Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait shows two brothers. The younger boys wears a dress or kilt suit (otb is difficult to tell) and looks to be about 4 years old. His big brother wears a Norfolk knee pants suit. He looks to be about 7 years old. The age difference is wide enouugh that we can not tell just when the boys were breeched, but was probably about 5 years of age. The studio was Evans in Binghamton, New York. The clothes and mount style look like the 1890s.

The ages at which boys wore skirted garments has varied over time. We commonly see pre-school age boys wearing dresses during the 19th century. The age of breaching varied, but was usually 3-5 years during the 19th century. Here family conventions varied. Social class was a major factor affecting the age of breaching, but probably not as important as the age of cutting a boy's curls. The type of skirted garment was also a factor. Even though boys, especially older boys, were wearing dresses and kilts less after the turn-of-the 20th-century, we still see even younger school-age boys wearing tunics. We have found vey little written work on age trends for skirted garments. We suspect that it was a topic discussed by family members, but unfortunately not often recorded in writing. Nor have we found much discussion of this in 19th-century women's magazines. We suspect that the issue was discussed, but have not yet found the articles. We have found much important information in the photographic record. Even when the ages of the children is not noted, it is possible to estimate ages fairly effectively. And portraits of all the children are very useful in assessing family conventions. A good example is the Allen children in 1890, suggesting that breeching proibably occurred at about age 4 or 5 years.

1 Year Olds

Boys 1 year old and younger wore dresses throughout the 19th century mostly wire dresses. Onky after the turn of tyhe century this began ti change.

2 Year Olds

3 Year Olds

We commonly see pre-school age boys wearing dresses during the 19th century. The age of breaching varied, but was usually 3-5 years during the 19th century. The dresses we see until after mid-century look very similar to those their sisters were wearing. After mid-century the dress tend to have vzrioux boy touches. We mostly see 3 year olds wearing skirted garmnents, but toward the end of the century we see many boys even 3 years being breeched at 3 years of age. Here family conventions varied. Social class was a major factor affecting the age of breaching. This seem mist coimmin fir families in comfortable circumstances. This is a little difficult to follow in detail because the photographic record is biased toward the upper income demographic. Phootigraohs beginning with the CDV (1860s) were not expoensive , but they still cost, meaning they were less common with the lowser classes. This means a social class bias in the photograpohic record. Breeching was probably not as important as the age of cutting a boy's curls, but this too varied from family to family. The type of skirted garment was also a factor. After mid-cebntury, kilt suits began to become a major style for boys not yet breeched--especially for boys 3-5 years of age. Younger boys still wore dresses, but kilt suits became a kibd of intermediary style. And we see boys increasinhky being breeched beginning at about 3 years of age, This was especially true beginning about 1895.

4 Year Olds

The 4 year old here about 1890 wears a dress that looks rather like a kilt suit (figure 1). It is hard to tell. This was very common. It varied from family to family and was most comm+on for boys from comfortable middle-class and upper-class families. (The kilt suit was more expensive than other choices.) And working-class boys were more likely to be brreched earlier than middle-class boys. Sime families began to breechnbiys atb 4 byears of age, butbbased om the photographic record we still see many boys at 4 years of age wearing skirted garments, by the late-19th century primarily kilt suits. It is difficult to tell what was the most commom age for skirted garmens, hat bis nif you do not vonsider baby dresses. It maywell havebeen 2-year olds, but we still see bery lathe munbers at 4-years of age. The photographic record is not the best way nof nasuting tyhis as niffle-class families are iver refresented. It cost money to have a portrait taken. This was not a problem for middle-class families, t was more of a cjhllenge for the vworking-class. Another major factor is the vdegree vof time children spenh at home. At age 4, children still rarely ventured away from home. This mean nthatnmaotherr was basically able tyo dress her sons just as she pleased.

5 Year Olds

Most boys were breeched by age 5 years, but in the 19th century until the end if the century we continue to see may boys that were not breeched. We suspect they alo wore blouses and skirts, but that is less apparent from the photographic record. Tunics were another popular skirted garment and unlike dresses, a garment that boys continued to wear when they began school, especially in the early-19th century. We note then wearing dresses and by the 1870s we notie kilt suits. With the appearance oif kilt suits there were fewer boys wearing dresses,especially 4 and 5v year olds. Boys after age 5 years, began school. This became the standard convention by the 1870s. Before this the 5-6 year old age shift was not as importanht in determining boys' fashions. Thus 5 years became the last age that 19th century mothers mothers had virtual total control over the children and how they were dressed. Boys that were not breeched by age 5 year, we motly breeched when they turned 6 years. During the 1890s we begin ti see fewet boys including 5 year olds wearing dresses. We are not etirely sure whu., The popularity of the kilt suit and Fauntkeroy suit wee probanle factors. We do see tunic suits beconing very popular at the turn-of-the 20th century. Many 5 year olds wore them. We can tell that 5age 5 years was the last year that skirted garments were very important for American boys. Not only do we see far fewer imnages of 6 year olds, but we rarely see the skirted garmnts in the school photographs we have archived.

6 Year Olds

Age 6 years appears to be when most boys stopoped wearing skirted garmnenhts even if they had not done so eralier. Thisn is because most boys began scvhoola t Ge v6byeras. And boys dod not wsar skirted garments to school. We see this very clearly in the phoitigraohic recortd. when Even though boys, especially older boys, were wearing dresses and kilts less after the turn-of-the 20th-century, we still see even younger school-age boys wearing tunics. We have found vey little written work on age trends for skirted garments.

Sources of Information

Our primary source of information in building HBC is the photographic record. While we can tell a great deal from the photographs. We have found much important information in the photographic record. Even when the ages of the children is not noted, it is possible to estimate ages fairly effectively. And portraits of all the children are very useful in assessing family conventions. A good example is the Allen children in 1890, suggesting that breeching proibably occurred at about age 4 or 5 years. There is much that the photographs can not reveal. We suspect that it was a topic discussed by family members, but unfortunately not often recorded in writing. Nor have we found much discussion of this in 19th-century women's magazines. We suspect that the issue was discussed, but have not yet found the articles.

Created: 3:38 AM 8/5/2011
Last updated: 12:34 PM 2/20/2021