Figure 1.--Patterns and modern photography of period clothing provides valuable information on material, color, detail, and desisn that is not always available through contemprary photography.
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Figure 1.--Patterns and modern photography of period clothing provides valuable information on material, color, detail, and desisn that is not always available through contemprary photography. |
Suit one is a a fairly standards boy's suit with a jacket, vest, and kneepants. This young boy's black wool suit consisting of a one button jacket, matching vest and kneepants. All three pieces are decorated with fancy black embroidery. The approximate modern size would be for a boy from 6 to 8 years.
One observer dates the suit at about 1875-90. HBC can not yet connfirm that estimate.
HBC has no details on the suit other than it is American.
HBC does not know if this sit was for ordinary wear or for formal dress wear.
This suit as was common in the late 19th century was a three piece suit.
The jacket is collarless with a wide black silk lapel. There is a only a one button closing. It was thus mean to be worn with the bottom half open exposing the vest. There are three pockets. Black silk embroidery decorates the front, back and sleeves. The jacket is ined with black silk. The length is 17-1/2 inches. The black silk on the decorative binding edging suit has been rubbed off in most places and shows as black cotton. The black silk on one lapel is in poor condition.
Figure 2.--Patterns and modern photography of period clothing provides valuable information on material, color, setail, and desisn that is not always available through contemprary photography. |
The vest or waist coat is lined with ivory cotton. It has three pockets, two on the left and one on the right. It is decorated with black silk embroidery. There are five original buttons (same as on the trousers). The vest buttons appear to be cloth covered. The length is 19 inches. The black silk on the decorative binding has also rubbed off in most places. Vest for men and boys were very common in the late 19th century,
The boy wearing this suit probably wore ot weith a large floppy bow. I am not sure what kind of shirt would have been worrn with, but a younger boy might wear a large ruffled collar.
Figure 3.--Patterns and modern photography of period clothing provides valuable information on material, color, setail, and desisn that is not always available through contemprary photography. |
The kneepants have a button fly as zippers had not yet been invented. They are 20 inches long with a 25 inch waist. There are three purely oranamental buttons on each lower leg. They were not used for closing the leg as the pants leg were left open. One button on the inside of the fly is missing. There are no belt loops in the pants. I'm not sure if there were button holes to button a blouse on tothe pants. I'm also not sure how many are the location of the pockets. The boy would have worn the pants to just knee length or a little below the knee. He would generally not wear them above the knee, but a boy who had outgrown his suit might have knnepants above the knee.
While not shown here, this suit would have been worn with long, over the knee stockings. While kneesocks began to appear at the turn of the century, a boy old enough to wear this suit would have almost certainly worn it with long stockings, even in the summer.
Figure 4.--This image shows the elaborate embroidery on the vest. |
