Figure 1.--This is an American colorized portrait. It is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1890s. The boy wears what looks to be a suit with both sailor and Norfolk elements as well as a Fauntlroy ruffled collar. The suit was done in gray. He seems to have aatch fob. I'm not sure what he is holding in his hand.

The most popular colors for sailor suits was of course blue, commonly navy blue, and white. We know from store catalogs that they were done in other colors. We are not real sure about 19th century sailor suits because of the black and white pgotographt of the day. We have some catalog information, espdecially from the late 19th century. We have found a few colorized portraits that provide additionl clues on sailor suit colors. Colorized portraits are not definitive, but they are strong indications. We even see pink suits. We see stores offering quite a range of suits in many different styles and colors. This was also the case in the early 20th century. After World War I sailor suits and colors become more stanfardized, especially by the 1930s. And we begin to get more colored images. We are not sure howAmerica compared with other countries as regards color.

Other Related Pages:
[Sailor suits] [Kilts] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Sailor Hats] [Blouses]
[Ring Bearers] [Long hair] [Ringlet curls] [Top curl] [Norfolk suits] [Ruffled collars] [Bows]
[American mail order catalogs]

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Created: 1:19 AM 10/2/2007
Last updated: 1:19 AM 10/2/2007