Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows a mother and son, we think in the late-1860s, possibly the early-70s. The unidentified boy wears a white skirt and pantalettes with an uncoordinated jacket. We think the skirt is pleated. There was no studio information.

Our information on the early-19th century is very limited. We do note boys wearing skirts in the 1860s. Certainly it must have been common earlier. Notably kilts and kilt suits were not very common in the 60s. This changed in the 1870s when we begin to see more kilts and fewer skirts. We see far more boys wearing kilt suits than jusk skirts without a jacket. We are not sure if this was a good relection of actual prevalence. It may have been that skirts were a kind of casual alternative and for a formal portrait, mothers wanted their sons dressed more formally. We suspect that more formal dresses and kilt suits were seen as more suitable for a studio portrait. Skirts and blouses may have been more common at home than one might think from the photographic record. We see skirts throuhghout the late-19th century. A good example is George Knapp in 1887. Even so we see more kilt suits. Just when skirts first became commonly worn by younger American boys we are not sure. we see boys wearing skirts in the 1880s and to a lesser extent the 1890s, especially the late 1890s. Here the photographic record provides great detail on the late-19th century. Skirts seem to have been an informal style, so they may have been under-represented in the photographic record. Skirts for boys were much less common after the turn-of-the 20th century. Kilt suits went out of fashon, but we still see some boys wearing skirts, especially in rural areas.

The 1800s

Just when skirts first became commonly worn by younger American boys we are not sure. Our information on the early-19th century is very limited. here are of course artistic renderings. And we note boys wearing dresses in various paintings. We do not, however, see boys wearing skirts. The same tends to hold for girls s well. We believe that this is because children were dressed up for portraits. Thus children surely wore skirts in more casual circumstance, but the artists involved rarel painted them in casual atire.

The 1860s

We do note boys wearing skirts in the 1860s. Certainly it must have been common earlier. And wiuth the advent of the CDV and cabinet card, photographic prevaence becomes a more valid indicator of prevakence. Notably related kilts and kilt suits were also not very common in the 60s. Dresses were common for younger boys. We care not sure if this was related to mother's tedency to outfit the boys in their best outfits for a studio portrait.

The 1870s

This changed in the 1870s when we begin to see more kilts and fewer dresses. We are unsure about skirts. We see far more boys wearing kilt suits than just skirts without a jacket. Thus is not what we might have expected, but apparently continues the trend of more and more boys wearing suit jackets. We see some, but not as many as with the jackets. We are not sure if this was a good refection of actual prevalence. It may have been that skirts were a kind of casual alternative and for a formal portrait, mothers wanted their sons dressed more formally. We suspect that more formal dresses and kilt suits were seen as more suitable for a studio portrait. Skirts and blouses may have been more common at home than one might think from the photographic record.

The 1880s

We see skirts throuhghout the late-19th century. We continue to see boys wearing skirts in the 1880s. A good example is an unidentified Ohio boy we think in the 1880s. He wears a white blouse with a pleated velvet skirt. We believe that there was probably a jacket that went with it. We are unsure if mother would have chosen velvet for a skirt tht was sn as basiclly a casual garment. Another good example is George Knapp in 1887, but like many such examples we are left with the impession that this was part of a kilt suit rather than a stand-alone suit. We suspect that in warm summer weather, younger boys were allowed to wear shirt sleeves without a jacket even when dressing up. We continue to see lot of kilt suit. Actual kilt were not worn with these slits. Some had kilt features, often they were simply basic skirts. Thus boys had skirts abailable to wear. As far the portraits we have found seem to be mostly these skirts rather than a skirt mother may have bought or made. These may have been been nore common than suggested by the ample photographic record because wanted children dressed up in their best clothes for a portrait. Motably we see many of these images during the decades that likt suits were most popular which woild mean the 1870s and 80s.

The 1890s

We still see skirts in the 1890s, but to a lesser extent, especially the late 1890s. Skirts for boys were much less common after the turn-of-the 20th century. Kilt suits went out of fashon, but we still see some verynyoung boys wearing skirts, especially in rural areas.

Created: 6:26 PM 7/22/2017
Last updated: 12:52 PM 10/14/2020