Figure 1.--Both younger brothers wear knee pants double breasted suits. Not the huge bow the younger boy wears with his suit. This photograph was taken in the Columbus, Ohio during the 1890s.

Double-breasted sack suits were widely worn in the 19th century. The double-breasted style was adopted from earlier fashions when the sack suit appeared. We are just beginning to develop information on the mid-19th century, but we note double-breasted suits in the 1860s. And they continued to be poular throughout the rest of the century. Double-breasted suits were popular in the ealy 20th century. Souble-breasted suits at the turn-of-the 20th century were very common, perhaos more common than single-breasted jackets. We see quite a number of boys wearing double-breasted suits in the early-20th century. The phoyographic record shows that the style was very widespread. We see many American boys wearing them. Many boys had double-breasted suits for formal occassions. After World War I, in the 1920s, the popularity of the double-brwasted suit varoes, but generally declined with single-breasted jackets gradually becoming the most important style for boys' suit jackets. The soubkle-breasted style, however, has not disappeared.

19th Century

Boys suits in the1850s. These early suits have the look of military style jackets with a rows of large numbers of buttons--often brass buttons. Some of the suits had 30 or more buttons on them. Some were purely ornamental, but some of the suits had to be buttoned. I have noted few double breasted syits before mid-century that did not have a military look to them. Double-breasted jackets appeared we think in the 1870s. Before that boys wore single-breasted jackets and other styles like cut-away jackets. We still need to work out the chronology in more detail. Quite young boys might wear double breasted jackets. We note younger boys with double-breasted kilt suits. We note some collar-buttoning jackets in the late 19th century styled like double-breasted jackets. A good example is an American boy about 1890.

Figure 2.--Single-breasted jackets were standard for boys inb the 20th century, especially after Wirkod War II. Some boys with fashion-conscious mothers were dressed in double-bereasted suits. /I>

20th Century

Double-breasted suits were popular in the ealy 20th century. We see quite a number of boys wearing double-breasted suits in the early-20th century. The phoyographic record shows that the style was very widespread. We see many American boys wearing them. Many boys had double-breasted suits for formal occassions. A good example is is John Czechatowski, A Polish-American boy in 1928 doing his First Communion. Even though double breasted suits have never been the most popular stylesfor boys, they were widely worn in the 1920s and 30s. I know of no academicstudy, but based on the study of available images, I'd say that about 1out if every three or four boys' suits in America were double breasted. I think the ratio was much lower in Britain and Europe, but the style was worn in France. Suits for French boys sometimes came with both short pants and knickers for boys through 16 years of age. We see double-breasted suits commonly in First Communion portraits like this. Double-breasted jackets were popular through the 1940s. After World War II, boys tended to wearmostly single breasted suits, although suits became less common for boyswear. Double breasted blazers declined in popularity in America and France during the 1940s and 50s. They never were very popular in England or Germany. Designers occasionally since the 1960s bring out a line of double breasted suits for boys. Generally, however, they do not sell as well as single breasted blazers. Begining about the 1970s there was some revival of double breated suits. Some fashion houses pushed them as stylish. American boys have generally preferred the single breasted style, but there continue to be a minority of fashion conscious boys or more likely their mothers who chose the double breasted style. Styles and preceptions of styles change over time. I always thought of double breasted suits as giving an old fashioned, stolid look. Since the 1980s I think the double breasted suit has been perceived as a cutting edge stylistic look. Stylists now say that doubke breated suits, at least for boys gives a slimming look. The British conservative leader William Hague has been ordered by his spin doctors to change from doublebreasted to single breasted suits. As you may know he is still in his thirties and the idea is to make him look fatter and more substantial and therefore more able tocommand respect. Apparently double-breasted jackets have a slimming effect,according to the style gurus.