Figure 1.--This family from Deal, Kent, England all wear identical middy blouses. The boyswear kneepants and the girl a skirt. The image is indated, but we would estimate dates to the 1890s. Notice the boys' center parts and the girl's bangs. Image courtesy of the MD collection. Click on the inmage for a discussion og the image. |
We note elements of sailor styling affecting girls dresses in the 1850s. This may have occurred earlier, but we have only limited information on the styling of girls' dresses. Sailor styling was an important influence by the 1860s, not only in England, but other countries as well. We do not notice girls wearing traditionally styled middy blouses and skirts until the mid-1880s and does not appear to have become comnmon until the 1890s. We still have only a limited number of early images, but this is our initial assessment. The sailor suit dveloped as a style first in England. Presimably sailor dresses and middy blouses and skirts may have lagged somewhat in other countries. Informatipn on the use of sailor styling in girls dresses and other sailor outfits is useful in helping to better understand the gender connotations. This is important information in helping to assess the gender of unidentified images.
We note elements of sailor styling affecting girls dresses in the 1850s. This may have occurred earlier, but we have only limited information on the styling of girls' dresses. Sailor styling was an important influence by the 1860s, not only in England, but other countries as well.
We do not notice girls wearing traditionally styled middy blouses and skirts until the mid-1880s. The earliest image that we have archived in HBC at this time is Ida Cross in 1896. We still have only a limited number of early images, but this is our initial assessment. Traditional middy bloyses for girls do not appear to have become comnmon until the 1890s. At the timer, whole familiew in Englkand might be outfitted in maiddy blouses, The boys wore kneepants and the girls skirts. A good example here is a family from Deal, England where all the family wore traditionally styled middy blouses (figure 1).
The sailor suit dveloped as a style first in England. Presumably sailor dresses and middy blouses and skirts may have lagged somewhat in other countries.
Informatipn on the use of sailor styling in girls dresses and other sailor outfits is useful in helping to better understand the gender connotations. This is important information in helping to assess the gender of unidentified images.
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