Figure 1.--Here we have two American boys in an undated portrait, probably taken in the 1910s. Both boys are wearing Norfolk suits, a popular style at the time. Notice the different lapel treatment. Also notice the very full cut knickers. |
|
One popular style for many years was the Norfolk jacket with pleats/vents and belts. The Norfolk suit also became a very popular style in America. HBC has noted that is was very commonly worn by American boys from about 1880-1930. We note American clothing catalogs with pages offering several different styles of Norfolk jackets. We also note many American photographs showing boys commonly wearing Norfolk jackets. The Norfolk suit appears to have been most popular in Britain and America, but it was worn in many other countries as well. A Polish researcher asks us how we can be sure that the Norfolk jacket was more popular in America and Britain than elsewhere in Europe. Here our primary source of information is available photographic portraits and clothing catalogs. Our access is much greater to American and to a lesser extent British material, so we could be wrong about this and encourage our European readers to add their insights and available information. Many examples of Norfolk suits are archived on HBC. The Norfolk style was primarily worn vy school-age boys. We see. however, some younger boys wearing them.
The Norfolk jacket was of course a European style imported from England. This is one of many examples showing how English fashions affected American boys clothing.
Norfolk suits were one of the most popular suit styles for American boys during the late 19th and early 20th century. Many suits during this period were either Norfolk suits or had Norfolk styling elements.
Norfolk suits consisted of a a jacket with destinctive styling and matching trousers, usually knee pants or knickers.
The Norfolk jacket had very destinctive styling. The basic elements were vertical pleats/vents and horizontal belts. The tailored jacket wa a loose belted jacket with a a box pleated front. The belting and pleats could vary widely. Some jackets only had the vents, but some had belts as well. In many suits the vents were only hinted at, in others they were pronounced. We note that by the 1880s in the United States that many jackets had vertical pleats or detailing which we believe in the influence of the Norfolk style which was becoming a major style for boys. We note Norfolk suits with all kinds of pants. The matching pants did not have any of the destinctive Norfolk styling, but were usually knee pants or knickers. Most American boys in the 19th century wore them with knee pants. Hunting suits were wirn with knickers, but as the Norfolk suit became a popular boys' style, that connectionwas broken. There was no real association of the boy's Norfolk suit and any specific type of pants. The pants worn with Norfolk jackets was simply the popular types of pants during the vrious decades in which Norfolk styling was popular.
HBC has noted that is was very commonly worn by American boys for quite an extended peruod. We note Norfolk suits during the 1880s-1930s. We note American clothing catalogs with pages offering several different styles of Norfolk jackets. We also note many American photographs showing boys commonly wearing Norfolk jackets. The style may have appeared in America during the 1870s, but we need to confirm this. We see many boys wearing jackets with Norfolk elements by the 1880s. Inlike many 19th century styles, the Norflk suit continued into the 20th century. A good example of Norfolk suits is the suits worm by twin brothers, probably in the early 1920s.
There are two basic styles of American Norfolk jackets, collar buttoning and lapel sack suit jackets. Both of these tyoes had a wide range of sylistic variations which varied over time as the Norfolk suit remained in style for nearly hakf a century. We see suits with only minor Norfolk styling. Yjis was often seen in the 19th century. The collar-buttoning suits were mostly worn in the 19th century. The lpel suits were worn in both the late-19th and early 20-th centuries. There were quite a range of tylistic vriations for both types of suits. The variations involve both the Norfolk styling and other basic fetures of the suit. This involves both the collars and lapels, sleeves, buttoning arrangements, and other factors. As a result, there was substantial variety in these jackets. Many of these stylistic variations affected other types of suits during each chronological period.
The Norfolk suit was conceived in England as a sporting style for the country gentry. The British did not believe in wearing old clothes for hunting. They wore suits, but the Norfolk was a practical suit. The loose fit and pleats of the jacket provided easy movement for outdoor activity. The knicker pants prevented the trousers from getting dirty when trapsing around the country side. Perhaps because of the praxticality, the Norfolk suit became apopular style for boys. We see men wearing Norfolk suits as a kind of sporty side because of its hunting origins. Boys wote Norfolk suits as a major style without the hunting ir sporty outdoor connectioins.
The Norfolk suit was primariluy a boys' style, but we see some girls wearing them. Girls normally wore their Norfolk suits with skirts rather than knickers.
The initial Norfolk jackets were made in tweeds and this continued to be a popular material. We note Amerixan boys, however, as the Norfolk jacket became increasingly popular wearing Norfolk suits in many other fabrics as well. Girls wearin Norfolk suits might also use tweeds, but we note fine wool being used as well.
Here our primary source of information is available photographic portraits and clothing catalogs. Our access is much greater to American and to a lesser extent British material, so we could be wrong about this and encourage our European readers to add their insights and available information. Many examples of Norfolk suits are archived on HBC.
The Norfolk style was primarily worn by school-age boys. We see. however, some younger boys wearing them. A good example is Floyd Van Horne about 1915.
This was a style for school age bopys. Younger boys wore skirted garments and fancy suits like Fauntleroy suits.
The Norfolk style was also worn by teenagers.
Boys in the 19th century and early 20th century more commonly wore suits than moden boys. Thus we not only see boys wearing these suits when dressing up for church and other formal occassiins, but for school as well. We even see boys wearing the suits casually. A good example is a boy on a camping trip about 1915.
The Norfolk suit appears to have been most popular in Britain and America, but it was worn in many other countries as well. A Polish researcher asks us how we can be sure that the Norfolk jacket was more popular in America and Britain than elsewhere in Europe.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main U.S. suits page]
[Return to the Main Norfolk suit country page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossary]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]