Figure 1.--This drawing shows many of the standard fashions commonly drawn by the Grahame Johnston sisters. The girls wear elegant long Empires dresses. The boys wear skeleton suits (a particular favorite od the Grahame Johnstone sisters), sailor suits, and smocks. |
HBC has noted a wide range of garments drawn by the Grahame sisters. Some of the favorite garments for boys included tunics, skeleton suits, sailor suits, Fauntleroy suits, and kilts. Girls were dreawn in long Empire dresses, shorter dresses with pantalettes, and pinafores. Both boya nd girls were dran in smocks. Many other garments included strap shoes and sandels, stockings, all kinds of headwear, and accessories of all kinds. Ruffled and lace collars were a favorite accessory or trim. While 19th century outfits predominated, there are also some 20th century outfits like short pants.
HBC has noted a wide range of boys' garments drawn by the Grahame Johnstone sisters. Skeleton suits and sailor suits wete perhaps the two garments most commonly illustrated, but many other garments ere also drawn.
There was perhaps no garment that was used more in their drawings than early 19th century skeleton suits.
Although not one of the most common garments illustrated, tunics do often appear in the drawings.
Next to skeleton suits, the salor suit is one of the boys' garments most commonly drawn by the Grahame Johnstone sisters. The two styles did not significantly overlap each other. Skeleton suits were worn in the early 19th century. Sailor suits did not become popular until the 1840s. At this time the skeleton suits were going out of style. The sisters drew many different styles of sailor suits. Many were based on English uniform styles, but some French influences were also incorporated, including poms on the caps. Boys were drawn in both long and short pants sailor suits.
While 19th centurt outfits predominated, there are also some 20th century outfits like short pants.
Girls unlike boys did not have as many destinctive garments. They were mostly drawn in dresses, although of many varied styles. Pinafores were another favoite.
Girls were dreawn in long Empire dresses, shorter dresses with pantalettes, and pinafores.
Some garments were pictures as being worn by both boys and girls. The major garment here was smocks. Occassionally younger boys were drawn in dresses.
Smocks were worn by both boys and girls in the 19th century. Today the smock is more associated with the Continent, but Ennglish boys in the 19th century did wear smocks. They were widely worn by farm laborers and workers in the early 19th century. While we know that boys did wear smocks, HBC has realtively little information about English boys wearing smocks. We thus at this time can not properly evaluate how accurate the drawings are, except that we do know that boys did wear them.
Many other garments included strap shoes and sandels, stockings, all kinds of headwear, and accessories of all kinds. Ruffled and lace collars were a favorite accessory or trim.
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