Figure 1.--This tin-type is from New York. It is undated, but looks to have been taken about 1870. The boy wears a fancy button-on suit with striped detailing. Notice the white stockings, veru common in the 1860s and early-70s.

Button-on outfits have varied in popularity over time. We are not entirely about the chronology of these button-on suits, but have begun to develop some basic information.. We supose that the skeleton suits popular in the late-18th and early 19th century might be classified as button-on suits. We see boys wearing a variety of fancy suits in the mid-19th century. We are unsure about the 50s at this time. They do not seem to be noticeable in the Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes we have archived on our 1850s individuals page. We have a fairly good collection from the 1850s and we do not see these suits being worn very commonly. We see them in large numbers during the 1860s. This is in part because with the advent of the CDV, very large numbers of portraits were taken. Most ofthese portaits are undated, but look like the 1860s. The early CDVs from the 60s are quite destinctive. We also notice some if these suits being wirn in the 1870s, especially the early 1870s. Button-on styles seem to decline in popularity at this time. We note many button on outfits appearing in the 1920s, Sailor suits were popular styles, but there were many others. The button-on outfits continued to be popular through the 1940s. They were done in sizes to about8-10 years, but this varied over time. After the 40s we do not see button-on outfits to any extent. An example is button-on outfits mostly being done as fancy outfits for formal events like weddings.

The 19th Century

Button-on outfits have varied in popularity over time. We are not entirely about the chronology of these button-on suits, but have begun to develop some basic information.. We supose that the skeleton suits popular in the late-18th and early 19th century might be classified as button-on suits. We see boys wearing a variety of fancy suits in the mid-19th century. We are unsure about the 50s at this time. They do not seem to be noticeable in the Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes we have archived on our 1850s individuals page. We have a fairly good collection from the 1850s and we do not see these suits being worn very commonly. We see them in large numbers during the 1860s. This is in part because with the advent of the CDV, very large numbers of portraits were taken. Most ofthese portaits are undated, but look like the 1860s. The early CDVs from the 60s are quite destinctive. We also notice some if these suits being wirn in the 1870s, especially the early 1870s. Button-on styles seem to decline in popularity at this time. We see boys wearing blouses with draw string waistlines.

The 20th Century

Button-on outfits seem to have made atrong reappeaerance in the 20th century. This is especially the case after blouses with drawstrings declined in popularity. We note many button on outfits appearing in the 1910s. We see them done for both pre-sdchool and elementary (primary) school boys. Sailor suits were popular styles, but there were many others. Oliver Twist suits were another popular style in the 1910s. We see huge numbers in the photographic record. They were done for both play and for more formal events that younger boys may attend. They were often done as shorts sets. The button-on outfits continued to be popular through the 1930s and 40s. They were done in sizes to about8-10 years, but this varied over time. We are not sure why the button outfits so quickly disappeared in the 1950s. Perhaps suspenders and elasticized waists became more popular. We are not yet sure about this. After the 40s we do not see button-on outfits to any extent. An example is button-on outfits mostly being done as fancy outfits for formal events like weddings.

Created: 2:10 AM 10/27/2008
Last updated: 1:58 AM 12/20/2010