Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows a Belgian boy wearing a sailor suit with rifle. The boy was from Verviers, a Walloon city located in the Belgian province of Liège. The city was located about halfway between Liège and the German border. We are not positive about the date, but suspect the 1890s.

We are not sure when sailor suits first appeared as boys wear in Belgium. We suspect it was much as the same time, probanly the 1860s. We are unable at this time to follow 19th century developments in any detail because our archive of 19th century Belgian images is so limited. We know that the European naval arms race began in ernest in the 1890s, but as Belgium was not a naval power, this may not have been a factor influencing the popularity of the fashion. Belgium boys fashions were probably largely determened by the larger countries surrounding it--England France, and Germany.

Other Related Pages:
[Sailor suits] [Kilts] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Sailor Hats] [Blouses]
[Ring Bearers] [Long hair] [Ringlet curls] [Hair bows] [Bangs] [Collars] [Bows]

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to clothing styles]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [French glossary] [Dutch glossary] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: 10:28 PM 1/27/2008
Last updated: 10:28 PM 1/27/2008