Figure 1.--This CDV portrait is unidentified. All we know for sure is that the boy is American, although we are fairly sure he was from Bston. We believe the portrait was taken in the 1860s. Note the suit does not fit very well. Also notice the plain styling and small lapels. Many 19th century suits came with vests like the suit here. Image courtesy of the PH collection.

The primary components of dress suits are jackets (sometimes called coats) and pants (sometimes called trousers). The term suit is often used to indicate matching garments, such as a shorts set, but we use it to mean a dress outfit of matching jacket and pants. There have been several different styles of jackets over time. There have also been different types of pants. Some of the different types of jackets and pants involved stlistic changes others were associated with age conventions. While the primary suit components are the jacket and pants, there are other components. Some suits came with matching caps. This was normally a peaked cap, and this was popular during the mid-20th century. A more popular component was the vest. Many suits were three-piece suits meaning that a vest was included. This has become much less common since World War II.

Caps

Some suits came with matching caps. Most did not, but a matching cap was seen as stylish. We haven't seen matching hats, but we have seen matcing caps in various styles. We notice some 19th century suits for younger boys with matching caps of various styles. Tams seem to have been popular. We also see matching caps in the 20th century. A matching peaked cap worn with an Eton or other styled suit was popular during the mid-20th century. A suit with a matching cap was especially popular with affluent families.

Jackets

The style of a suit was primrily determined by the jacket style. The skeleton suit was popular in the early 19th century. We notice a variety of fancy styles in the 19th century for younger boys. The principal jacket style by mid-century was the cut-away jacket. We also see collar-buttoning jackets. Many of these suits were detailed with military styling. Of course the best known suit style in the late-19th century was the Fauntleroy suit. A good example is an unidentified American boy about 1870. Older boys' sack suit jackets could be quite plain. One popular style for many years was the Norfolk jacket with pleats and suilts. Eton suits appeared in the late 19th century. A juvenile Eton suit became a popular style for younger boys in the 1920s and continues to be worn today.

Vests

A popular suit component was the vest or waistcoat as it is called in Britain. The vest was an otional suit component. Three-piece suits were common in the 19th century and even early 20th century. Normally vests in the mid-19th century contrasted with the vest. At the time it was also not common for jackets and trousers to match. Color informtion is difficult top obain for the 19th century. We do, however, notice some brightcolors. Later in the decade it was more common for the vest to match the suit, especially after suits became matching jackets and trousers. Many suits were three-piece suits meaning that a vest was included. This has become much less common since World War II. We know less about vests than the other suit components for the obvious reason that they were normally covered by the boys' coat and it became very common by the late 19th century to buton up jackets so the vests were not vissible. We see very few examples of boys wearing vests without suit jackets in the 19th century. This began to change in the md-20th century. We see many boys wearing vests instead of a suit jacket as a kind of alternate outfit for younger boys.

Pants

American boys have worn suits over time with a variety of pants, including knee breeches, kneepants, knickers, bloomer knickers, short pants, and long pants. The styling and popularity of these types of pants as well as the age conventions have varied over time. Knee breeches were common during the 18th century. Long pants were worn during the early and mid 19th century. Kneepants and knicker bloomers appeared in the mid-19th century and kneepants were widely worn at the turn of the 20th century. Knickers gradualy became more important un the early 20th century. Short pants appeared after World war I, but knickers were more populasr. Long pants increased in popularity during the 1930s and rapidly replaced knickers in the 1940s. Of course the ifferent types of pants were worn during the various periods affected by age, family preferences, regional, seasonal, and social class differences.

Created: 8:06 PM 1/30/2006
Last updated: 5:42 AM 3/25/2008