{{Short description|Old kind of female undergarments}} {{Infobox clothing type | name = Open drawers | image_file = Open drawers - Garments for girls.png | image_size = 300px | caption = Photo illustration of open drawers from ''Garments for Girls'', 1919<ref name="GFG1" />
| type = Underwear | material = | location = | manufacturer = | url = }} '''Open drawers''' were a type of undergarment worn by women and girls until the early 20th century.<ref name="GFG1">{{cite book|last=Schmidt|first=Celestine Leontine|date=1919|location=New York|publisher=The Century Co.|title=Garments for girls|pages=124–126|url=https://archive.org/details/garmentsforgirls00schm/page/124/mode/2up}}</ref> Unlike closed drawers with a seam connecting the leg sections, open drawers featured an open-crotch design extending from front to back,<ref name="GFG1" /> allowing for practicality, ease of movement, and improved hygiene in daily wear.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Canter Cremers-van der Does |first1=Eline |title=The agony of fashion |date=1980 |page=90|quote=open drawers, split in the middle in order to enable, for example, the peasant in the field to urinate}}</ref>
As chemise undergarments shortened, the use of open drawers gradually declined in favour of more fitted and enclosed undergarments, such as closed drawers, and French knickers.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=Alison J |title=Underwear, the fashion history |date=1992 |pages=87 |quote=By 1900, the chemise was at calf- rather than knee length as previously; by 1914, it was well above the knee, revealing the drawers. There seems to have been a relationship between the length of the chemise and the height of the opening in open drawers; when this closed the chemise did not need to be so long}}</ref> By the late 19th century, discussions arose regarding whether women should wear open or closed drawers, reflecting evolving attitudes toward modesty and practicality.
==Description== thumb|A pair of open drawers with a crocheted lace hem [[File:Arthurs home magazine open drawers 3105.png|thumb|Illustration of ladies' open drawers from ''Arthur's Lady's Home Magazine'', 1874]] [[File:Womans home companion dart fitted open drawers 2302.png|thumb|Illustration of dart-fitted open drawers from ''Woman's Home Companion'', 1913]] Open drawers are a type of undergarment in which the front and back sections of the legs remain separate, featuring a central split.<ref name="GFG1" /> This design provided ease of movement and allowed wearers to maintain personal hygiene without needing to remove multiple layers of clothing.<ref name=":0" />
Historically, women, girls, and very young boys (before breeching) did not wear undergarments beneath their gowns or dresses. Factors such as ventilation, hygiene, practicality, and moisture control influenced the development of early undergarments, often leading to open styles rather than fully enclosed designs. Menstruation hygiene also played a role in shaping women's undergarments.
In the 18th century, women's undergarments became more common as modesty gained importance, with stays, petticoats, and shifts playing a key role. In the early 19th century, pantalettes became a popular choice for additional coverage beneath gowns and dresses. As fashion evolved, crinoline styles gained prominence in the mid-19th century, further shaping undergarment design.<ref name="CV1">{{Cite web|title=Comic Valentines: An! biddy, dear, do cease to scrub|quote='An! biddy, dear, do cease to scrub, And mount a box, bench, chair or tub, For while you're dusting off the blind, The boys are peeping up behind.' Image Description: Her crinoline pulls up the fabric of the Irish domestic's dress as she leans forward and reveals her legs and behind. The verse shames the biddy for her immodesty and does not blame the men watching. |url=https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool:5824|publisher=|location=|date=1840–1880}}</ref> Over time, pantalettes were replaced by open-crotch drawers, which aligned more closely with changing fashion preferences.
Before the invention of elastic waistbands (such as briefs), undergarments were fastened at the waist using ties or, more commonly, buttons.<ref name="GFG1" /> Women typically layered multiple skirts and underskirts over their garments for added coverage and warmth.
The open-crotch design made personal hygiene more convenient, particularly when dealing with multiple layers of clothing.<ref name=":0" /> This allowed women to use chamber pots, outhouses, or communal latrines without needing to undress completely—especially beneficial in colder climates or limited-privacy situations.
Beyond hygiene, the design improved airflow, reduced discomfort, and minimized fabric soiling, making it a practical choice when frequent washing was difficult due to limited access to clean water. This style was particularly useful for female farm workers, enabling them to relieve themselves discreetly in the fields without compromising modesty or requiring long trips to distant sanitation facilities.<ref name=":0" />
== Usage == In 1894, Elizabeth Rosevear wrote:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosevear |first=Elizabeth |title=A manual of needlework, knitting and cutting out for evening continuation by |date=1894 |url=https://archive.org/details/manualofneedlewo00rose |page=62}}</ref> <blockquote>Open Drawers. – Girls generally begin to wear open drawers when they are about nine or ten years old. Open drawers are not cut down at the hips, and the band is made all in one piece of the material. The backs and fronts of the legs are not joined together, but hemmed separately, or lined with false hems. The fronts, in children's sizes, are seamed together for about 2 inches, in women's sizes a little more. A button and buttonhole are placed at the ends of the bands, or two tape strings. The legs may be constructed as for closed drawers, i.e. as knickerbockers with bands, or they may be made up with a deep hem, and narrow tucks above. The drawers are gathered or pleated into the bands at the waist and legs. Women's drawers are very seldom made up as closed, but nearly always as open.</blockquote>As chemises decreased in length, open drawers stopped being used.<ref name=":1" />
==Controversy== In the late 19th century, there was discussion over whether or not women should wear open drawers. Dr. E. R. Palmer wrote against their use:<ref>The American practitioner, Volumes 13-14 (1892) {{Google books |id=X4BYAAAAMAAJ |title= |page=335 }} pg 335-336. Dr. E. R. Palmer. Article: Kentucky State Medical Society. Stated Meeting, Louisville, May 4, 5, and 6, 1892</ref> <blockquote>I saw in a paper the other day that ladies in a Canadian city had a grand convention, and had celebrated their magnificent resolve by building in a public square a bonfire, being fed by the corsets they had been wearing. It was a revival of the old tirade against the corset. I have not forgotten what Thomas said, that women should burn their open drawers instead of their corsets. The idea of a beautifully dressed woman with trail sweeping the streets! The idea of that mode of dress being countenanced by the profession!<br><br> While the profession are warring against corsets, is it not ridiculous, not to say criminal, for us to take the position that the corset is harmful and the open drawers is not? The knights of old used to protect the genital organs of their wives from receiving germs during the day when they had gone to business. If it is gonorrhea, it is due to external infection, and I hold that infection takes place as frequently in this as in any other way on account of the delicate organ being unprotected.</blockquote>
Conversely, E. R. Shepherd wrote in favor of the open drawers:<ref>For girls: a special physiology : being a supplement to the study of general physiology. E. R. Shepherd. {{Google books |id=Up0MAAAAYAAJ |title= |page=145 }} 1882, pg 145</ref> <blockquote>Many physicians oppose the wearing of closed drawers by women. In bad cases of leucorrhoea the odor arising from the discharged confined from the air in this way becomes extremely offensive to the patient at least, and may extend beyond the confines of the dress, and when she comes near the stove or register, if at no other time, to be detected by the bystanders. A free circulation of air by open drawers is wholesome to the parts, as well as a deodorizer. It is well enough for little girls, and even advisable for them to wear tight drawers, but it is probably best for young ladies and women to wear them open.</blockquote>
==See also== * Pantalettes * Open-crotch pants, commonly worn by toddlers throughout mainland China
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Historical clothing}}
Category:Undergarments