Figure 1.--This unidentified boy is posing on a rococo with his best friend, a very alert white with patched black eyes bull terrier. He are guessing that ghis was the boy's idea. The boy wears a double-breasted, striped knee pants suit with black long stockings and high-top shoes. Standard American wear at the time. Notice the small, high necke collar. One of several styles at the time. It is in sharp contrast to the Fauntleroy collars tha were beginning to go out of style at the time. He has a pocket warch and chain. The back of the photograph has written in penci, 'Dec.5, 1899 8 years and 11 months.' The studio is Stanton, but the city and state is not indicated. It was kept in a leather sleeve which we have not seen very commonly.

We see double breasted suits in both the 19th and 20th centuries. We see double breasted suits in the early-19h century. Some skeleton suits were done with double-breasted tops, but we have few images. At mid-century when photography begins to provide increasung numbers of images, collar buttoning jackets were dominant. We note double-breased jackets in the late-19th century. The boy here is a good examplw, although right at the turn of the century at 1899 (figure 1). We are not yet sure about the chronology, but have begun to develop some basic information. . We do not yet have examples from the 1860s, but do see them in the 1870s. They were widely worn for many years. Double-breasted like single-breasted jackets varied in popularity over time. They seem especially popular at the turn-of-the 20th century. The unidentified boy here in 1899 is a good example (figure 1). Another good exmple is Tom Epperson in 1908-09. Double-breasted jackets came to be seen as more formal. You do not see sport jackets commonly being made as double-breasted jackets. After the 1950s we mostly see boys wearing single-breasted suit jackets. As a youth in the 1950s, I saw double-breasted jackets as rather old fashioned. The War may have been a factor when styles uing less fabric were favored. There were some notable variations. Double-breasted jackets, like single-breasted jackets were made in different styles, including blazers. Double-breasted jackets, however, were less likely to be done in the various destinctive jacket styles. Rather most double-breasted jackets over time seem to have been done in a basically similar style.

The 19th Century

Throughout the 19th century it became more and more common for Americn boys to wear suits, largely because of the cojuntry's spectacular economic success. This seems particularly notable in the 1860s which we know a great deal about because this was when the CDV appeared hugely increasing the number of pjotographic images allowing us to follow fashion trends. We see double breasted suits in the early-19h century. Some skeleton suits were done with double-breasted tops, but we have few images. At mid-century when photography begins to provide increasing number of images, collar buttoning jackets were dominant. We note double-breased jackets in the late-19th century. We are not yet sure about the chronology, but have begun to develop some basic information. We do not yet have examples from the 1860s, but do see them in the 1870s. They were widely worn for many years. Double-breasted like single-breasted jackets varied in popularity over time. They seem especially popular at the turn-of-the 20th century. Both single- and double-breasted suits were worn, but double-beaasted jackets were very popular. We see that in both the photograsphic record and mail order catalogs that had become so popular. Remenver that even in the 1890s most Americans still lived in rural areas. The unidentified boy here in 1899 is a good example (figure 1).

The 20th Century

Just as suits became steadily more commin for American boys in the 19th century. The reverse is true foir the 20th century, especially after World War I in the 1920s. Suit were, hiwever, very commin at the onset of the 20th cdentury in the 10900s decade. We continue to see large numbers of boys wearing double-breasted jackets in the early-20th century. Actually, the 1890s and 1900s decades were the two most popular decades for double breasted styling. We see that in both the photographic record and the mail order catalogs. And this was nogt just for the upper and mioddle-class boys. We se working-class boys wearing these suits as wwell. A good exmple is Tom Epperson in 1908-09. You begin to see a gradual shift to single-breasred jackets, esoecially noytable after Wirkd War I in the 1920s. Double-breasted jackets came to be seen as more formal. You do not see sport jackets commonly being made as double-breasted jackets. After the 1950s we mostly see boys wearing single-breasted suit jackets. As a youth in the 1950s, I saw double-breasted jackets as rather old fashioned. The War may have been a factor when styles using less fabric were favored. There were some notable variations. Double-breasted jackets, like single-breasted jackets were made in different styles, including blazers. Double-breasted jackets, however, were less likely to be done in the various destinctive jacket styles. Rather most double-breasted jackets over time seem to have been done in a basically similar style.

Created: 10:40 PM 5/3/2015
Last updated: 1:15 PM 6/1/2023