Figure 1.--.

Changing Boys' Styles

There were monentous changes in boys' clothing dress during the 1850s. Clothing styles for boys, at least in England, were to adopt the patterns Victoria chose for the young princes. The boys after emerging from dresses wore Russian blouses and kilts in the 1840s. By the 1850s they had begun to wear sailor suits. These distinctive styles were quite inovative, but they were eagerly copied by English mothers who closely followed the young queen and her growing family. Tunics continued to be popular and might be worn with either pantellets by younger boys are with keepants are knickers by older boys. Tunics were popular with mothers who wanted to continue dressing their sons in juvenile styles even after they were breeched. Sailor suits were popular with boys parents and children. Interestingly the early sailor suits were worn with long bell-bottom trousers just like the ones worn by British sailors. These styles, however, were not immediately popular in America.

Photography

The cost of Daguerreotype dropped substantially during the 1850s and the quality improved providing substantial numbers of excellent quality images. Thus for the first time paintings and drawing are supplemented by a substantial number of high-quality photographic images. Photograpy was developed in the 1830s and by the 1840s we begin to have actual photograpic images of individuals. Most of these early images were Daguerotypes, but they were still quite expensive and only a limited number of good images now exist--very few are children. By the 1850s the technology had improved and prices had declined. As a result, the 1850s is the first decade for whch we have substantial numbers of childhood images. One of the best sources of these images is Lewis Carol whose is better known for writing Alice in Wonderland. His photographs of the children of friends(such as the Browings and Tennysons) provide fascinating images of boyhood dress of the 1850s and 1860s.

Figure 4.--The sons of Alfred Lord Tennyson, like other boys, were out fitted in dresses as younger boys. Afterwards they mostly wore tunics. Short hair was the norm for most boys, but children raised and schooled at home might wear elaborate outfits and long hair, even as older boys. Click on the image for details on the Tennyson family. This 1857 photograph was taken by Julia Cameron. Other photographs of the children were taken by Lewis Carol.

English Trends

The Victorians introduced many new styles for boys. Victorian boys, after they graduated from their toddler dresses at about 5 or 6 years of age, were put into various styles of fancy suits. There was the sailor suits of past generations which the Queen helped to popularize even more when she dressed the young prince in one. Queen Victoria was emensely popular and her tastes in clothes had enormous influence on how young Briton's were dressed.

There were other new styles such as kilts. Queen Victoria in the late 1840s began dressing her young sons in full Scottish Highland outfits. This created a sensation when the boys appeared at a series of public functions wearing their kilts. Like the prince's miniature sailor suit, it set off a fashion craze. Scottish kilts appeared all over Europe. Victoria apparently disliked throwing anything a way, including clothes. Thus the chidren's clothes were available for the grand children. The appearance of the kilt for boys was an innovation as it had virtually disappeared in Scotland. By 1855, Scotch plaids, kilts, and accessories had caught on in the United States where the fashion became even more popular than in Europe. The uniform invoked images of the British aristocracy which appealed to many American parents. The kilt didn't begin to make real inroads for American boys, however, until the 1870s.

Boyhood Accounts from the 1850s

Here we are collecting accounts of 1850s boyhoods. We are also including particularly good images from the decade, although we have little or no information on the individuals involved.

England--the 1850s: The Brownings

England--the 1850s: The Tennysons

England--1857: Unidentified brother and sister

Created: February 24, 1999
Last updated: October 8, 2003