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Another ad from Best & Co.--this one for Boys' One-Piece Kilt Dresses, from The Youth's Companion (May 30, 1901, p. 289). Note that this is an advertisements for specifically designed boys' dresses. Interestingly, the age range is age 2, 2 1/2, and 3 years. Apparently most boys graduated from dresses to trousers (breeching) at about age 3 1/2 or 4. HBC has other advertisements from Best & Co (e.g., the Rugby Waist) sold by a division of the shop referred to as the "Lilputian Bazaar." The ad copy read, "Best & Co. Liliputian Bazaar. Boys' One-Piece Kilt Dress. Made of fine white pique: the yoke front is neatly trimmed with insertion and band embroidery; back has four narrow box plaits from collar to bottom of skirt. Ages 2, 2 1/2, and 3 years. $3.25. By mail, postage paid, 15 cents extra. Our catalogue, in new form, listing nearly 2,000 Articles for Children, more than half of them illustrated, sent on receipt of this advertisement and 4 cents postage. Address Dept. 15. 60-62 W. 23d St., New York."
The Best & Company appaers to have been an important New York City department store that went natioanl. The built a large store at 645 5th Avenue at East 51st Street, NE Corner (Wing on 52nd Street). It was located in Midtown Manhattan. The building was replaced by the Olympic Tower of Aristotle Onassis. I am not sure when the comapny was founded, but note that they were active in the 1950s and 60s. They varried an extensive line of fashionanle clothes. We know that Best & Company was a major U.S. depattment store chain, bit have little information on the company at this time.
The ad appeared in The Youth's Companion (May 30, 1901, p. 289). The magazine described itself as "An Illustrated Weekly Paper For Young People and the Family." It was established in 1827. The magazine was published in Boston, Massachusetts, by the Perry Mason Company, 201 Columbus Avenue. It appeared under this title until 1929. It was in the late 19th century one of the most popular weekly periodicals in America and known for the quality of the writing. The magazine catered to teen-age boys and girls especially, containing articles on sports, on hobbies, and on various literary and cultural interests. But it was really a family magazine and had many advertisements for clothing, both adult and children's. The magagazine had a very strict policy about the advertising carried because its readers were mostly children.
The terminology here is interesting. This is not a term we have noted very commonly. One might wonder what a kikt dress is. It may simply reflect the plain pleated skirt. Other factors may be at play here. Boys commonly wore dresses in the 19th century, but this fashion had begun to decline in the 1890s. The kilt was of course a skirted garment worn by men, thus calling a dress a kilt dress may have given it a more boyish touch. In addition a still popular style for little boys was the kilt suit, a garment that was especially popular in America.
The Scottish kilt was never extensively worn by American boys, despite the sizeable number of Scottish Americans. A related garment, however, the kilt suit, was very commonly worn by two generations of American boys. I believe that the style was also widely worn in England and to a lesser extent in France. Its popularity in Germany and other continental countries, however, appears more limited, although admittedly I have little information on these countries.
This ad from Best & Co.--this one for Boys' One-Piece Kilt Dresses, from The Youth's Companion (May 30, 1901, p. 289). Note that this is an advertisements for specifically designed boys' dresses. Interestingly, the age range is age 2, 2 1/2, and 3 years. Apparently most boys graduated from dresses to trousers (breeching) at about age 3 1/2 or 4. HBC has other advertisements from Best & Co (e.g., the Rugby Waist) sold by a division of the shop referred to as the "Lilputian Bazaar." The ad copy read, "Best & Co. Liliputian Bazaar. Boys' One-Piece Kilt Dress. Made of fine white pique: the yoke front is neatly trimmed with insertion and band embroidery; back has four narrow box plaits from collar to bottom of skirt. Ages 2, 2 1/2, and 3 years. $3.25. By mail, postage paid, 15 cents extra. Our catalogue, in new form, listing nearly 2,000 Articles for Children, more than half of them illustrated, sent on receipt of this advertisement and 4 cents postage. Address Dept. 15. 60-62 W. 23d St., New York."
One might conclude from the sizes up to age 3 that boys were breeeched at about 3-4 years of age. This may have been the case in sime families. There are, however, some complications. First there were other skirted garments that might be found in larger sizes, especially kiltsuits and tunic suits. Even this was complicated as tunic suits were worn with bloomer knickers so it is not entirely clear if this might be considered breeching. Another complication is whether a boy when bereeched imediately stoped wearing skirted garments. We suspect that breeching may have been a more gradual process. In addition a boy may have had a dress such as the kilt dress here or a kiltsuit but may have had some kind of pants for play. Here are understanding of the breeching process is still not complete.
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