Figure 1.--Here we see a mother and son, although we are not enitekysure as to the child's gender. We are not sure just what garment the boy here is wearing. The dealer thought it was some sort of coat. That might be, but it also may be some kind of skirted garment. The portrait is undated. It is a tin-type, but because it is not cased, the 1860s is the most likely date.

Once the mass production of ready-made clothing garments began, it is frairly easy to classify oufits into the varuious classes of garments which are seen on this page. But when garments were largely made at home or home or purchased im millinaries where garments were hand sewn, we see a much greater variety of design and iklittle ready-made clothing. Most Americans people wore clothing made at home, while the more affluent ordered clothes made by a tailor or a seamstress. In the first half of the 19h century, most garments were hand sewn. Thre were the beginings of mass produced clothing. An important step was the sewing machine (1840s). The the Civil War (1861-65) was a turning point as Union Army uniforms were orioduced in huge quantities. Thus we still see some itenms that are difficult to classify. After the 60s, only rarely do we come across such items.

Created: 2:04 AM 7/13/2024
Last updated: 2:05 AM 7/13/2024