Figure 1.--A T. Eaton catalog page offers a wide range of outfits for younger boys in 1901. We note mostly kneepants outfits with middy blouses and fancy blouses. Blouces trimmed with ruffles and lace seem quite popular. There were also Highland kilts and kilt suits which were middy blouses worn with skirted garments. We also note a double breasted jacket. |
A T. Eaton catalog page offers a wide range of outfits for younger boys in 1901. This page is from the Spring and Summer 1901 catalog. We note mostly kneepants outfits with middy blouses and fancy blouses. Blouces trimmed with ruffles and lace seem quite popular. There were also Highland kilts and kilt suits which were middy blouses worn with skirted garments. We also note a double breasted jacket. Eaton was a large Totonto Department Store. The different outfits are depicted with quite a range of caps and hats. We also notice different styles of suspender and garter waists.
Boys wore quite a range of caps and hats. The Eaton's ad here show several styles that were available, but not actually offered with the outfits shown. We notice sailor caps, flat caps, boates, and some styles for which we do not know th name.
Notice that there are no dresses offered here in the outfits for younger boys. There are skirted outfits, but all are two-piece blouse and kilt/skirt outfits rather than one-piece dresses. We do noy know, however, if boy dresses were offered other elsewhere in the catalog.
Kilt outfits appear to have been popular in 1900. We notice Highland kilt costumes and more commonly kilt suit outfits normally for younger boys.
Eaton's in 1900 offered a Highland kilt outfit and several different kilt suit outfits. Eaton's offered kilt suits for younger boys 1 1/2 - 3 1/2 years or 4 years. The precission of the dating is interesting. Also the fact that the oldest is 3 1/2 years suggests that some boys in Canada were being breached before their 4th birthday in 1901. The Highland kilt costume were for somewhat older boys. Not all of them were illustrated.
We note quite a range of blouses made for boys. By blouses it was meant shirts for boys that did not have tails and were not tucked into the waistband. Eatons mentions "washing blouses", meaning blouses that could be laundered and did not require special cleaning.
Eatons offered quite a list of washing blouses. They varied from the plain to fancy. Some of the fancy ones were quite expensive because of all the trim and frills. One was a middy blouses. They were made up to size 10, but some styles were only made to size 8 years.
These clothes for younger boys offered pimarily blouses rather than shirts. We note some shirt waists also offered. These would be worn with a detachble collar.
Eatons offered only two shirt waists. I am not sure how the shirt waist differed from the blouses. I thought they might not have collars, but this one (No. 300) clearly does, but for another it was optional. Perhaps it had shirt tails which the blouses did not have. I think adult shirt waists were less likely to come with collars.
We notice advertisements for sailor collars, but are not sure what was meant.
Eaton's offered two sailor collars, but we are not sure just what was meant. We have not seen sailor collars offered in other cataogs which commonly offered detachable collars like Eton collars. Unfortunately the two items offered were not illustrated in the 1901 catalog. They do ppear, however, to b collars laid over another garment. The ad copy for No. 301 read "White and colored drills, neatly trimmed ith braid to match, 25c and ... 35c." The ad copy to No. 302 read, "Washing circular collars, in whit drills with frill, 35 c and ... 50c."
Younger Canadian boys like American boys were wearing tunic suits of various styles in at the turn of the 20th century. They were worn with long stockings.
Eaton's offered several styles of suits, many apparently with sailor styling. The sizes were chest measurements from 22-27 inches. Notice the useof "shot pants". The term seams to have been used interchangeably with "knee pants" which was more commonly used. These were complete outfits. The "washing" means that the outfits were washable. These were mostly sailor suits, including a Man-of-War suit, but there was one double breasted suit.
Canadian boys in 1901 appearto have mostly worn kneepants. Eatons sometimes refers to them as short pants without any destinction in meaning. They came in a wide range of materials and sizes. The illustration here shows younger boys. Kneepants were made, however, in sizes for much older boys.
Eaton offered a range of kneepants, but as they are illustrated to a great extent, we do not have details on styling.
We have some information on support garments from the Eaton's catalog. Here are two ads for hose supporters from the Eaton's 1901-02 Fall and Winter catalog. There are two different models. Both appear on p. 77. The first is referred to as a "G.H.I. Shoulder brace and hose supporter combined."
Another garment image is of a "Suspender Waist" for boys and girls from the ages of 2 to 10.
The Eaton's ad shown here strongly suggest that boys mostly wore long stockings. Here even the blouse outfits that look like summer wear are shown being worn with long stockings. Only the kilt outfits are shown with socks.
The long stockings depicted here all seem to be black orvery dark colored.
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