Figure 1.--Victoria and Albert and their young family. The fashions selected by Victoria for their young brood had an enormous and enduring impact on children's fashions for generations.

It was in the Victorian age that many modern social values as wll as modern fashions began to appear and Queen Vicoria and her family was at the center of it all. Fashionable English boys at the turn of the Century wore skeleton suits and tunics. Younger boys wore pantalettes, older boys long trousers. Major changes occurred during the Vicorian Era. The young Queen and her engaging family popularized the sailor suit and kilt which were to become major fixtures of the 19th century boys' wardrobe. After mid-century knickers and kneepants became more common. The Eton collar became the standard dress for formal occasions. Major societal changes were at work in the Victorian era. Some of these changes included growing urban life, compulsory mass education, changing concepts of childhood and home life, changing work and leisure patterns, expanding fashion industry, developing mass media, falling rel prices for clothes, formation of youth groups, changing class patterns, growth of rescue and welfare agencies, and other trends.

Royal Family

It was in the Victorian age that many modern social values as wll as modern fashions began to appear and Queen Victoria and her family was at the center of it all.

Historical Background

Chronology

Queen Victoria ruled for over 6 decades, an incredible reign. While much of it after Prince Albert's death was done from seclusion, she left an enormous impact on Victorian society. Not the least was the impact in fashion, including boys' fashions. Given that the Queen was so young when she ascended the throne and lived such a long life any analysis of the era has to seoarate her reign into that covering mid-19th century (1840-70) and late 19th century (1870-90) Britain. May of the fashion inovations introduced or influenced by Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century, such as sailor suits and kilts, had becone accepted fashion conventions by the late 19th century. Through the development of photograph we have an incredible record of fashion, especially dutring the late 19th century.

Garments

Fashionable English boys at the turn of the Century wore skeleton suits and tunics. Younger boys wore pantalettes, older boys long trousers. Major changes occurred during the Vicorian Era. The young Queen and her engaging family popularized the sailor suit and kilt which were to become major fixtures of the 19th century boys' wardrobe. After mid-century knickers and kneepants became more common. The Eton collar became the standard dress for formal occasions.

Garment Selection

The parctice of age grading garment selection became very common in the Victorian era. Mothers would select and vary clothes on a pattern connected with the age of the child. Children of different ages were dressed destinctively. Some times like dresses for the younger children were quite obvious. OLther times the differences were minor such as the size of a bow or collar. The age grading appraoch continued to be popular into the Edarding era. Another appriach was to dress all of the children alike.

English Society

Major societal changes were at work in the Victorian era. Some of these changes included growing urban life, compulsory mass education, changing concepts of childhood and home life, changing work and leisure patterns, expanding fashion industry, developing mass media, falling rel prices for clothes, formation of youth groups, changing class patterns, growth of rescue and welfare agencies, and other trends.

Sources

An enormous body of literature exists on Victorain society. One of the best assessing children is Pamela Horn's The Victorian Town Child. As 19th-century Britain became increasingly urbanized and industrialized, the number of children living in towns grew rapidly. In The Victorian Town Child, Horn examines the lives Victorian children led: the schools they attended; the jobs they performed; their health and welfare; and their leisure pursuits. At the same time, Horn considers the increasing divisions within urban society, not only between market towns and major manufacturing and trading centers, but spatially within individual towns, as rich and poor became more segregated. The better-off, Horn finds, moved to the suburbs, and this affected the education and lifestyles of their offspring. Drawing on contemporary accounts and original research, The Victorian Town Child describes in detail the changing lives of all classes of Victorian town children, from those of prosperous business and professional families to working-class families, where unemployment and overcrowding were particular problems. Dr. Horn also examines the issue of juvenile labor and exploitation, and how factory work and education were combined; how crime and punishment were dealt with among children; and the changes in health and infant death rates over the period. Using anecdotes and first-hand accounts, and including a wealth of photographs and illustrations, The Victorian Town Child will appeal to historians as well as to general readers with an interest in the Victorian period.

Created: April 7, 2002
Last updated: July 10, 2003