Figure 1.--This boy photographed with his baby brother wears a sailor tunic done with elaborate lace trim. The photographer's imprint is difficult to read, but looks something like Anyino, Wisconsin.

American boys commonly wore tunics throughout the 19th century and early 20th century. Unfortunately we do not have much information on the styling of the tunics worn during the early 19th century. They seem to have been longish tunics worn to knee level. With the development of photography at mid-century we have much more infomation. They seem to be shorter than those worn early in the century. These were not tunic suits. We do not notice matching pants, but our archive is still reltively limited. Some look rather like shirts. We notice tunics with diagonal styling during the 1870s. These were tunic suis with mtching pants, commonly knee pants. Tunics seem to have declined in popularity dyuring the late 9th century, but they become very poplar at the turn of the century. We notice three basic types of tunic sits at the turn of the 20th-century. The sailor style was the most popular, but the Russian blouse and Buster Brown styles were also popular. The Buster Brown suits appear to have been destinctively American. Others like the one here do not fit into any of the three basic types. The detailing of the tunics could vary widely. It was basically the collar style that determined the tunic style. Sailor collars had the prominent "V" front and back flap and were very popular. There were substantial variations in the styling of the sailor tunics. Some were done with traditional styling or some resemlance to it. We also note sailor tunics done with elaborate lace and ruffle trim. These tunics were of course dressy garments reserved for special occassions. They wee often made in larger sizes than the other tunic styles. Russian blouse tunic did no have collars. Buster Brown tunics had a wide white collar. Many tunics had prominent belts. They were oramental without any real purpose.

Long Tunics

American boys commonly wore tunics throughout the 19th century and early 20th century. Unfortunately we do not have much information on the styling of the tunics worn during the early 19th century. They seem to have been lngist tunics worn to knee level. They were commonly worn with long pants. We do not think tht the pants commonly matched the tunic, but we hve seen examples where they did.

Shirt Tunics

With the development of photography at mid-century we have much more infomation. They seem to be shorter than those worn early in the century. Some look rather like shirts. These were not tunic suits. We do not notice matching pants, but our archive is still reltively limited. We have seen fashion plates with fancier styles, but they are not commonly representedin the photographic record.

Diagonal Styled Tunic Suits

We notice tunics with diagonal styling during the 1870s. They seem to have appeared in the late-1860s, but are quite common in the 70s. They were many different styles of these tunics, but the main theme is a basic diagonal cut across the front of the tunic. There seems o be a military influence. A styalized waist beklt is often employed. Buttons were often used in the detailing. These were tunic suis with matching pants, commonly knee pants. These tunics seem quite common and they are commonly represented in the photographic record. One thing we are not sure about is as a result of th black-and-white photography of the day is the color of these tunics. We also note this basic diagonal styling in Europe. We assume it was in fact a European import. American parents still commonly got basic fashion clues from Europe.

Sailor Tunics

The sailor style was the most popular style of tunic in the United States. Some tunics like the one seen here does not seem to fit into any specific style, but is in fact a fancy sailor tunic. Sailor collars had the prominent "V" front and back flap and were very popular. Many had other features of sailor styling. Other sailor tunics only had the basic "V" feature. There were substantial variations in the styling of the sailor tunics. Some were done with traditional styling or some resemlance to it. We also note sailor tunics done with elaborate lace and ruffle trim. These tunics were of course dressy garments reserved for special occassions. They wee often made in larger sizes than the other tunic styles. Russian blouse tunic did no have collars. Buster Brown tunics had a wide white collar. Many tunics had prominent belts. They were oramental without any real purpose.

Russian Blouses

The Russian blouse tunic was also worn. This seems to have been style more popular in Europe.

Buster Brown Tunics

The Buster Brown suits appear to have been destinctively American.

Created: 3:02 AM 10/31/2007
Last edited: 5:36 AM 9/28/2008