Figure 1.-- Here we have a CDV showing three unidentified children. They look to be about 2-6 years old. The boy wears a smart vested suit with a narrow ribbon tie. Notice that the vest matches the rest of the suit. Also notice the lapels on the vest. Most American boys like the boy here were still weraring long pants like the boy here. The girls wear matching white dresses and colored waist sashes ewith pntalettes nd white long stockings. The portrait was undated, we believe was taken in the lare-1860s, in part beciuse there is no Civil War tax stamp. . The studio was L.F. Hammerin St. Louis, Missouri.

We see that there were marked changes in vests by the 1860s. We still see large numbers of boys wearing them, but the vests were changing. We no longer see the loud, colorful vests that were popular in the 40s and 50s. The vests wecsee in the 1860s, however, were mostly matching vests--meaning the vests were done in the same color and material as the jackets and pants. The contrasting vests seen in the 1840s and 50s declined sharply in popularity by the 60s. From the beginning of the decade, it became common for the vest to match the suit a comvention ythat became permnenbt. This suggests that the change began in the late-1850s. This occurred at the same time that suits with matching jackets and trousers appeared. Thus the matching jacket and vest with the pants is a hallmark of the 1860s. We are not sure which was more common. The photographic record shows that both options were very common.

Created: 12:30 AM 2/14/2008
Last updated: 12:30 AM 2/14/2008