Figure 1.--This CDV shos an unidentified French boy wearing an elborte dress, we think in the 1880s. He looks to be about 5-6 years old. The studio was Lorans Photographie Parisienne in Nevers. This is a city in the Bourgogne region of central France.

HBC has noted several styles of dresses worn by French boys in the late 19th century. The high-waisted and sometimes low neckline Empire dresses, worn with pantaletters were popular in the early 19th century. Boys and girl's styles were almost identical. By the mid-19th century thr hem-line had risen to knee level and so had the pantalettes. Scotch patterns and kilts were common motifs. Boys by the late 19th century were wearing plainer dresses styles and there wwre significant stylistic differences between boys and girls' dresses, although not all mothers conformed to those differences. Younger boys in the 1900s were still weating dresses, but by the 1910s, especially after World War I, it was no longer fashionable for boys to wears dresses--except for the very youngest. There was little difference between these infant dress styles for boys and girls.

The 17th Century

We have very little information on French 17th century dresses. We know that yunger boys wore dresses at the time. We have very little information on the common people or the middle class. We do know more about the aistocracy. Portraits of the royal familt in particular provide valuable information. See the pages on Louis XIII and Louis XIV.

The 18th Century

We know that younger French boys before breeching wore dresses. We do not, however, have much detail at this time. The images we have noted are from royalty and the aristocracy. We are less sure about the common people, the urban middle class as well as the workers and urban peasantry. Portraits of the royal familt in particular provide valuable information. See the pages on Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Louis XVII. A French reader has passed to us an excerpt from the the Souvenirs de la Marquise de Créquy--fascinating memoirs. Memoirs and family letters are of special interest to HBC because they may include comments helping us to understnd period fashion conventions. This was, however, a clever forgery and thus should be considered more of a novel.

The 19th Century

Younger Fench boys commonly wore dresses throughout the 19h century.

Early 19th century(1800-40)

The high-waisted and sometimes low neckline Empire dresses, worn with pantaletters were popular in the early 19th century. Some dresses seem to have no waistime at and fall straight down. Others have verhigh implied waistlines. Simple wight dresses wereve very common. Boys and girl's styles were almost identical, often with low necklines. Dresses were very long in the 1800s and panyalettes were hardly visible. By the 1810s, hems had begun to rise and pantallettes played an important role in a child's ensemble.

Mid-19th century (1840-70)

We have much less information on French clothing suring the mid-19th century than in America. A major problem is that we hace fond few early French photographic types (Dags and Ambros), despite the fact that the Dahuerreotype was invente in France (1839). Only with the appearance of the CDV in numbers (1860s) do we begin to ee any substantial number of images. By the mid-19th century thr hem-line had risen to knee level and so had the pantalettes. Scotch patterns and kilts were common motifs.

Late 19th century (1870-1900)

Boys by the late 19th century were wearing plainer dresses styles and there wwre significant stylistic differences between boys and girls' dresses, although not all mothers conformed to those differences. Young French boys until 4 or 5 years of age until the mid-19th century were virtually indestinguishable from girls. They wore the same dresses and lace collars as their sisters convenient for the thrifty mother in a large family. Many of these dresses reflected the looser fitting, less restrictive garments worn by some French boys. This began to cahnge in the alte 19th century as more clearly boys styles appeared. In addition the fashions were more formal and restrictive.

The 20th Century

Early 20th century

Younger boys in the 1900s were still weating dresses, but by the 1910s, this was mucj less common, especially after World War I.

Mid-20th century

It was no longer fashionable for boys to wears dresses by the mid 20th--except for the very youngest. There was little difference between these infant dress styles for boys and girls.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing French pages:
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Created: November 15, 1998
Last updated: 5:17 AM 8/8/2015