Figure 1.--An undated note in this double cased photograph tells us, "Willis Hardy and his sister Abbie in photos. (The dealer tells us that it was a Dag, but it looks more like an Ambro to us.) Willis Hardy was father of Abbie Hardy Fuller. His sister married a man by name of Woodbury Hopkins and they had one daughter, Abbie who G??inie remembers as Aunt Abbie Russell Nana." The portraits are not dated, but we think were taken in the 1850s. Put your cursor on the imsge to see Abbie. Unfortunately we do not know where they lived. There seems to be cap on the able, perhaps a kepi. And it looks to be grey, perhaps meaning a southern image.
Much more information on fashiom becomes available with the development of photography. Larger numbers of images exist from the 1850s. They are not all Dags, we also see new formats, including Ambritypes and tintype. Most Ambros were taken in the 1850s or very early 60s so this may help us identify 1850s styles. We have noted quite a few American boys wearing tunics during the 1850s. It seems to have been one of the most popular outfits for boys. A substantial number of photographs first becomes available in the 1850s. Quite a number of the early images show boys wearing tunics that look somewhat like shirts, although often the image quality is not very good or details obscured. Available images show different sleeve length. The most common styule seems to be long sleeves with shirt-like sleeves. We also see sleeves cut at the elbow with buffed up blouse sleeves. A good example here is George Walter Oakley. This is one of the more fashionable tunics we have noted and interestingky the boy lived on the Western frontier. Another good example is an unidentified boy. His tunic had a very large belt buckle. Most boys wore their tunics with belts. Most of the photogrphs we have found show boys wearing long pants with these tunics, but fashion plates often show bloomer knickers. The detinction is the length and front buttoning. We note an unidentified boy, we think in the 1850s, wearing a tunic suit with matching long pants. A good example is an unidentified New York boy wearing a green plaid tunic. I think plaid may have been used to give it a kilt look. Another example is unidentified boy, probably in the mid- to late-1850s. A problem we have, however, is that we do not yet have the capability of destinguising between 1840s and 50s dags and so msny dags are not dated. One interesting topic is the color of the tunics. We note a beautiful tinted Dag of an unidentified Baltimore family. with the tunic done in blue. A reader writes, "I read not too long ago that there was increased inerest in Russian and Turkish clothing styles as a result of the Crimean War (1854-56). Could this have influenced the appearance of tunics and Russian blouces in the United StatesS? Also, another influence may have been women wearing bloomer type baggy pants." The problem here is since photography only appeared in the 1840s, we are not sure what earlier styles were. We do not have a photograohic record to compare. We do know that tunics were not a new garments in the 1840s. From sketchy information I think tunics were fairly common throughout the early-19th century, at least among fashionable city boys. The Crimean War may have affected styling of the tunics. This we are unsure about. Of course the primary influence would have been in Britain and France, but American fashions at the time were strongly influenced by Britain and France.
Photography
Much more information on fashion becomes available with the development of photography. This began with the Daguerreotype in the 1840s. By the 1850s we not only have more Sags, but tin-types and Amnbrotypes as well. The Dags give us more images than ever before in the 1840s. Even larger numbers of images exist from the 1850s. They are not all Dags, we also see new formats, including Ambrotypes and tintype. Most Ambros were taken in the 1850s or very early 60s so this may help us identify 1850s styles.
We have noted quite a few American boys wearing tunics during the 1850s. It seems to have been one of the most popular outfits for boys in the photographic record. A substantial number of photographs first becomes available in the 1850s. There are photographs from the 1840s, but we see larger numbers in the 50s. Quite a number of the early images show boys wearing tunics. We are not entirely sure how to destinguish 1840s and 50s image. But Ambros and tintypes only appear in the 1850s. Some of the portraits show tunics that that look somewhat like long shirts, although the collars gelp us destinguish between shirts and tunics. And shirts are tucked in at the waistline. Often the image quality is not very good or details obscured. Others shows recognizable tunics. And toward the end of the decade we begin to see tuinc suits with matching tunics and pants. The prevalence in the photographic record of course is not a perfect reflection of prevalenve. But as a photographic portrait was far less expensive than a painted portrait, it is a far better indicator than anything previoudsly available, but may still be tilted toward the more affluent. We think that is especially the case for the more elegant tunic suits.
European boys in the early-19th century began wearing tunics which eventually began replacing the skeleton suit. These were loose garments wuthout front openings. We do not know much about American tunics, but see them in period illustrations. By the time photography appeared (1840s) we begin to see large numbers of actual examples. The examples we have found as we begin to build the photographic record so far do not look like the European tunics we gave found. Almost all the American tiunics we have found in Dags and Ambros are front-buttoning affairs. Some look more like long, colorful flannel shirts worn with a belt. They seem very different than the tunics we see in Europe or those depicted in period illustrations. We see some American tunics that do not look like shirts, but rather sylized tunic outfits, but so far all we have found are front buttoning. Our archive is still limited, but large enough to conclude that most American tunics in the 1850s were front buttoning.
The 1850s images look somewhat mote like tunics than shirts. Se notive a wide ranhe of collars. White collars were very popular. They varied in size and type. Sone we relative narrow, others qyiute wide. The boy here looks to be wearing a scalloped white collar (figure 1). We also see lace collars. Available images show different sleeve length. The most common style seems to be long sleeves with shirt-like sleeves. We also see sleeves cut at the elbow with buffed up blouse sleeves. A good example here is George Walter Oakley. This is one of the more fashionable tunics we have noted and interestingly the boy lived on the Western frontier. He has a small ruffled collar and a tunic with half sleeves. Another good example is an unidentified boy. His tunic had a very large belt buckle. Most boys wore their tunics with belts. And this image shows the pants better thn most portraits. Most of the photogrphs we have found show boys wearing long pants with these tunics, but fashion plates often show bloomer knickers. The detinction is the length and front buttoning. We note an unidentified boy, we think in the 1850s, wearing a tunic suit with matching long pants.
Patterns
We see both plain tunics and tunucs done with patterns. Plaid was the nost important pattern, presimably reflecting fashion trends in Britain. A good example is an unidentified New York boy wearing a green plaid tunic with some plaid trim. I think plaid may have been used to give it a kilt look. Another example is unidentified boy, probably in the mid- to late-1850s.
Dating Problem
A problem we have, however, is that we do not yet have the capability of destinguising between 1840s and 50s dags and so many dags are not dated.
Color
One interesting topic is the color of the tunics. We note a beautiful tinted Dag of an unidentified Baltimore family. with the tunic done in blue. Colorized images seems to at least to suggest the tone of color used. Colorizing tunics was a challenge because plaid was so common at mid-century.
Social Class
Many of the boys wearing tunics look to us to come from substantial families. These were not necessarily rich families, but seem to at least as best we can tell families in comfortable circumstances. A good example is the son of Franklin Gaillard about 1858. The boy wears a fashionable tartan tunuc with velvet trim. We seem some Dags in the 1840s wearing what look more like shirts than tunics. They have a less fassionable look and the families look less prosperous. Of course America in the 1840s was just beginning to begin the wealth-generating industrial revolution. Thus we see many more better dressed
Popularity
A reader writes, "I read not too long ago that there was increased inerest in Russian and Turkish clothing styles as a result of the Crimean War (1854-56). Could this have influenced the appearance of tunics and Russian blouces in the United StatesS? Also, another influence may have been women wearing bloomer type baggy pants." The problem here is since photography only appeared in the 1840s, we are not sure what earlier styles were. We do not have a photograohic record to compare. We do know that tunics were not a new garments in the 1840s. From sketchy information, we think tunics were fairly common throughout the early-19th century, at least among fashionable city boys. The Crimean War may have affected styling of the tunics. This we are unsure about. Of course the primary influence would have been in Britain and France, but American fashions at the time were strongly influenced by Britain and France.
