Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows an unidentified London boy, we think in the 1860s. He looks to be about 11-years old. The boy wears a suit with a short lapel jacket. The pants match the jacket which was becoming standard in the 1860s. We see younger boys wearing shortened-length pants in the 1860s, but fewer older boys. He has lighter-colored stockings and we think lace-up shoes. He has rather a wild hair style, rather long at the sides. The studio was Maltby Barnsbury in Islington, a London suburb. .

We see different stylesof short jackets with lapels. we have noticed designed to be worn open as well as jckets that buttonen-ip. Some might have been called Eton jackets based on the short jackets worn at Eton College, actual Eton jackets might have lapels--unlike the juveiile Eton jackets that became so popular in America. The jacket here has a kind of Eton look (figure 1). This might also be described as aingle-breasted jacket, but notice how it is made to be worn open. And we note them being worn without Eton collars. We notice some done as mock double-breasted jackets. We suspect thew may have been more, but we have only found two a this time. Our English archive is still growing. So far we have just found these two diiferent styles. Eton jackets may have been the precursor for these short jackets, but it is hard to describe them as Eton jackets when worn without the destinctive Eton collars.

Created: 2:13 AM 5/7/2017
Last updated: 2:13 AM 5/7/2017