Figure 1.--This New York boy is unidentified. He looks to be about 13 years old. He wears a double breasted suit with knee oants, long black stockings, and high-top shoes. He has a tie and wing collar. Notice his boater hat with a wide hat band on the table. The cabinet card portrait is unated, but lokks like the 1890s. The studio is W.H. Saul in New York City.

Age 13 years isa kind of in betweem age. It is the first teen age, but still very boyosh. This has changed at bit in the 20th century as better diet has sdvanced the age of punerty. We are not enyirely sure about the age range of early suits, namely skeleton and tunic suits in the early-19th century. This was all with long pants. Actully, boys were the first to wear long pants. At the turn of the 19th century, fashions for men involved suits with knee breeches. Only by the 1820s did long pnts become standrd for fashionble men. At abuit 13 years, parents parents began thinking about note adult-styled suits for boys. But we are not entirely sure because wihout photogrphy the vilsble imgery is very limited. At mid-century with the appearnce of photography we have much clearer ideas about children fashions. At first the numbers of images were fairly limited, but with the 1860s abd the CDV we have countless images to work with. We behin to see older boys wearing sack suits, different from adults who at mid-centiry were wearing frock suits with longer jackets. At first 13 year olds and even wore long pants. Yongrer boys by the 1860s began wearing knee pants. At first it was just very young boys, but as the decade progressed he age range gradually inccreased. By the late-1880s we begin to see teen agers beginning to wear knee pants. It still varied fom family to family, but by the 1870s we see even older teenagers wearing knee pants suits. This continued into the 20th century, but by the 12910, boiy were wearing knickers rather than knee pants. Some 13 year old wore short pants suits in the 1920s and 30s, but it was not very common. Here there was a social class factor. By the 1950s, shoirt pants suits were or younger boys. We only see 13-year olds wearing long pants suits. And by the 1970s we see suits becomeing increasingly less common.

Created: 6:17 AM 6/28/2022
Last updated: 6:17 AM 6/28/2022