Figure 1.--Here we see two boys who we believe to be schoo friends of William Robinson. The photograph was taken in 1878 outside Chart Sutton Vicarage. Kite is yet another person wearing the unusual smoking hat style of cap. Unfortunately, we do not know what school the boys attended. The age of the boys suggest it was a public school.

The Robinson boys in most of the photographs wear long pants, although by the 1870s shortened lrength pants like kneepants and knickers were becoming increasingly popular for younger boys. Edward was a prep-school age (8-13 years) boy. Here in 1878 Edward wears kneepants (figure 1). He appears to have received a new long pants suit, perhaps his first long pants suit, soon after the portrait here was taken. The convention of younger boys wearing shortened-length pants like kneepants or knickers was becoming invreasingly set. Older boys, however, were not yet commonly wearing the shortened-length pants. A range of factors were involved her such as social class and family income as well as where they lived. Families in the big cities were more exposed to fashion tends. The boys because they surely attended boarding schools would have also been exposed to trendy fashions as the boys came from affluent familieds.

Kneepants

The Robinson boys in most of the photographs wear long pants, although by the 1870s shortened lrength pants like kneepants and knickers were becoming increasingly popular for younger boys. Edward was a prep-school age (8-13 years) boy. A 1878 photograph of Edward shows him wearing kneepants. In aanother photograph he appears to have received a new long pants suit, perhaps his first long pants suit, soon after the portrait here was taken. The convention of younger boys wearing shortened-length pants like kneepants or knickers was becoming invreasingly set.

Long Pants

Almost all of the photographs in the album show the boys wearing long pants. Even Edward, the younger brother, in most of the photographs wear long pants.Older boys were not yet commonly wearing the shortened-length pants. A range of factors were involved her such as social class and family income as well as where they lived. Families in the big cities were more exposed to fashion tends. The boys because they surely attended boarding schools would have also been exposed to trendy fashions as the boys came from affluent familieds. We note that the pants or trousers do not have cuffs, we are less sure about other elements such as belt loops, flys, and pockets. Notice the clear hem on William's pants here (figure 1)

Photograph

Here is another image of William Robinson and his younger brother Edward in 1879 in the garden of Chart Sutton Vicarage. This portrait is far more what you would expect a photograph from this era to be like, and very unlike many of the other images in this series, in which the boys are informal and relaxed. As in most of the photographs, the boys wear long pants. Yet again both boys are wearing the smoking style of caps that you do not often see in old images. Both boys are wearing short jackets that button high and with wide lapels. It is not possible to tell if William is wearing a waistcoat, but Edward is wearing one with lapels - probably the same one we have seen in other images. Both boys are wearing the usual shirt and tie. Edward appears to be wearing a suit, but William's clothes do not match. This is something we see a lot in these images and one can suppose that due to William's age he was permitted to dress as he wished, in a more informal style. Edward - especially as the second son - was likely more cosseted by his mother! William is wearing a handkerchief in his breast pocket. His jacket has 3 or 4 round metal buttons on the front. It is difficult to see Edward's, but they appear to be bigger. In this picture you can clearly see the seam on William's trousers and how the hem was sewn (about 2 inches of it) at the bottom of the trouser legs. His shoes here have a substantial sole and heel.

Created: 9:29 PM 1/20/2005
Last updated: 9:29 PM 1/20/2005