Why did prisoners used to wear striped clothes? (5 photos)

In history, for a very long period, prisoners in prisons and hard labor were dressed exclusively in black and white striped clothing.





But why did they choose this type of robe for criminals? What did it mean? Why was the black and white stripe considered cursed in Europe?

When and why did striped uniforms disappear from prisons?

Demon stripe

In the early Middle Ages in Europe there was a clear belief that black and white stripes should not be worn.

The explanation for this was vague - in the Bible in the books of Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9-11 there is an instruction that you cannot wear clothes made of two types of fabrics.

The relationship of these lines to the ban on black and white stripes is very controversial. After all, the Bible clearly states that we are talking about a mixture of wool and linen, but not a word is said about colors.



But in the public consciousness of illiterate medieval residents this was somehow refracted. And a conviction was born - black and white stripes are prohibited by God. Moreover, you can wear multi-colored striped clothes. Two items in black and white, too. This is how most Catholic monastic orders dress.

The blue and white stripe gradually also came into use. Since the 16th century, sailors began to wear such vests. It was convenient for them - during the day the blue stripes are visible against the background of the sails, and at night the white ones also allow them to distinguish each other.





But the alternation of other light and dark stripes was prohibited in Europe.

And so tough that it periodically led to the most tragic consequences.

Scandalous monks and an unfortunate shoemaker

Among fanatics, the belief has matured that the black and white stripe is an attempt to reconcile good and evil, God and the Devil. Therefore, trying to wear such clothes could be punished.

There is a known case when in Rouen in 1310, a shoemaker, seen in striped clothes, was sentenced to execution.

The Carmelite Order, created in one of the Crusades, originally wore a cloak with brown and white stripes. While the monks were active in the Middle East, everything was fine. But as soon as they arrived in Europe, a scandal broke out. God's people were stoned in the streets. As a result, the Pope had to officially order the monks to change their clothes.



Robes of the Carmelite Order

When Europeans learned about the existence of zebras, they were officially called demon horses for a very long time.

But when and why did they start dressing prisoners in striped clothes?

Checkered sky...

Gradually in Europe, striped clothes became a symbol of the fact that a person is an outcast, an outcast, standing outside of society. They were worn by jesters, women of easy virtue, and farcical artists, for whom it was still considered impossible to get to heaven.

But they began to dress prisoners in striped uniforms quite late. This happened in Great Britain at the beginning of the 19th century, when industrially produced fabrics became so cheap that the government could issue a single uniform to all prisoners.



There were two goals. Since no one else wore such clothes, it became doubly difficult for the criminal to escape. But besides this, society put moral pressure on prisoners. The stripe, considered demonic, showed that the person was an outcast, rejected by society and God and had lost his soul.

In the 20th century, the wearing of stripes by prisoners continued. Prisoners of fascist concentration camps were also dressed in such robes.

But after the war, a more humane attitude towards prisoners gradually developed. Britain was the last to give in - stripes were abolished for women in 1971, and for men in 1991.

In some countries, striped robes have historically been the exception to the rule; more practical dark, plain versions have been in use. Today, striped black and white clothing is issued only to prisoners of the Black Dolphin colony serving a life sentence.