Figure 1.--Here we see two unidentified brothers wearing identical Oliver Twist suits. The portrait was taken in 1925. Note the pants do not have the ornamental knee pants buttons. |
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The Oliver Twist suit was a major depature for boys. We see this age group of boys in the late-19th and early-20th century ften wearing very fancy outfits like Fauntleroy suits and fancy blouses. The Oliver Twist suit was a relatively simple outfit which became very popular as both a play and dress up outfit. It is a good example of how attitudes toward dressing children was changing in the early 20th century. Oliver Twist suits were a popular style for younger boys. They were widely worn by pre-school boys and boys just beginning school. The style was most popular during the 1910s and 20s. They can be found in both the photographic record as well as mail order catalogs and advertising during both the 1910s and the 1920s. They were still available in the 1930s, especially the early 30s. By theclate-20s while they were still called Oliver Twisst suits and were button-on outfits, they had begun to lose their destinctive styling. See for example the Oliver Twist suits in the Wards' Winter 1927-28 catalog.
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