Figure 1.--This cabinent portrait is undated, but was taken about 1895-1900. The two brothers look to be anout 1-4 years old. So we can surmise that boys in this family were probably breeched at about 3 yearts of age--perhaps on their 3rd birthday. The older boy wears a blouse and knee pants. His little brother wears a white dress. Both wear dark long stockings. The photographer is unknown as the cabinet card has been aggressively trimmed.

The age at which American boys were breeched is an interesting question. Here there is not a great deal written about. We suspect it was a subject discussed within the family. And it may have been a topic appeqaring in letters. We have not been able to find many letters in which the subject is raised. Fashion magazines may have contained references or domestic advise articles and publications. This is all information we would like to acquire. At this time, however, are primary source of information is the photographic record. We can estimate the ages of boys even when the age is not indicated. Particularly helpful are family portraits in wgich bith breeched abnd unbreeched children are shown. This permits us to estimate the approximate age of breeching in a particular family. We see boys at many different ages wearing dresses and other skirted garments. A good example is a Stanton boy wearing a kilt suit at about 4-5 years of age during the 1880s. So we know he would have been breeched at about age 5-6 years old. It was quite common for boys to wear skirted garments until they began school at about age 6 years. There was, however no hard and fast rule. We note quite young boys who have been breeched and wearing trousers. Apparently they never wore dresses as boys. We believe that the most common convention was for the younger boys to wear skirted garments. What varied widely was the age of breeching. We notice boys older than 6 years wearing skirted grments.

Infants

Infants during the 19th centuey and early-20th cebturyv were calmost alwats outfitted in dresses.

1 Year Old

Most 1-year old American boys wore dresses throughout the 19th-century. We see a few very young boys being breeched in the 1890s at the end of the century, but this was not very common for most of the dentury.

2 Years Old

We begin to see some boys being breeched at age 2 years. This varied from family to family and was becoming solmewhat more common by the end of the 19th century. Most 2 year olds, however, wore dresses during the 19th century.

3 Years Old

This cabinent portrait is undated, but was taken about 1895-1900 (figure 1). The two brothers look to be anout 1-3 years old. So we can surmise that boys in this family were probably breeched at 2 years of age or when they were 3 yearts--perhaps on their 3rd birthday. The younger boy here looks about 2 years old (figure 1). Given the age ofhis big brother we can guess that the boys were breeched at about age 3. years.

4 Years Old

We think many boy were breeched at about 4 years of age. We begin to see more boys wearing trousers by age 5 years. This suggests that they were brreched at age 4 or 5 years of age. Here we not only have portraits of boys wearing trousers at age 4 and even mote so ar age 5 yeatrs. Even more useful are family portraits. A good examplr is Illinois family portrait, probably taken in late-1893 shows four brother. We do not know their last name, bu we do known their first names and when they were born: Leland (February 7, 1885). Sam (September 19, 1887), Wilbur (May 26, 1890), and Richard (March 31, 1892), The studio was Erikson in Rockford, Illinois. The portrait was taken February 27, 1893. This photo sugggests that the boys were breeched about 3-4 years of age. It is difficult to tell because we are not sure what Sam is wearing. We also have a New York family portrait showing boys (Horace, Malcomb, and Arthur) at ages 1-5 years old. Unfortunately we do not know their family name, but we do know when the portrait was taken (July 22, 1894). The two yonger boys wear skirted grments, but only the oldest boy wears knee pants. While we can tell from the photographic record tht many 4 year olds were breeched. We are not sure just when the boys were photographed. Some may hve been breeched on their birthdaus, but we are niot sure just how common this was.

5 Years Old

A good example is a Stanton boy wearing a kilt suit at about 4-5 years of age during the 1880s. So we know he would have been breeched at about age 5-6 years old. It was quite common for boys to wear skirted garments until they began school at about age 6 years. There was, however no hard and fast rule. We believe the portrait of this unidentified rural family was taken in the 1890, probably the early-1890s. The two younger boys look to be about 2-4 years old which tells us that the boys were probably breeched at age 4-5 years. We are not sure about the third child may be a girl. Click on the image for more information about the family.

6 Years Old

American children generally began school at age 6 years. This became a standard throughout the country. A few schools in the late-19th century had Kingergartens, but this did not become common until well after the turn-of-the 20th century. And as public schools became increasingly established, most boys were breeched before they began school. This was generally the case in the early-19th century before public schools were well established, but in the late-19th century as public schools became increasingly important, they had the affect od standardizing breeching conventions. While breeching conventions varied from family to family, most boys were breeched well before school age and those 5 year old still not breeched, were breeched when they approsched school age. (Each state set slighjly different rules, but generally you had to be 6 or within a monthor so of turning 6 by September when school began.) Thus boys turned 6 affter September had to wait a year to begin school.) We very rarely see unbreeched boys at 19th century schools. Wew occassionally see very young children at rural schools. We suspect that this is some of the children bringing their younger siblings to school for a variety reasons, presumably cleared with the teachers in advance. Because boys were breeched before beginning school, we see far fewer 6-year olds wearing skirted garments than pre-school age boys. Most were breeched before age 6 years. Not all boys were breeched by age 6 years. Those that were not generally came from well-to-do families and were being educated at home. Such mothers were under less pressure to breech their sons at a given age.

7 Years Old

We notice American boys older than 6 years wearing skirted grments. The number of such boys, however, is a small fraction of the pre-school age boys wearing skirted garments. Most boys attended public schools and most were breeched before tgey began schools. Thus most boys not breeched earlier werebreeched at age 5-6 years before beginning school. Unlike the younger boys, the older boys being breeched probably recalled the event. Those boys still not breeched by age 7 years were probably erll-to-do children beung educated at home.

8 Years Olds

Created: 2:21 AM 1/12/2008
Last updated: 6:22 AM 9/17/2011