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English boys have worn a variety of skirted garments. These garments have included dresses, kilts, pinafores, skirts, smocks, and tunics. These garments are generally associated with girls, but the situation in England is more complicated. They were, however, widely worn by boys, especially younger boys. Younger English boys for several centuries wore dresses. They were essentially the same garments as their sisters worn, although we do begin to see stylistic differences in the later half of the 19th century. We also see boys wearing smocks, although not as commonly as in France accross the Channel. Despite the association with girls, two skirted garments are strictly male garments. Tunics were for boy, but kilts were worn by males of all ages. Kilts were of course Scottish, but we see English boys dressed up in kilt outfits for special occassions. This ocuured mostly in the 19th and very early 20th century. A kilt knockoff was the kilt suit which appeared in the second half of the 19th century. This was essentially a skirted suit, but often called a kilt suit. It was worn by younger boys before breeching. There were also skirted undergarments like petticoats. Boys like girls wore petticoats with dresses. Pantalettes were worn by English children for about a century. Pantalettes were extensively worn by English children, both boys and girls in the 19th century. The pattern described for America above appears to have been similar in England. Quite a few available images show English children, including boys wearing pantalettes. They were worn with both dresses, tunics, and skeleton suits. Pantalettes appear to have been more common in England as American travelers to England have commented on the fashion for boys to wear them. Apparently older boys wore them in England than in America. Many English boys, as in other European countries, wore dresses from the middle ages into the 19th and early-20th century. Boys wore dreses before modern pants evolved. After pants appeared, youngr boys continued wearing dresss which became a symbol of early childhood. Boys wore dresses until they were breeched. Breeching became a milestone in childhood. The age of breeching varied from family to family, but was generally done before the boy began school. It might be done a little later for the children who did not attemnd school and were tutored at home.
English boys have worn a variety of skirted garments. These garments have included dresses, kilts, pinafores, skirts, smocks, and tunics. These garments are generally associated with girls, but the situation in England is more complicated. They were, however, widely worn by boys, especially younger boys. Younger English boys for several centuries wore dresses. They were essentially the same garments as their sisters worn, although we do begin to see stylistic differences in the later half of the 19th century. We also see boys wearing smocks, although not as commonly as in France accross the Channel. Despite the association with girls, two skirted garments are strictly male garments. Tunics were for boys and widely worn through much of the century, although styles changed ovr time. Kilts were worn by males of all ages. Kilts were of course Scottish, but we see English boys dressed up in kilt outfits for special occassions. Queen Vivtoria drssed the princes in kilts, we see English boys wearing them as well, mostly boys from well-to-do families. Tunics continued to be wirn in the early-20th century, but different syles than worn in the 19th century. A kilt knockoff was the kilt suit which appeared in the second half of the 19th century. This was essentially a skirted suit, but often called a kilt suit. It was worn by younger boys before breeching.
Boys wore a range of undergarments with kited grments. This included both garments tht girls wore s well as some that girls did noy wear. Younger boys mightwear skirted undergarmnts like petticots. Both boys and girls wore pantlettes. Less common weere triousers. Here only boys wore trousers.
There were also skirted undergarments like petticoats. Younger boys like girls wore petticoats with dresses.
Pantalettes were worn by English children for about a century. Pantalettes were extensively worn by English children, both boys and girls in the 19th century. The pattern described for America above appears to have been similar in England. Quite a few available images show English children, including boys wearing pantalettes. They were worn with both dresses, tunics, and skeleton suits. Pantalettes appear to have been more common in England as American travelers to England have commented on the fashion for boys to wear them. Apparently older boys wore them in England than in America. They were worn with a variety of hosiery types.
While this was not less common than pantlettes, we see some noy weering pants/trousers wih klts nd skirt. we do not see this wiyh dresses, perhps because dresses usully meant younger boys. We stress the term trousers here so as not to confuse our Briutush readees. (Pants in British English meant underpants.) And here we are talking about proper trousers. We are not sure how to explain this phenomnon. It was kind of a half measure toward breeching. We suspct tht it was mothers that were resisging breechingtheir young sons, thus delaying breeching a year or so. It does not seem he kind of a thing that fther would do. We see this with skirts, kilts and tunics. This was not the standard procedure, but there are enough examples in the photographic record to know that it was not rare. Clearly in some families, a gret deal og thought went into breeching.
Many English boys, as in other European countries, wore dresses from the middle ages into the 19th and early-20th century. Boys wore dreses before modrn pants involvd. After pants appeared,, youngr boys vontinued wearing dresss which became a symbol of early childhood. Boys wore dresses until they were breeched. Breeching became a milestone in childhood. The age of breeching varied from family to family. but was generally done before the boy began school. It might be done a little later for the children who did not attemnd school and were tutored at home. A few available images does show that some boys continued to wear dresses beyond the normal breeching age of 4 to 6 years of age. HBC is attempting to assess this custom in different countries, but to date has been unable to identify specific English trends. While there were some destinctive English boys styles, this seems less true of girls' dresses. This was in part bcause France was so important in setting women's fadhions--even in England. And girls into the 19th century basically wore small versions of their mothers' dresses. But one notable factor influincing England was that it was the wealtoist country in Europe. The Industrial Revolution created great wealth and substantially expanded the middlle class. And because well-to-do families were more likely to delay breeching, this practic at least in the 19th century may have been more pronounced in England than other countries. This may have changed at about the age of 8 years, at least in the late-19th century. As in America, some boys had their hair cut before breaching, at breachingh, or after breaching. The apttern varied widely from family to family. This means that hair styles varied for the boys wearing dresses. Boarding school which was more common in England than on the continent, thus affected both hair and clothing styles, but probably not dresses as so many boys were breeched by about 8 years of age when boys began boarding school in the scond half of the 19th century.
The convention of boys wearing dresses and other skirted garments varied significntly from family to family. This was in part differences in the fashion preferences of the mothers. And hear the primary factor was social class. Mothers from affluent families had more time and money to pursue their fashion sense, both for themselves and their children. They also more closely supervised their children. Money was a factor in making this possible. Children kept at home of course were more likely to be dressed in accordance with mothers fashion preferences. While children playing in the street or going to school were more likely to be affected by general fashion trends. Once school photogrphy became widespread this is fairly easy to follow, but for most of the 19th century this source is not available. And because working class families were less likely to have studio portrits taken, it is difficult to use the phitographic rcord to assess social class trends. Fashion trends of the affluent and comfortable are over represented in the photographic record and the working-class under-represented. Thus while it is clear that the conventions for dressing boys in skirted garments varied from family to family, it is difficult to assess the social class factor.
We have very little information about skirted garments before the 19th century. There are paintings, but compared to photography the number is very small and a more limited swath of the social-class s[ectrum. Only the well-to-do could aford a painted portrait. With the invention of photography (1839) do we begin to see examples after the mid-19th century. We see quite a range of dresses, kilts, pinafotes, skirts, and tunics. These garments were worn in the early-19th century, but it is not until the advent of the CDVs we begin to have a substantial photographic record (1860s). This allows us to develop assessments of types of shirted garments, ages, gender, usage conventions, social class, and other important trends. Unfortunately this was the tail end of the era in which boys wore skirted garments. After the turn-of the 20th century, skirted garments rapidly went out of style for boys. Thus we have only a very narrow winow of the seberal centuries in which younger boys wore skirted garments, but at leat there is a very substantial photographic record of this fashion convention.
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