Figure 1.--Here we see a large group of school children and a few parents in the background from Bishop Monkton in Yorkshire. The boys wear knee pants and knickers. We see mostly lapel jackets and some sailor suits. We also note several Eton collars. The girls wear tams and pinafores. Notice everyone, both boys and girls, wear black long stockings.

The fashions and life style of the late-19th century crossed over to the turn-of-the 20th century. The 1900s is essentially the Edwardian Era. Queen Victoria died (1901) and clothes horse Edward VII became king. There was still the same formlity and elaborate dress up fashions. We also note many of the same styles, but there were shifts. Both Fauntleroy suits and kilt suits rapidy declined. And the centuries old convention of dressing young boys in dresses notably declined. We do see one new fashion trend--tunics suddenly becoming important. Perhaps not important as America, but important none-the-less. Tunics were worn in the 19th century, but became especially stylish in the early-20th century. This was more of a class-based fashion in Britain than America. We see many of the same styles, it is more a matter of relative prevalence. As far as we can tell there was considerable similarity between the 1900s and at least the early--1910s. Boys mostly wore suits for everyday wear, not just when dressing up, although we do see some boys wearing sweaters. We still see knickers suits in the 1900s. Girls wore pinafores over their dresses. Headwear was common. School caps were particularly popular for boys, but there were other styles. Girls wore wide-brimmed, often straw hats, but there were also other styles. Another development that had an important impact on boys' fashion was Baden Powell's Boy Scouts which began to organize (1906). It had an important impact on boys' fashions, especially by the 1910s, also emphasizing practacality and not an inch of fussy formality. We have both family and school images to flesh out 1900s decade styles.

Edwardian Era

The fashions and life style of the late-19th century crossed over to the turn-of-the 20th century. The 1900s is essentially the Edwardian Era. Queen Victoria died (1901) and clothes horse Edward VII finally became king. Edward had a brief reign, especially comoared to his mothers long reign. Ir was, howeverm a decade nited for peace and prosperity at the height of the British Empire. It occurred during the Gilded Age and can be considered the peak of British power and prominance. It was also an optimistic era. Cindutiins for working people were improving. Scintific advances were creatung new industries and improving productivity--essential to rising living standards. Liberal demnocracy now dominated the political landscape. It was before the great tragedies of the 20th centurty World War I and the rise of Socialist totalitarian states: the Soviet Union and NAZI Germany. England comtinued to be a class-based society. Social relationships were still closely defined. Interactions for much of the population were influebced by historic, long established rules, largely unwritten. This was deeply ingrained in the manners of the age. Etiquette and standards were very important to the Edwardians. The first major crack in the optimistic Edwardian edifice was the RMS Titanic sinking (1912) sgoerky fillowed by the outbreak of World War I (1914).

Social Class

Social class was still a major factor in how children dressed. Clothing was much more expensive in relative terms before the 20th century and this continued into the early-20th century. Hw=ere we are not talking about actual monetary costs. There have been enormoudly expensive garments througout recorded history. What we are talking about is the percentage of income families had to devote to clothing. A variety of factors were at play beining down the cost of clothing: 1) factory manufacture, 2) the industrial recolution, 3) rising wages and family wealth, 4) falling family sizes, 5) expanding education systems, 6) technological advances, 7) improved social welfare system, and the 8) increasing use of cotton. by the turn of the 20th century these factors had even reached how the working class lived and dressed. We still see barefoot English children at the turn-of-the 20th century, especially the boys. Leather shoes are the most expensive clothing item. And at the turn-of the century, leather shoes still dominated footwear. But this is the last decade that we still see large bnumbers of barefoot English children. Engkand at the time was the wealtheist European country which is why we still see barefoot children in other European countries until after World War II.

Formality

There was still much of the same Victorian formlity and elaborate dress-up fashions in the Rdwardian era. And this was not just anong the affliient ckass which is the most chronicled. It was also among the middlev and working classes. Notice the formality of the Yorkshire children here--headwear aloing with suits and pinafores (figure 1).

Shifts

We note many of the same styles worn during the Victorian era, but there were shifts. Both Fauntleroy suits and kilt suits rapidy declined. And the centuries old convention of dressing young boys in dresses notably declined. We do see one new fashion trend--tunics suddenly becoming important. Perhaps not as important as America, but prevalent none-the-less. Tunics were worn in the 19th century, but became especially stylish in the early-20th century. This was more of a class-based fashion in Britain than America. We see many of the same styles, it is more a matter of relative prevalence.

Garments

As far as we can tell there was considerable similarities the 1900s with the 1890s and at least the early-1910s. Headwear was common for both boys and girls. School caps were particularly popular for boys, but there were other styles. Girls wore tams as we see here (figure 1). When dressing up girls wore wide-brimmed, often straw hats, but there were also other styles. Boys wore caps. The peaked cap was not yet universal. There were a variety of styles for younger boys in the 1900s. Fauntrlroy syits wee going out of style, but some Fauntleriy elementts persisted. Kilt suits were also going out of styles. We see tunic suits when dressing up. For home wear and play, rompers became popular. We also see sailor suits. School age boys mostly wore suits for everyday wear, not just when dressing up, although we do see some boys wearing sweaters. Boys from stable families would have has a suit for best. Eton collars were very common, but as we see here not universal. We still see knickers suits in the 1900s, but knee pants were also very common. Sailor suits were popullar, but generally for younger boys than we see on the Continent. As we see here even for working class boys (figure 1) Girls onky wore skirted garments. Dresses predomimnated. They wore pinafores over their dresses which we see in school photography. School age boys and guels cotinued wearing long stockings. Black long stockings were especpally cimmon. Younger children night wear socks.

Boy Scouts

Another development that had an important impact on boys' fashion was Baden Powell's Boy Scouts which began to organize (1906). The first Scout uniform appeared in 1906. The uniform was constantly changed over the subsequent decades. In some decades the uniform remained essentially unchanged in some decades with only minor changes. Scouting had an important impact on boys' fashions, especially by the 1910s, also emphasizing practacality and not an inch of fussy formality.

Families

We continue to see many 1890s fashions still worn in the 1900s with perhaps a glimmer of informality, at least for the children. We notice boys wearing peaked school caps, flt caps, sailot headwear, and boaters. One notable change was we see fewer younger boys wearing dresses and other skirted grments. This convention did not disappear, but it declined notably. Another change was Fauntleroy styles declined such as lace collars, but we still see a variety of large collars for younger boys. The gleaming white stiff Eton collar continued to be a hall mark of boys' fashions. Even very young boys wore them They were very notable at school and not just for the privlidged classes. Eton collars were worn with and without neckwear. Suits were commonly worn and there were several styles. We see a lot of sailor suits and Norfolk jackets in the 1890s. Various trousers were worn with suits, including knee pants and knickers were common, usually worn with long stockings. State education was well established by the 1900s and most children attended school until about 13 years of age. Boy commonly began wearing long pants after leaving school at about 13 years of age. Boys from better off families continued school and might wear shortened length pants a little longer.

Schools

English school uniforms did not change greatly during the early-20th century. The styles which were widely adopted in the late-19th century continued to be widely worn in the early-20th century. The younger boys at state schools might wear a variety of outfits, including ruffled and lace collars and sailor suits. Younger boys might wear Fauntleroy suits or suits with Fauntleroy styling, especially in the 1900s. The peaked cap was commonly worn at both private and state schools. The basic school uniform at both state and private schools was a suit. At private schools there were commonly uniforms and better cut than the suits boys were wearing at state schools. The boys at private schools might have blazers, but the blazer was still commonly seen as a sports uniform. Boys in the 1900s wore the suits with Eton collars that had become so common in the late 19th century. The Eton collars in the 1900s were still very common. There was, however, no consesus as to neckwear. We see both bows and neckties. The younger boys at state schools might wear a variety of outfits, including ruffled and lace collars and sailor suits. Boys in preparatorry and public schools as well as older boys at state schools usually wore jackets with Eton collars. We still see knickers which were still very common. Boys also wore straight-leg knee pants, especiall younger boys. We don't see short pants yet to any extent. The one major change during the 1900s was that the knickers commonly worn during the late-19th century became less common. Younger boys instead wore knee pants with long stockings. At many public schools, the younger boys wore Eton colars while the older boys wore regular soft collars. The Eton collars were often, but not always worn with ties or other neckwear. The younger boys might wear knee pants and the older boys long pants. Hosiery was mostly long stockings. It is a little difficult to tell, but we don't notice a lot of knee socks. The badges that came to be commonly worn later in the 20th century were still not as common in the 1900s. Some schools had seasonal uniform. The boys seen here, for example, look to be wearing light-weight summer suits (figure 1). The younger boys might wear knee pants and the older boys long pants. Girls wore dresses, often with pinfores.

Created: 2:07 AM 2/2/2020
Last updated: 6:23 PM 1/9/2021