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Adverisements from the 1860s are very rare, especially ads with illusrations. This was because of the state of lithography. The big mail order houses had not yet opened. There may be some store catalogs, but we have not yet found any. Lithougrphy was still fairly primitive. There may have been some newspaper ads, but again we have not found any. The primary source for 1860s clothing is fashion magazines. A reader has provided a 1860s illustration for children's drawers, but we do not yet know the source. These are often quite detailed images. These images would be to stell patterns or just the images from which skilled seanstresses could use to create garments. Published patterns began to be used in the 1850s. Some boys wore knee panys. We note both long stockings and stocking supporters. Unfortunately we have some images but are often not sure of the sources which of course are need to fully evaluate the images.
This kilt suit drawing appeared in 1861 (figure 1). Unfortunately we are not sure about the source. It may have been Harper's. The kilt suit was a very popular style for younger boys and continued to be worn throughout the second half of the 19th century. The Civil War broke out when Confederate units fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor (April 1861). We are not yet sure about the impact of the War on fashion. Certainly with the blockade fashion concerns declined, in part because of the Federal naval blockade. In the North the economy boomed so the declining interest in fshion that often occurs during a war did not take place. Many parents, especially well to do parents, had more money to spend on clothes. Boys clothese were affected by military styling.
We note younger boys after breeching wearing knee pants in the 1860s. The pants tended to be long, ct at calf level. Boys wore stokings with knee pants, although we are not sure how long they were. As knee panys as stockings became more common, the problem appeared of how to hold them up. We are not sure who first convceived of stocking supporters. And the first ones may have been for women rather than children. We note one early stocking supporter patented by E.F. Putnam, a lady, in 1863. Ms. Putnam does not indicate the age or gender of who would use her stocking supporter. We note several other patents throughout the late 19th century. Most 19h century patents were submitted by men. Note that Ms. Putnam does not provide her first name.
The Civil War ended when Generl Lee surendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant (Aoril 1865). The ware had been a terrible bloody affair, but the northern economy was booming. The War had greatly stimulated American industrial development. We are still assessing the impact on fashion. We suspect that the mass production of uniforms in the North was a major empetus for ready-made clothing.
A reader has provided a 1869 illustration. We believe that these were advertisements for patterns, but unfortunately we don't know what company made the patterns offered here yet. We note children's drawers. We also note night shirts which were worn by children as well as adults. Pajamas were not yet available.available.
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