Figure 1.--This CDV shows a mother with her six children, three boys and three girls. They look to be about 4-14 years old. The boys are dressed alike in lapel hackets as are the girls with plaid dresses. They are posed with several toys, including a girl, drum, ball, and a cuddly bear. The studio was Disdéri in Paris.

HBC has only limited information of French fashion trends during the decades of the mid-19th century. Young boys still wore dresses throughout the period. There were also a variety of popular skirted garments, kilts, skirts, smocks, and tunics. Tunics were a particularly important style. We are unsure how common smocks were during this period. Boys gradually began wearing pantalets less. Older boys wore long trousers, but calf-length kneepants became increasingly commom. We note working-class in the 1860s still wearing long trousers when children from more affluent children were beginning to commonly wear kneepants. Puffed sleeves were popular for both boys and girls in the in 1850s, but not common by the 1870s. Younger boys suits often had fancifukl styling. Zouave suits were one popoular style. Kilts were a sensation in the 1850s and while less common by the 1870s. The influence of kilt and tartan styling was still seen. Military style caps were popular in the 1850s. By the 1860s younger boys were seen in velvet suits with lace collars, the fore runner of the Fauntleroy suit. Sailor styling is still not a major style through the 1860s, but we do note sailor hats in the 1860s. Our knowledge of fashion tends is emsensly aided during this period by the development of photography

The 1840s

Young French boys wore dresses in the 1840s as they continued to do throughout the 19th century. There were also a variety of popular skirted garments, kilts, skirts, smocks, and tunics. Tunics were a particularly important style. We are unsure how common smocks were during this period. Boys commonly wore long trousers. Photographic images from he 1840s are till quite limited.

The 1850s

Younger French boys continued wearing dreses in the 1850s. Boys gradually began wearing pantallets less and a shorter lengths. Boys suits could be quite fanciful. Zouave suits were one popular style. Military style caps were popular in the 1850s. Kilts were a sensation in the 1850s. The influence of kilt and tartan styling was still seen. Kilts became fashionble, but primarily for boys from affluent families. Collars tended to be relatively small. Bows were not common. Boys still commonly wore long trousers, but stylishly dressed boys from affluent families began to wear shortened trousers. A kind of bloomer knickers were the most common. These shortened trousers were generally worn by younger boys . Teenagers even younger teens mostly wore long trousers. Some boys wore stripped socks. Boys continued to wear relatively short hair, but some longer styles to the ears were worn by some boys.

The 1860s

Young boys vontinued wearing dresses. Boys from affluent families might ear them longer than boys from working class families. Kilts were still fashionable in the 1860s, but declined in popularity by the end of the decade. Many boys wore long trousers, but calf-length kneepants became increasingly common for younger boys. We note working-class in the 1860s still wearing long trousers when children from more affluent children were beginning to commonly wear kneepants. Puffed sleeves were popular for both boys and girls in the in 1850s, but not common by the 1870s. Younger boys suits often had fancifukl styling. By the 1860s younger boys were seen in velvet suits with lace collars, the fore runner of the Fauntleroy suit. Sailor styling is still not a major style through the 1860s, but we do note sailor hats being worn. We do not note many boys wearing smocks, but our information is still limited. Great advances in photography were made in the 1860s and while still expensive, a photogphic portrait during the 1860s became much more afordble to French families.

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Created: January 16, 2002
Last updated: 9:28 AM 5/21/2018