees were most definitely humble, functional dress items – essentially protective overalls and jeans for workers, to be worn over their ordinary clothes. The familiar style first developed in America, where they were often termed ‘bibbed overalls’ or ‘brace-and-bib overalls’ and were designed mainly for farmers, miners and other manual labourers, including slaves – reportedly as early as 1792. They appear frequently in American photographs of the 1850s onwards, early examples demonstrating narrow braces attached to bibs with buttons and elastic, while later versions often featured more modern metal fastenings.
In Britain, there is little visual evidence for the wearing of bibbed overalls or dungarees before the 20th century, when overalls in general (as distinct from traditional aprons – see DYAP May 2014) began to be used to protect a worker’s clothes.
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Surprisingly, perhaps, since bibbed overalls were originally male garments, they were adopted by female munitions factory workers during World War One, encouraging wider acceptance of the lowly garments. Durable, affordable and comfortable, between the wars dungarees gained favour with British farmers, fishermen, construction workers and many other craftsmen and labourers, also resurfacing as women’s practical land wear during World War Two.
