Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait shows an unidentified boy in a corduroy suit. Helooks to be 8-9 years old. The studio was Smith's Cabinet Portraits, Zanesville, Ohio. The suit as well as the cream mount and brown stamped logo date the portrait to about 1890. The boy wears a corduroy jacket and knee pants. The jacket is collar buttoning and has Norfolk styling. He has a small bow, long stockings, and high-buttoned shoes. His pocket sports a handkerchief, and from his top button hangs what appears to be a watch chain. The boy is a little too big for his suit, and the sleeves stop short well above the wrist.

We note boys wearing corduroy suits in the late-19th century. Corduroy is a little easier to identify in old photograsphs than many other fabrics. Corduroy suits might have been worn earlier because the fabric was first made in the 18th century. Just when it became popular in America we are less sure. We have not yet found examples from mid-century. Well made corduroy is very durable garment. We believe it was prinary seen as a fabric for working-class Americans. That certainly was the case in Europe. We suspect the same was true for America, although we do not have much documentation. This changed in the 20th century. Corduroy knickers were a standard school garment. We know cord knicker suits, some with Norfolk styling were being made in the 1910s. They were very popular for schoolwear. Corduroy knickers were almost universal in the 1910s-30s. We also notice corduroy shorts, but they were not as common. We are not entirely sure about the colors. We know brown was popular. We are less sure about other colors. I think many were part of corduroy suits. Corduroy was popular for school because it was so hard wearing. We do not yet have a complete chronology. We note cord sport jackerts in the 1950s-70s. Here we note colors like brown and burgundy. A reader writes, "I remember wearing a maroon corduroy jacket about 1950. I believe I wore it with gray pants. As to corduroy knickers, I wish I had them instead of the coarse, itchy wool that I had to wear." Germany imported corduroy from England and called in Manchester Cloth. We are not sure to what extent corduroy sas produced domestically in the United States.

Chronology

We note boys wearing corduroy suits in the late-19th century. Corduroy is a little easier to identify in old photograsphs than many other fabrics. Corduroy suits might have been worn earlier because the fabric was first made in the 18th century. Just when it became popular in America we are less sure. We have not yet found examples from mid-century. We see quite a few cord suits in the late-19th century. Boys in the early 20th century wore knicker suits to schools, including cord suits. Suits became less common in the 1930s, but cord knickers were still a school staple. We do not yet have a complete chronology. We note cord sport jackets in the 1950s-70s. A reader writes, "I remember wearing a maroon corduroy jacket about 1950. I believe I wore it with gray pants. As to corduroy knickers, I wish I had them instead of the coarse, itchy wool that I had to wear."

Usage

Well made corduroy is very durable garment. We believe it was prinary seen as a fabric for working-class Americans. That certainly was the case in Europe. We suspect the same was true for America, although we do not have much documentation. This changed in the 20th century. Corduroy knickers were a standard school garment. We know cord knicker suits, some with Norfolk styling were being made in the 1910s. They were very popular for schoolwear. Corduroy was popular for school because it was so hard wearing.

Garments

We see some knicker suits, both the jacket and pants. We have no information on the early-19th century, but we see mostly knee pants suits in the late-19th cebtury. We only see suits done in corduroy rather than just the pants, nut suits were usually worn for studio portraits. Corduroy suits were, however, a relatively small portion of the suits we have noted in the ohotographic record. We have found both collar-buttoning and lapel jackets. Norfolk styling seems popular at the turn-of-the century. We have not yet found examples of vests, but are archie at this tike has very few examples. In most instances we notice the the 19th century suits done with knee pants. We see cord suits in the 20th century, but they were less common. Corduroy knickers were, however, almost universal in the 1910s-30s. This often meant just pants, but there were also cord suits, especially in the 1910s-20s. They vwere mostly dome with knickers. We also notice corduroy shorts, but they were not as common.

Colors

We are not entirely sure about the colors. We know brown was popular. We are less sure about other colors. I think many were part of corduroy suits. We note sport coats colors like brown and burgundy.

Manufacture

Germany imported corduroy from England and called in Manchester Cloth. We are not sure to what extent corduroy sas produced domestically in the United States. The leading American corduroy manufacturer was Crompton Mills. The company was founded im the early-19th century, but we are not sure when they began producing corduroy.

Created: 9:52 PM 7/21/2008
Last updated: 6:29 AM 1/11/2015