Figure 1.--Mothers imitating European fashions began dressing boys in fancy velvet suits in the 1870s. By the 1880s, thanks in part to Mrs. Burnett's book, the Fauntleroy suit became a major American fashion craze. This portrait was probably taken about 1890. Notice the boy's military styled peaked cap. The portrait was taken in Anderson, Indiana. The boy wears a classic Fauntleroy suit and blouse.

The first suits specifically made for boys in America as in Europe were skeleton suits. Early skeleton suits were made with knee breeches, but the skeleton suit was mostly worn with long pants. In fact for many years boys in skeleton suits wore long pants while their fathers wore knee breeches. We notice suits with short jackets and often contrasting pants in the 1840s. At this time younger boys began wearing fancy suits, often heavily embroidered cut-away jackets with bloomer knickers or knee pants. Modern looking sack suits began to be worn in the 1860s. Younger boys in fashionable families might wear kneepants suits, rspecially in cities. Less affluent boys and boys in rural areas wore long trousers more commonly, especially older boys until the 1890s. At this time even older teenagers begin wearing long trousers as well. Younger boys by the 1870s commonly wore kiltsuits by the 1870s and Fauntleroy suits by the 1880s. Sailor suits were another popular choice. Older boys wore more modern suis. Many destinctive styles appeared such as Norfolk suits. There were also single and double breasted suits. After the turn of the 20th century, knickers began replacing knepants, especially after the 1910s. After World War I, short pants suits appeared, but knicker suits were much more common. Afrer World War II long pants suits becamev increasingly common. Boys also wore sports jackets and blazers. The increasingly popular more casual life style meant boys were wearing suits less and less commonly.

The 18th Century

Both men and boys wore identically style suits in the 18th century. These suits could be colorful, much brighter colors than we see in the 19th century. A good example is a suit worn by a Virginia boy in the 1790s. These were suits made with knee breeches. Sleleton suits for younger boys appeared in Europe in the late 18th century. I'm not sure when they appeared in America.

The 19th Century

The first suits specifically made for boys in America as in Europe were skeleton suits. Early skeleton suits were made with knee breeches, but the skeleton suit was mostly worn with long pants. In fact for many years boys in skeleton suits wore long pants while their fathers wore knee breeches. We notice suits with short jackets and often contrasting pants in the 1840s. At this time younger boys began wearing fancy suits, often heavily embroidered jackets. We notice both cut-away jackets and collar buttonong styles. We also notice, bloomer knickers, long knee pants, and long pants. Long pnts suits were the most common, but bloomer knixjers were worn by youngr boys from fashionable families. Modern looking sack suits began to be worn in the 1860s. Younger boys in fashionable families might wear kneepants suits, rspecially in cities. Less affluent boys and boys in rural areas wore long trousers more commonly, especially older boys until the 1890s. A ggod example is Stephen Uchlein about 1869. At this time even older teenagers begin wearing long trousers as well. Younger boys by the 1870s commonly wore kiltsuits by the 1870s and Fauntleroy suits by the 1880s. Sailor suits were another popular choice. Older boys wore more modern suis. Many destinctive styles appeared such as Norfolk suits. There were also single and double breasted suits.

The 20th Century

After the turn of the 20th century, knickers began replacing knepants, especially after the 1910s. Norfolk suits were very popular in the early 20th century. We also see sack suits made in th single and doublr breasted styles. Fauntleroy suits were still worn at the turn of the century by younger boys, but went out od style in the 1910s. Sailor suits were still popular in the early 20th century. After World War I, short pants suits appeared, but knicker suits were much more common. Thge Eton suit made without lapels became a popular style for younger boys. Dark blue or black suits became classic conventions. Afrer World War II long pants suits became increasingly common. Boys also wore sports jackets and blazers. Sports jackets with contrasting material were popular in the 1940s and early 50s. Preppy blazers became increasingly popular in the 1960s. The increasingly popular more casual life style by the 1970s meant boys were wearing suits less and less commonly.

The 21st Century

Many American boys in the 20th century had suits. A popular conservative style was a dark suit, especially navy blue and black. A reader reports in 2006 that, "Local department stores do offer black suits for boys here in Southern California. In fact, that's about the only color I've seen offered. I'm not sure where the boys wear these suits to as I rarely see boys dressed up in suits. Maybe they go to some sort of church that still requires dressing up."

Created: 1:43 AM 4/3/2005
Last updated: 10:01 PM 5/26/2011