Figure 1.--This English boy was photographed in Halifax or Blackpool (the photographer had two studios) probably in the 1880s. Notice how he is holding his doll. This boy has not been breaches and still wears dresses. He looks to be about 6 years old. Many boys were also photographed with dolls after having been breached. |
At this time HBC has little information on England beyond information about the British royal family. The numbers of available photographic images of boys in dresses drop sharply after age 5-6 years. This is an assessment based on the available photograpic images. The English princes appear to have been breeched at about 5 years of age. HBC has, however, no details on how breeching was handled in the royal family. This was probably the norm, at least among upper and middle class Britons. Working class boys were probably breached earlier. HBC believes the image here shows a boy about 5-6 years old, probably photographed in the 1880s. An English reader repirts, "From the style of this cabinet card I'd agree that could date from the 1880s, possibly the late 1870s."
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