Boys' Suits: Chronology--The 1850s


Figure 1.-- Here all we have is a drawing, but it is dated so we know it was drawn in 1851. Unfortuntately the boy is not identified. It shows a smartly dressed British boy. He wears a short dark jacket with a waistcoat and trousers in a contrasting color. This was quite common in the first half of the 19th century. In the second half of the century, suits with matching jacket and trousers were more common.

More modern looking suits began to appear in the mid-19th century. We note jackets for younger boys appeared which were made to be worn open and only buttoned at the collar. This was the style used for classic Little Lord Faintleroy suits and persisted into the 1890s. Suits for younger boys were often heavily detailed, often with embroidery, much more so than adult suits. Younger boys commonly wore kneepants or bloomer knickers as well as kilt suits. Until the 1870s long pants were still common, especially for school age boys. We notice that boys in the 1850s commonly wore jackets with contrasting colored vests (waistcoats) and pants. A good example is an English boy in 1851. We also note an American boy in 1856. This became much less common in the 1860s as suits with matching jacket and pants predominated. One interesting features on jacket suit coats is the variable use of buttons. There were not yet any well estanlished conventions. Many suits were worn with waistcoats, often brightly colored.

Styling

More modern looking suits began to appear in the mid-19th century. Styles varied we note both moden looking styles as well a variety of more contemprary looking styles.

Age

We note both suits for younger and older boys. The younger boys suits could be quite destinctive styles, such as Zouave suits. They were often worm with bloomer style knickers. They styles were normally worn by boys from fashionable, affluebt families. There were also suits that had jackets whuch buttoned to the clooar and others with lapels. The collar buttoning jackets were worn by boys of mid-age while the jackets with lapels were often worn by the older boys. Here conventions varied from family to family.

Basic Styles

We notice three basic style of boys' suits in the 1850s. There were a variety of juvenile suit styles. Older boys might wear collar buttoning jacklets or sack (lapel suits).

Juvenile suits

Jackets for younger boys appeared which were made to be worn open and only buttoned at the collar. This was the style used for classic Little Lord Faintleroy suits and persisted into the 1890s. Suits for younger boys were often heavily detailed, often with embroidery, much more so than adult suits. Younger boys commonly wore kneepants or bloomer knickers as well as kilt suits.

Collar buttoning suits

We note many boys wearing jackets that buttoned at the collar, often with small white collars. These jackets often had military styling with varying use of buttons. One interesting features on jacket suit coats is the variable use of buttons. There were not yet any well established conventions. A good example is the jackets the boys in an unidentified American family are wearing. We also note an American boy in 1856 wearing a collar-buttoning jacket and cotrasting colored pants.

Lapel (sack) suits

We notice that boys in the 1850s wearing relatively modern-looking suit jackets with lapels. These we referred to as sack suits. They were done in various lengths. Some like the boy here had jackets cut short at about the waistline. Other boys had jackets that fell well below the waist. Boys commonly wore jackets with contrasting colored vests (waistcoats) and pants. A good example is an English boy in 1851 (figure 1). we also note an American boy, E.V. Grisen, wearing a lapel suit with contrasting colored pants. These suits were often worn with vests ( waistcoats ), often made in bright colors. Notice the vest the boy in the image here is wearing (figire 1). This became much less common in the 1860s as suits with matching jacket and pants predominated. These suits were mostly made with long pants.

Pants

Suits in the 1850s commonly did not have matching pants. There wee often vontrasting jackets and pants. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). We note some dags, ambros, and tintypes probably taken in the q850s where the boys are wearing suits with matching pants. The problem is that these portraits are often not dated. A good example is an unidentified American boy. We woould gues that the portrait was probably taken in the late-1850s, but it could be the early 60s. Until the 1870s long pants were still common, especially for school age boys. We notice younger boys from fashionable families wearing srtlish suits with bloomer knickers. Most boys, however, wore long pants with suits. Here age was a factor. Also social class was a factor. Virtually all the boys we notice from boys living outide the major cities wore long pants. The same is true in Europe on a social class basis. Even younger boys from working class and even middle-class families tended to wear long pants.







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Created: 6:55 PM 11/4/2004
Last updated: 5:39 AM 1/27/2008