Deb, from another list serve I'm on...a UK member... Candace Perry Does this help? http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/projects/ganzies.htm It seems as if it was indeed the knitted garment, originally known as a 'froke'. The distortion into the feminine 'frock' seems to be a red herring... Although the article begins by saying it was the knitted gansey garment, but further down refers to canvas frokes. -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Deb Fuller Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 11:12 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Guernsey frocks Hi all, The "guernsey frock" has come up numerous times in my research on sailor's clothing in the early 1800s. But I have yet to find a clear IDENTIFED picture of one or an existant garment. If anyone could help me out with trying to nail down what this item was, I'd be eternally grateful. One note, these are different from the "fisherman sweaters/jumpers" also called "guernseys", "jerseys" or "ganseys" associated with being knitted in the Channel Islands. While these were also hand-knit, I don't think they were ever worn as undershirts nor manufactured at knitting mills. I've found references for these shirts all the way though the 20th century so I assume they didn't change much. But like I mentioned, information about them for the early 1800s is really scarce other than the fact that many sailors wore them and they were typically undershirts. Thanks in advance!! Deb ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).