Fitting Outfits
What do you pack if you're going to China as a British missionary in 1865?
October 1, 1996
Even though China Inland Mission workers normally wore Chinese dress, for some occasions, they still had to have a Western wardrobe-not to mention a number of other nineteenth-century necessities. Below is a list of items two missionaries from the mid-1860s checked off as they prepared for work in China.
For Miss Jean Notman, 1864
- 1 winter dress, 2 skirts, 1 crinoline [stiff petticoat], 3 print dresses
- 3 petticoats, 6 nightdresses, 3 vests, 12 pair drawers, 9 chemises, silk apron
- 2 doz. handkerchiefs, 9 pair stockings, 1 ps. diaper, 1 pair gauntlets, 4 pairs gloves, hat, hairnet, scarf
- 2 pair boots, 1 pair shoes, galoshes, umbrella
- 2 combs, hairpins, slide, toothbrush, pomatum, sponge bag, nailbrush, scissors, elastic, sewing-machine needles and oil, bodkins, cotton thread trimmings, crochet hook and cotton, darning cotton, darning merino [fine wool], belt ribbon, ribbons, tapes, buttons, pins, hooks, thimble
- 6 1/2 yards black merino, 10 yards muslin, 1 1/2 yards check muslin, 6 3/4 yards longcloth, linen, braid, 1 doz. cambric frilling [cotton ruffles], 9 1/2 yards barege [sheer fabric], 26 3/4 yards flannel, 5 yards red flannel, 6 yards huckaback [toweling], 15 3/4 yards lining, 3 yards ruching [trim]
- Writing desk, pen holders, pens, nibs, quills, cards, 200 envelopes, elastic bands, 1 doz. pencils, slate, slate pencil, India rubber trunk, tin-lined box, carpet bags.
(Presumably she already had cutlery, crockery, among other things not listed)
For George Crombie, 1865
- Frock coat, doe trousers, waistcoat, tweed trousers, coat, vest, 3 linen coats and vests, 2 pairs drill trousers4 flannel shirts, 4 calico shirts, 6 1/2 doz. collars
- Waterproof coat, felt hat, cloth cap
- 3 pairs boots, 2 pairs braces, 1 doz. pairs socks, pants
- 1 feather pillow, 1 counterpane [bedspread], 1 pair blankets, 3 pairs linen sheets, 4 pillowcases
- 1 rug, mosquito curtains, lining for same, 1 Toralium [trade name for coverlet], 1/2 doz. towels, 1 bag haberdashery
- Iron chair, bedstead and beds (?mattresses), 1 looking glass, walking-stick, camp stool, life-belt, 8-day alarm clock, fishing tackle, string, penknife, strop, medicines, scales
- Writing paper, notebooks, 500 envelopes, 3 doz. pencils, 1 doz. penholders, 1 gross pens, India rubber, 1 qt. ink, writing case
- Coffee mill and pot, teaspoons, dessert spoons and forks, tablespoons and forks, dessert and table knives, all 3 each, groceries, shoe blacking
- Carpet bag, packing case, cooking stove, pipes and utensils, carpenter's tools.
Copyright © 1996 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian History magazine.
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