Figure 1.--We also notice him wearing a French Army uniform as a boy. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. We are not sure under what circumstnces he would ear it, perhaps for state occassions.

We have a great deal of information on the the Prince Imperial's boyhood clothes. There is a wealth of childhood portraits, so we hve a good idea about the clothes he swore, at leat for formal portraits. More casual snap shot photographs asre very rare. We see the prince wearing a white dress (about 1859). A reader writes, "My understanding about white dresses for youngsters from a visit to Sturbridge village is that white was easiest to clean. You could bleach out most stains whereas colors were much harder to remove stains without damaging the color until fast colors (washing safe or non bleeding dies) were invented. So, applying that information to this situation, which may not apply, it is likely that white was often worn." The short sleeved dress has ribbons on the shoulders. It is interesting to note how common white dresses appear to have been for boys in old photographs. HBRC assumes that this was likely to have been in part due to the fact that the children were dressed up in their best dress for formal photographs. Surely they did not wear white dresses for every day. We notice him wearing a fairly sandard dark cut-away jacket when he was about 8-9 years old wth a small bowtie (1864) (figure 1). We also notice him wearing a French Army uniform as a boy. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. We are not sure under what circumstances he would wear it, perhaps for state occassions (figure 1). Interestingly, what we do not see the Pruinjce wearing was sailor suits which were becoming popular in Europe ast the time.

Dresses

We see the prince wearing white dresses as a toddler. One portrait shows him on a toy horse when he was 2 years old (about 1858). Presumably he was too young for a rocking horse. We note another portrait of him still wearing a a white dress (about 1859). A reader writes, "My understanding about white dresses for youngsters from a visit to Sturbridge village is that white was easiest to clean. You could bleach out most stains whereas colors were much harder to remove stains without damaging the color until fast colors (washing safe or non bleeding dies) were invented. So, applying that information to this situation, which may not apply, it is likely that white was often worn." The short sleeved dress has ribbons on the shoulders. It is interesting to note how common white dresses appear to have been for boys in old photographs. HBRC assumes that this was likely to have been in part due to the fact that the children were dressed up in their best dress for formal photographs. Surely they did not wear white dresses for every day. But given he was the Press Imperial, practial concerns presumably did not apply. We are not sure just when he was breeched, probably when he was about 4 years old (about 1860). We are still trying to determine this more specifically.

Suits

We notice the Prince on the previous page wearing a fairly sandard dark cut-away jacket when he was about 8-9 years old wth a small bowtie (1864)..

Army Uniform

We also notice him wearing a French Army uniform as a boy. He looks to be about 10-11 years old which would mean about 1866. American will note the similarity to Civil war uniforms. We are not sure under what circumstances he would wear it, perhaps for state occassions (figure 1). He wears the cap cocked to the side in a jaunty way. One winders if this was his idea or perhaps his parents or the photographer.

Sailor Suits

Interestingly, what we do not see the Princce wearing was sailor suits which were becoming popular in Europe at the time. They were not yet a major style in the 1860s, but both British and German royalty wore them. Perhaps the style was seen as too British for a French prince.

Historical Costumes

We see the Prince Imperial wearing historical costumes. We note an 18th century costume. We do not know if there were others.

National Costumes

The Prince Imperial, as a boy, often accompanied his parents on State visits. As a courtesy to the hosts, he was often dressed in outfits done in the national costume of the country being visited. We are not sure what he thought about this or tio what age this was done. These were different than the military uniforms he often wore for state occasions at home. Note that the British princes never wore ornate military uniforms as children. the Musee D'Orsay in Paris has a collection of some of these outfits, apprently left behind when the royal family fled France (1870). We note Mexican and Scottish outfits. Of course, France has a long history of association with Scotland. The Prince actually wore a kikt outfit, but for visiting Scotland he had a Highland outfit. One of the more interesting items is a Mexican outfit. The Royl Family did not visit Mexico, the cionditions were too unsettled. Napoleon III helped set up an Austruan Archduke, Maximillian in power as Emperor of Mexico. And Napoleon committed French troops to maintain Maximillan im power. The Prince Imperial probably wore the outfit with Maximillian's wife, Empress Carlota, paid a state visit to Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie at Les Tuileries to request additional financial and military aid. Her petitions were refused and Carlota in turn actually insulted the Emperor and his wife by referring to their humble origins. Maximillian's refime deteriorated after the American Civil War when the United States began pressuring France and the cost of intervention escalated.

Created: 11:37 PM 3/1/2008
Last updated: 7:04 PM 11/29/2011