Figure 1.--This Italian boy was photographed in Como during January 1874. We note boys wearing fancier suits in the 1870s with elaborate piping and embroidered designs. The boy's suite shown here appaeras to have an influence of sailor styling, especially at the collar. The boy's name appears to be Envira St. Giuseppe. although the hand writing on the back pf the card is difficult to read. Image courtesy of the MD collection.

We notice most of the styles wore in other European countries like France and Britain. Italian boys appear to have worn tunic suits in the mid-19th century. We note a boy wearing a velvet suits with knicker-length pants in 1866. Most boys from maffluent families appear to have worn knicker-length pants. The 1860s were an especially important decade for Italy as it was in that decade that the country was finally unified. Some boys in the 1860s wore belts over their tunics. Collars and bows were small until the 1870s. Shoes and stockings seem fancier than in Britain and America. We note boys wearing fancier suits in the 1870s with elaborate piping and embroidered designs. The one shown here appaeras to have an influence of sailor styling, especially at the collar (figure 1). Military enspired designs appear popular. Fauntleroy and sailor suits became popular in the late 19th century. I am not positive when sailor suits forst appeared in Italy. The earliest image we have at this time is from the 1880s, but we presume that sailors suits were probably worn before that. Many boys wore wide-brimmed sailor hats. School children commonlu wore smocks, but I am not sure just when that began. I am not sure how common smocks were outside of school.

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Created: March 18, 2003
Last updated: March 18, 2003