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A pocket is a bag- or
envelope An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card. Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a shor ...
-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to
luggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...
,
backpack A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...
s, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag or pouch.


Origins

Ancient people used leather or cloth pouches to hold valuables.
Ötzi Ötzi, also called the Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived some time between 3350 and 3105 BC, discovered in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi") on the border between Austria and Italy. Ötzi is believed to ...
(also called the "Iceman"), who lived around 3,300
BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
, had a belt with a pouch sewn to it that contained a cache of useful items: a scraper, drill, flint flake, bone awl, and a dried
tinder fungus ''Fomes fomentarius'' (commonly known as the tinder fungus, false tinder fungus, hoof fungus, tinder conk, tinder polypore or ice man fungus) is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The species prod ...
. In European clothing, fitchets, resembling modern day pockets, appeared in the 13th century. Vertical slits were cut in the super tunic, which did not have any side openings, to allow access to purse or keys slung from the girdle of the tunic. According to historian Rebecca Unsworth, it was in the late 15th century that pockets became more noticeable. During the 16th century, pockets increased in popularity and prevalence. In slightly later European clothing, pockets began by being hung like purses from a belt, which could be concealed beneath a
coat A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a ...
or
jerkin A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-coloured leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term is also applied to a similar sleeveless garment worn by the Briti ...
to discourage
pickpocketing Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for Misdirection (magic ...
and reached through a slit in the outer garment. In the 17th century, pockets began to be sewn into men's clothing, but not women's, which continued to be tied on and hidden under the large skirts popular at the time. The word appears in
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
as ''pocket'', and is taken from a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
diminutive of
Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
''poke'', ''pouque'', modern ''poche'', cf. pouch. The form "poke" is now only used in dialect, or in such proverbial sayings as "a pig in a poke". Historically, the term "pocket" referred to a pouch worn around the waist by women in the 17th to 19th centuries, mentioned in the rhyme ''
Lucy Locket "Lucy Locket" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19536. Lyrics Common modern versions include: :Lucy Locket lost her pocket, :Kitty Fisher found it; :Not a penny was there in it, :Only ribbon round i ...
''. In these pockets, women would carry items needed in their daily lives, such as scissors, pins and needles, and keys. In more modern clothing, while men's clothes generally have pockets, women's often don't - and sometimes have what are called Potemkin pockets, a fake slit sewn shut. If there are pockets they are often much smaller than in men's clothes. Journalists at
the Pudding The Pudding is a digital publisher which produces data journalism for storytelling. Articles in the publication are visual essays which emphasize data visualizations and use fewer words than conventional journalism. The publication does not have c ...
found less than half of women’s front pockets could fit a thin wallet, let alone a phone and keys.


Types

A watch pocket or fob pocket is a small pocket designed to hold a
pocket watch A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a watch, wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wr ...
, sometimes found in men's
trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...
and
waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. I ...
s and in traditional
blue jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
. However, due to the decline in popularity of pocket watches, these pockets are rarely used for their original intended purpose. A besom pocket or slit pocket is a pocket cut into a garment instead of being sewn on. These pockets often have reinforced
piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accompan ...
along the slit of the pocket, appearing perhaps as an extra piece of fabric or stitching. Besom pockets are found on a tuxedo jacket or
trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...
and may be accented with a flap or button closure. Camp pockets or cargo pockets are pockets which have been sewn to the outside of the garment. They are usually squared off and are characterized by seaming. A beer pocket is a small pocket within a jacket or vest sized specifically for transporting a bottle of
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
. It came into fashion in the 1910s in select areas of the
American midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
, prior to
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
, after which it faded into relative obscurity before experiencing minor revivals in the 1980s and early 2000s.


Examples of pocket designs

In some of the following illustrations, a folded blue handkerchief is included for illustration purposes: File:Patch pocket.png, Patch pocket with
pocket square A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wip ...
File:Patch pocket topstitching.png, Patch pocket with topstitching File:J patch pocket.png, J patch pocket File:Flap pocket.png, Flap pocket File:Buttoned flap box pleat pocket.png, Buttoned-flap patch pocket with box
pleat A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference. Pleats are cat ...
File:Side seam pocket.png, Sideseam pocket File:Smile pocket with piping.png, "Smile" slit pocket with
piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accompan ...
and arrowhead reinforcements, typical of
Western wear Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garment ...
File:Bound pocket.png, Double-jetted pocket File:Stand pocket.png, Stand or single-welt pocket File:Hosentaschen vorne 02.svg, Slant-front pockets File:Hosentaschen vorne 01.svg, Coin pocket on right front pocket File:EighteenthCenturyPocketsSwaledaleMuseumReethEngland.jpg, 18th century-style hanging pockets File:Tailored flap pocket with labels.JPG, Parts of a tailored pocket


See also

*
Handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. Purse, handbag or pouch The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In many ...
*
Pocket square A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wip ...
* Reticule *
Wallet A wallet is a flat case or pouch often used to carry small personal items such as paper currency, credit cards; identification documents such as driver's license, identification card, club card; photographs, transit pass, business cards and oth ...


References


Further reading

* *
Different Types of Pocket


External links


BBC - h2g2 - A Very Brief History of the PocketPockets at the V&AA History of Pockets, Victoria and Albert Museum
{{Authority control Parts of clothing