Tunics suits were worn in the early and mid 19th century and then became popular at the turn-od-the 20th centyry. Most of our information comes from the 20th century. We are not entirely sure about 19th century age conventioins yey. We have, however, a very good idea about age conventionds in the early 20th century. Tunic suits were worn by American boys from about 2-7 or 8 years of age. They were made in larger sizes, but for the most part the boys were mostly 2-7 or 8 years of age. This does not seem to have varied much over time. That means that boys would have worn them to school in grades 1-2, perhaps grade 3. Here the sizes indicated by catalog stores provide a fairly definite age range. A good example is the Montgomery Wards 1914 pages on tunic suits which are offered in sizes for boys from 2 1/2 to 7 years of age. Catalogs provide somewhat varied age ranges, but the general range is very similar. This is generally confirmed by the photographic record. We notice, however, more photographs of boys wearing tunic suits in the pre-school years. There are numerous images of boys archived on HBC to show the age range. Unfortunately only a few of the photographs indicate the age of the child. Here we see a boy wearing a tunic suit in the sailor style (figure 1). A hand written inscription on the back reads: "Detroit Mich. 17 Gardoni My little boy Stanly when he was 7 years & one month taken March 30/1918." This looks to be a outfit Stanley may have worn to school. He would have been in the first grade.

Age 2

We do not have much information on the age of boys wearing tunics in the 19th century. We suspect that most boys 2 years old would have not yet been breeched and still wearing dresses in the 19th centuty. By the 1890s, howver, it was beginning to be less common for boys to wear dresses. Thus we see 2 year olds wearing tunics in the early 20th century. Many catalogs specified 2 1/2 years as the beginning of the age range for tunic suits. Tunic suits were popular outfits for American pre-school boys beginning about age 2 or 2 1/2. Some families dressed all their pre-school boys in tunic suits. The sizes indicated by catalog stores provide a fairly definite age range. We notice tunics suits made in size 2s, often 2 1/2. Thuis is the youngest we have noticed for these outfits. A good example is a variety of tunic suits offered by Montgomery Ward in 1914. Yhe age range was 2 1/2 to 7 years. An even more common range was 2 1/2 to 8 years in the 1900s. This wide age range gradually became less facored because many 8 year olds did notvwant to wear the same styles 2 and 3 year olds were wearing. Rather they preferred the styles being worn by the older boys. This was a common beginning age for these suits. Almost all tunic suits we have noted were don in size ranges beginning at 2 or 2 1/2 years. Some began with size 3, but the size conventioin was much more common. Even when tunic suits began to go out of style in the late 1910s and early 20s, we still see them being done in size 2s.

Figure 1.--This boy looks to be about 3 years only. He wears a natty stripped sailor tunic suit, probably in the 1910s.

Age 3

We suspect that not too many 3 years old wore tunics in the early and mid-19th century. Although age 3 was the age that some families breeched boys, so there may have been some boys wearing them. We know much more about the early 20th century. At the turn-of-the 20th century we notice quite a number of boys who were 3 years old or looked about 3 wearing tunic suits. Here both the photograph record and clothing catalogs provide useful information. The popularity of tunic suits for 3 year olds is confirmed by clothing catalogs. Almost all catalogs included 3 year olds within the age range for the tunic sights they offered. A good example is the Montgomery Wards 1914 pages on tunic suits which are offered in sizes for boys from 2 1/2 to 7 years of age. Catalogs provide somewhat varied age ranges, but the general range is very similar. This is generally confirmed by the photographic record. We notice, however, more photographs of boys wearing tunic suits in the pre-school years, especially boys from about 3-5 years of age. New Ideas Magazine show a fancy boy's tunic suit. The illustration suggest a boy about 3 years old. We have, however, seen older boys to about age 5 wearing this style.

Figure 2.--This boy looks to be about 4 years old. He wears a nutton up "V" front tunic. A style we have not noted very commonly. Notice he seems to be wearing regular knickers rather than bloomer knickers.

Age 4

We see many boys who look to be about 4 years old wearing tunic suits. Both the photographic record and store catalogs show that 4 year olds commonly wore tunic suits. It was a very common style for 4 year olds during the early 20th century. Even in the early 20s when tunic suits were no lnger being offerd for school sge boys, we still see them being made for 4 year olds. The studio portraits mostly show boys wearing more formal tunics. Snap shots tend to boys wearing more play styles. Many boys at age 4 might have wirn dresses in the 19th century. This was less common after the turn-of-the 20th century. Tunics seved as a kind of transitionsal garment. Thus they were widely worn by 4-year old. We see an unidentified boy wearing palay suit. We see them being done in may different styles. A good example is period catalogs the Montgomery Ward Catalog in 1914. The Sears 1902 catalog shows a boy about 4 years old in a dark winter tunic suit. And another McCalls tunic suit for 4 year olds done with sailor styling. We note a McCall's pattern for a sailor tunic suit, called a Russian suit, size 4 years. We note an unidentified newspaper advertisement for a sailor tunic suit in 1907. It referred to bloomer suits and offered a wide range of fancy and plain suits in the standard size range of 2 to 8 years. Sruarts in 1914 offered tunic suits they called a romper suit only in sizes to age 4. Stuarts in 1915 also offered outfits which more correctly might be called rompers, but showing tunic suit styling such as ornamental belts. They were akso done in the 2-4 year age range. Best in 1918 offered a wide selection of juvenile outfits, including tunic suits, but mostly with knee pants rather thn bloomer knickers. They were done to size 4. Altmams in 1921 was still offering tunic suits in 1921, but the more popular button-on Oliver Twist style dominated the offerings for younger boys. The sizes here look to be 2-4 years.

Figure 3.--This boy looks to be about 5 years old. Tunics with this cross patten were quite popular. Notice how the belt sags showing its lack of functionality.

Age 5

We have little information about age conventions during the early 19th century. We note 5-year olds wearing tunics in the mid-19th century. A good example was Russel Parsons in 1869. The tunic was realatively short. Tunics were also very common for 5 year olds at the turn-of-the 20th century. This of course reflects the popularity of tunics for pre-schoo boys. We note quite a large number of boys who look to be about 5 years old. The catalogs confirm that the age range commonly included 5 year olds. Only in the late 1910s and early 20s as the tunic suit was going outvof style do we see the age range being narowed yo 4 year olds. We see boys wearing them both in formal studio portraits and in family snapshots. We also see tunics being done in many different styles for 5 year old. When a range of styles are offered, that suggests that the garment was especially popular. Most tunic suits we have noted include 5 year olds within the age range. A New York store Siegal Cooper in 1904 offered a standard tunic suit called a Russian blouse suit in sizes 2 1/2 to 7 years. It was the same style for the entire age range. This seems to have been a common convention. We notice Sprage's "Allin-1" Play suit in 1909 which looks rather like a tunic suit with the tunic blouse tucked in. It was made in the standard 2 1/2 yo 8 size range. Another example is an unidentified Reading boy. He wears an added bow tie.

Figure 4.--This boy looks to be about 6 years old about 1910. Norice how mom has dragged out the house plants for the portrait. He wears a dark-colored tunic suit.

Age 6

Most tunic suits in the 1900s and early 1910s were made in age ranges that included 6 year olds. This surprised us a little because this is the age American boys begin school. And we di not note them commonlybbeing woirn to school. We think boys in grades 1-2 may have worn them. But we do not notice them very commonly in school portraits during the early 20th century. Grade 1 means children 6 years old. A good example is Carl Kellison about 1910. He was 6 years old, but may not have begun school yet. We believe that tunics were less common for 6 year olds that had begun school because most boys stopped wearing them when they began school, at least for schoolwear. Here readers can look at school portraits for the 1900s and 1910s to see that tunic suits were not common school garments, although they were worn to school. Apparently many boys had tunic suits, but more them for play or for dressing up rather than to school. We notice that Sears offered several different tunuc suits in 1912, but only to size 6. Interestingly the sack suits for little boys were cutvrather long looking somewhat simiar to tunic suits.

Age 7

Here we see a boy wearing a tunic suit in the sailor style (figure 1). A hand written inscription on the back reads: "Detroit Mich. 17 Gardoni My little boy Stanly when he was 7 years & one month taken March 30/1918." This looks to be a outfit Stanley may have worn to school. He would have probably been in the 1st grade because he would have been 6 years old when school began. Stan;ey's tunic suit seems shorter than most we have seen. And he seems to be wearing knee pants rather than bloomer knickers. Clothing catalogs also confirm that tunics were made in size 7. A good example is a variety of tunic suits offered by Montgomery Ward in 1914. They offered tunic suits mostly only to age 7. Many stores sized tunic suits from 2 1/2 to 7 or 8. So age 7 was the upper end of the size range for many of these suits, although they were made in larger sizes.

Age 8

We note an unidentified newsper advertisement offereing a wide variety of tunic suits which they call bloomer suits for boys up to age 8. This was fairly common in the 1900s. We notice fewer offerings of tunic suits for 8 year oldsby the 1910s. One tunic suit called a sailor blouse suit was offered in sizes up to 8s. Montgomery Wards had them in two styles in 1914. We notice that all the younger Hubbard brothers wearing sailor tunics in 1917. This included Linus who was about 8 years old.

Age 9

We have found few tunics seized for size 9s. We have found only one wholesaler who offered tunic suits in size 9s. Actually the sizes went up to 10s.

Age 10

We believe that boys at age 10 commonly wore tunics in the early and mid-19th century. A good example is Edward Edwards in the mid-1840s. Younger boys wore them in the late-19th and early 20th century. Most of the ads for tunics suits only went up to 7 or 8 years. We found a selection of sailor suits offered by Strous (a wholesaler) in 1914. Most of the tunic suits offered were sized 2 1/2 to 7 years. But some of the sailor styled tunics were sized up to 10 years of age. I don't think this was very common, in part because so few stores offered size 10s. Also the photograohic record primary shows younger boys wearing them.

Age 11 and Older

WE are not entirely sure what age boys wore tunics in the early and mid-19th century. WE suspect that boys wore tunics up to 12 or 13 years of age, but this needs yo be confirmed. By the late-19th and early-20th century we no longer see boysthis age wearing tunics.

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Created: 3:30 AM 11/28/2005
Last edited: 8:54 PM 7/6/2008