** boys' tunics: pants








Boys' Tunic/Blouse Suits: Pants


Figure 1.--Boys wore knicker-length pants with tunics that matched the tunic itself. The pants had very plain styling. Some were above-the-knee length while others were below-the-knee length.

The most important accompanying garment with for tunics was the pants that were worn with them. Tunics were worn with different pants, of varying styles. We see pantalettes, long pants, knee pnts, asnd bloomer knickers. All legs whether of boy or girl in the early 19th century were covered to the ankles by trousers, pantaloons (which were those shirred at the ankles), and pantallets. Tunics at the beginning of the 19th century were worn with either fancy or plain pantalettes (younger boys) or long trousers (older boys). We see tunic suits in the early-19th century with long pants. But without photogrphy, there re only a few painted portraits. Many of the tunic outfits were actally suits as the pants that were worn with them usually made in the same color and in the same material as the tunic itself. We have little information on the pants worn with these tunics in the early and mid-19th century. After mid-century it became less common for the boys to wear long pants with tunics and instead they began wearing them with bloomer knickers. We see a lot of American boys wearing what look like long shirts, almost always with long pants. We begin to see what looks like tunic suits with the CDVs of the 1860s. Why they are rare earlier we are not do sure. We think it may relte to the rarity of early photography in Europe (Dags abd Ambros) compared to America. We believe that younger boys by the 1860s wore pantalettes with tunics. We are not sure about earlier. When the boys were a little older they began wearing long pants. Tunics in the mid-19th century often did not have matching pants and the tunics looked more like shirts, but by the turn-of-the-20th-century were often sols as suits with matching pants. After mid-century boys began wearing bloomer knickers. We have much more information about these outfits at the turn of the 20th century, but more on the tunics than the pants. Some of these outfits like Buster Brown suits were actually called suits. The pants were usually knicker length which bloused at the knee. Some were more like straight-leg knee pants. Some were worn above the knee, but they were also worn below the knee as well. Some contemprary fashion writers referred to the pants worn with tunic suits as bloomers. The destinguishing feature og these pants is that usually bloused at the leg with elastic gathering rather than having buttons or buckles like proper knickers. Some of the tunics may have been worn with knee pants, but the bloucing effect was much more common. The pants were very plain, almost never with any notable detailing. There were several different types of tunics (Buster Brown, Russian, sailor, and others), but there were no special type of pants assocaited with these different styles. I am not sure if these had pockets or other features.

Chronology

The most important accompanying garment with for tunics was the pants that were worn with them and this varied obrer time. We have only little information on the pants worn with these tunics in the early and mid-19th century. Tunics at the beginning of the 19th century were worn with either fancy or plain pantalettes (younger boys) or long trousers (older boys). Noys at the time eere wearing long-pants skeleton suits. We believe that younger boys wore pantalettes with tunic suits. This was not the case with skeleton suits because the oants wereboart of the suit. Without photogrphy creatingblargevnumbrs of images, it is difficult to assess this in detail. There are far fewrr painted portraits compared to photography. When the boys were a little older they began wearing long pants. We have little written information, however, pantalettes may have also be considered dressy, formal wear. Tunics at the beginning of the 19th century were worn with either fancy or plain pantalettes (younger boys) or long trousers (older boys). We see tunic suits in the early-19th century with long pants. But without photogrphy, there are only a few painted portraits. We also note long pants being worn through the 1850s. We note both baggy long pants looking rather like plain knickers as well tight trousers. We begin to see what looks like tunic suits with the CDVs of the 1860s. Why they are rare earlier we are not do sure. We think it may relate to the rarity of early photography in Europe (Dags abd Ambros) compared to America. After mid-century boys began wearing bloomer knickers. We also see boys by the 1860s wore pantalettes with tunics, but not as commomly as in the early part of the century. We have much more information about these outfits at the turn of the 20th century, but more on the tunics than the pants. Some of these outfits like Buster Brown suits were actually called suits. The pants were usually knicker length which bloused at the knee. Some were worn above the knee, but they were also worn below the knee as well. We have much more information about these outfits at the turn of the 20th century, but more on the tunics than the pants. Some of these outfits like Buster Brown suits were actually called suits. The pants were usually knicker length which bloused at the knee. Some were more like straight-leg knee pants. Some were worn above the knee, but they were also worn below the knee as well. Some contemprary fashion writers referred to the pants worn with tunic suits as bloomers. The destinguishing feature og these pants is that usually bloused at the leg with elastic gathering rather than having buttons or buckles like proper knickers. Some of the tunics may have been worn with knee pants, but the bloucing effect was much more common. The pants were very plain, almost never with any notable detailing. There were several different types of tunics (Buster Brown, Russian, sailor, and others), but there were no special type of pants assocaited with these different styles. I am not sure if these had pockets or other features.

Suits

Some of the tunic outfits were actally suits in the early 19th century as the pants that were worn with them usually made in the same color and in the same material as the tunic itself. We are not not sure, however, how common this was becausevwe have very few images. We note, however, that many skeleton suits did not have matching jackets and pants. When the boys were a little older they began wearing long pants. Tunics in the mid-19th century often did not have matching pants and the tunics looked more like shirts, but by the turn-of-the-20th-century were often sold as suits with matching pants. After mid-century boys began wearing bloomer knickers. The tunic outfits in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were often called suits. This was because in the late-19th and early 20th century outfits were actally suits because the pants that were worn with them usually made in the same color and in the same material as the tunic itself. This could also be the case in the early 19th centuy, although we often notice pnts in contrasting colors. The younger boys in the early 19th century appear to have worn pantalettes with their tunics rather than long pants. The pantlettes alway seem to have been white.

Types

We have noted boys wearing different types of pants with tunics: pantalettes, long pants, knee pants, and bloomer knickers. The use of these types varied with the age of the boy and also chronogically as fashion comventions changed. We noted boys in the early 19th century wearing noth long pantalettes and long pants with their tunics. Commonly this was the younger boys that had just been braeched, but some older boys also wore pantalettes as well. We have noted boys wearing pantalettes with tunics as late as the late 1860s. We note boys wearing long pants with tunics in the early-19th century. This is when boys were also wearing long oamts skeleton suits. Just when they first appeared we are not sure. But we have not yet doind 18th century examoles. The first long pants worn with tunics appear to have been baggy, looking rather like plain plantlettes. Some were the same color as the tunic itself. Other were white or other contrasting colors. By the 1820s we note boys wearing tighter fitting long pants. Some contemprary fashion writers referred to the pants worn with tunic suits as bloomers. The destinguishing feature og these pannts is that usually bloused at the leg with elastic hathering rather than having buttons or buckles like proper knickers. Some of the tunics may have been worn with kneepants, but the bloucing effect was much more common after the 1850s.

Modesty

All legs whether of boy or girl in the early-19th century were covered to the ankles by trousers, pantaloons (which were those shirred at the ankles), and pantallets. We begin to see uncovered knees at miod-century, but this was much less common in America, at least in the photography outside the studio. We begin to see this as amateur snapshots become vavailable. Many children weenbt barefoot and in this instance there wereincobered legs. Fir some reason this changed after the turn-of-the century. We begin to see portraits with varefooit children, although this was common mostly at low end studios, probably at fairs or other attractions.

Colors

We do not have a lot of images of 19th century tunics because they were most popular in the era before photography. While we do not have many images, several are paintings done in color. So we know a lottle bit about coloes. We note blue, brown, cream, and wgite, but as our sample is vdry small, there must have been others coloers. We note boys in the 19th century wearing mostly pants that did not match their tunics. We note some matching outfits, such as the boy in the Eckersberg family (Denmark, 1818). This seems to have been the exception rather than the rule. More common were contrasting colors such as the younger boy in the Kessler-Trümpi family (Switzerland, 1840). This convention changed for the tunic suits worn in the early 20th century. They were mostly done with matching suits and pants.

Individual Boys

Some of the individual boys we have noted wearing tunics have included the following:

1818: A Danish boy in 1818 wears baggy long trouswes looking rather like pantalettes, but in the same material and color as the tunic.
The 1850s: English boy Pen Browning in the late 1850s wear pantalettes with his tunic.
The 1850s-60s: The sons of English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson wear pantalettes when younger and bloomer knickers when older with their tunic suits .
The 1900s: An American boy wears bloomer knickers with his tunic suit.








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Created: April 12, 2002
Last updated: 9:58 PM 2/16/2022