Figure 1.--This unodentified English boy looks to be about 7-8 years old. He wears a tunic suit with Eton-style collar. He has knickers and white long stockings. He is holding a cap which looks like a plain Glengary. The CDV portrait is undated but the white stockings and style of the portrait suggests the 1860s. The school desk prop means that this is probably how he dressed for school. The portrait was taken in Brighton at the Harrington studio.

Tunics were an early school garment. The tunic was a medieval garment that continued to be worn at the new grammar schools established during Tudor times. Some schools had tunics as a school uniform (16th century). The tunic was still a popular garment during the 19th century and was worn to school by many younger boys. Some schools like the Hospital schools used them as part of the uniform. They were also worn by individuals and not as part of a uniform. We think tunics may have been more common for the younger boys at private schools like public (private boarding) and by mid-century at the new preparatory schools than at state schools. We have to depend primarily on paintings for this period whoch inveitably provided a skewed impressioin as well-to-do boys were most likely to be painted. And of course, Britain did not make a major state school system until the later-19th century. Our information, however, is limited. Information on the 19th century is limited, especially the early- and mid-19th century when tunics were most common. Photography was not developed until 1839. And unlike America there are very few images available in the early formats like Daguerreotypes from the (1840s-50s). Only with the CDV do we begin to see some large numbers of photographic portraits (1860s). We see tunics in CDVs (1860s), but very few by the end of the century. The only excptiin is the hospital schools that cintuinued which continued to use them as part of the school uniform.

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Created: 5:36 AM 5/2/2012
Last updated: 5:36 AM 5/2/2012