American Boy Skirted Garments: Undergarments


Figure 1.--This is a cabinet portrait of 4-year old Leon Weeks. He wears a jacket dress with a large lace collar. The cabinet card is undated, but looks like the 1880s. He is wearing a petticoat with eyelet lace trim. Click on the image for a closer view of Leon's petticoats. It looks to us like mother has arranged the h of the dress to show off the petticoat.

We see boys wearing a range of undergarments with skirted garments. This may have baried chronologically, but is difficult to assess because of the limited number of early-19th century images. Here our sources of information are limited. We have never noted any written ources addressing this ytopic, wither fmily correspondence or dvise publication. So we primarily have to rely in the photographic record. Some boys wore the same undergarments as their sisters. Others wore more boyish garments. And in some cases we see more boyish versions of girls' undergarments. A factor herte is that in the 19th and early-20th century that younger boys might wear the same underwear as girls. Many factors were involved here, both chronological trends and family conventions. The type of skirted garment was also a factor as was the boy's age. Dresses were worn with both petticoats and pantalettes. Boys might wear plainer pantalettes called drawers, but this was not always the case and some girls also wore drawers. Pantalettes were in the early- and mid-19th century worn to show below the hem of the dress, but this was not the case for petticoats. We are not entirely sure about skirts. We think that undergarments werre similar to dresses, but we have little actual evidence. Kilts might also be worn with pantalettes and petticoats, but we also see boys wearing knee pants, including keepants made in the same material as the kilt. This was not very common with drsses, but not unknown. Tunics were worn with both bloomer knickers and a lesser extent straigh-leg knee pants. Smocks were worn with a boy's regular trousers.

Chronology

We see boys wearing a range of undergarments with skirted garments. This may have varied chronologically, but is difficult to assess because of the limited number of early-19th century images. Thus while we know a good deal about the late-19th century, we know next to nothing about the early-19th century. Now it may be that that the trends in the early part of the century were similar to the late-19th century, but we can not confirm that.

Information Sources

Here our sources of information are limited. We have never noted any written ources addressing this ytopic, wither fmily correspondence or family advise publications. Under garments were of course advertised in catalogs, but usage and conventions are another matter. So we primarily have to rely in the photographic record. This is true to an extent for HBC in general, but for most other subjects we have multiple sources of information such as written material, vintage clthing, catalogs, adverisemrnts. Here we only have the photographic record.

Gender Trends

Some boys wore the same undergarments as their sisters. Others wore more boyish garments. And in some cases we see more boyish versions of girls' undergarments. A factor herte is that in the 19th and early-20th century that younger boys might wear the same underwear as girls, the items veing considered children's garments. Many factors were involved here, both chronological trends and family conventions.

Skirted Garments

Boys wore several diffeent skirted grments. And to some extent the type of skirted garment affected the choice of undergarment. Here the rules were largely unwritten and were matter f family choice. But some skirted garments were just fr boys and here the choice og undergarment was affected. Dresses were worn with pantalettes, often but not always with petticoats. We are not entirely sure about skirts. We think that undergarments werre similar to dresses, but we have little actual evidence. Kilts might also be worn with pantalettes and petticoats, but we also see boys wearing knee pants, including keepants made in the same material as the kilt. This was not very common with drsses, but not unknown. Tunics were worn with both bloomer knickers and a lesser extent straight-leg knee pants. Smocks were worn with a boy's regular trousers.

Undergarment

Boys wore several different under garmnents with skirted garments. The type of skirted garment was a factor although it did not entirely determine the choice of undergarment. Dresses were normally worn with both petticoats and pantalettes. The petticoat was optional, but pantalettes or some other kind pf underpants were almost always worn. Of course using photography we can only tell about the pantalettes. Boys might wear plainer pantalettes called drawers, but this was not always the case and some girls also wore drawers. Leon here wears a petticoat with a jacketed dress (figure 1). Pantalettes were in the early- and mid-19th century worn to show below the hem of the dress, but this was not the case for petticoats. Knee pants and bloomer knickers were also worn with skirted garments. Knee pants were especilly common with kilts. We think they were sometimes won with dresses, but only by boys. Girls did not wear knee pants. And we note both knee pants and bloomer knickers being worn with tunics. The choice vof undergarments has some connitations useful in identifying gender.

Age

The boy's age was another factor to be considered..







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Created: 5:32 AM 6/24/2010
Last updated: 12:37 AM 8/28/2014