Figure 1.--This cabinet card shows three unidentified boys, certainly brothers in 1893. The boys look to be about 8-14 years old. The youngest boy wears a sailor suit. the two older boys wear single breasred lapel suits, The middke biot wears a vested suit. The two tiunger boys wear knee pants with long stiockings. We can't tell much about the older boy except his jacket. You can notice that the standard conventions about buttons did not yet exist. The studio was L. Szacinski in Eneberettiget. .

The suits that Danish boys wear are basically the same syles as the he ones worn by other European boys, especially German boys. We do not know of any distintive Danish suit styles. Denmark is a very small country in both area and populatiom. Clohing styles there were strongly inluenced by the huge German fashion industry an market to the South. The British Crown Prince, the future Edward VII, married Danish Princess Alexandria (1863). This creatred links that also affected Danish fashions. We do not have a lot of 19th century information, but we see skeleton suits at the start of the century. Long pants suits were standard in the first half of the century. By mid-century we begin to see sailor suits and cut away jackets. We also note collar-buttoning jackets and lapel sack suits at mid-centyury. Long pants suits continued to be standard, but gradually shortened-length pants began to becone more important and by the end of the century many boys were wearing knee pants suits. We have more information on the 20th century. Sack suits became standard, especially single-breasted jackets, but we also see double-breasted jackets. Short pants suits became common after Workd War I in the 1920s. This continued to be the case until after World War in in the 1960s. At the same time, there was a steady shift for informality in dress, part of a general European trend. And at the same time a general European fashion was developing. Before World War II, there were observable differences in how boys in major countries dressed in different countries. Today there is little difference.

Collar-buttoning Jackets

Cut-away Jacket

A popular style for younger boys was the cut-away jacket suit in the mid-19th century. This was aopular style throughout Europe and North America. The Danish boy on the oprevious page wears a three-piece suit with a cut-away jacket. The cut-away jacket was a popular style for a younger boy. Note the contrasting trim on the jacket and vest. The image is undated, but was problably taken in the late 1860s or early 70s. The portrait was taken in København (Copenhagen).

Norfolk Suit

Lapel Sack Suit

We also note mioderb looking lapel sack suits at mid-century. Long pants suits continued to be standard, but gradually shortened-length pants began to becone more important and by the end of the century many boys were wearing knee pants suits. We have more information on the 20th century. Sack suits became standard, especially single-breasted jackets, but we also see double-breasted jackets. Short pants suits became common after Workd War I in the 1920s. This continued to be the case until after World War in in the 1960s. At the same time, there was a steady shift for informality in dress, part of a general European trend.

Skeleton Suit

The skeleton suit was the first dedicated boy's garment. t was a popular style throughout Europe in the early-19th century. It was in fact the first dedicated child's style. We have little information specifically about Denmark, but believevitv was a popular boys' style in Denmark. A good example is an artistocratic boy in 1802.

Tuxedo

The tuxedo was a formal suit which was probably mostly worn by boys from affluent families. We are not sure what the Danish term for a guxedo was. This was certainly the came in America and we suspect the same was true of Denmark. We note a portrait of a boy in a knee pants tuxedo with white vest and tie. . The portrait was taken ny Kai Kanneworff, we think in Horsholm. We are not sure how common knee pants tuxedos were, but it probably reflects how common knee pants for boys were in the 1890s and 1900s. As the tuxedo was a formal suit, the knee pants tuxedos were worn with black long stockings.

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Created: 3:39 AM 6/8/2009
Last updated: 2:40 PM 6/8/2009