Figure 1.-- Boys very commonly wore suits in the 1890s, including for schoolwear. There were a variety of popular styles.This advertisement from Charles Baker & Co., a London retauler, shows many popular school suit styles in 1894. Notice the style s were promoted as being the ones worn at public schools and colleges. (Colleges here mean schools not universities.) As far as we can tell thgey are the same as commonly worn by boys dressing up even when not at school. The youngest boys wore sailor suits and kneepants. Somewhat older boys wore knicker pants and the oldest boys wore long pants suits.

We continue to see newspaper advertisement from the Charles Baker & Co. in London. They offer quite a variety of suits which were described as school suits. The 1894 ad seems virtually identical to those we see in the late-1880s, the company seems to be reusing the same illustratioins over nd over ago. We suspect this has to do with baically unchanged styles as well as the cost of producing illustrations. Lithoographers were making notable progress, but newspaper advertising still shows very stiff lillustrations. This will change after the turn-of-the century. The illustrations provide a good look at period fashions. Unfortunately there is very little ad copy text describing the various outfits. The styles are named which is helpful and include some suit names we have not commonly noted. he numbers listed in great detail seem to represent prices rather than sizes. The variation in proces seems to be based on sizes, but the coresponding sizes are not indicated. One notable observation is that knicker panbts seem very popular for younger boys. The very youngest wore both straigt-leg knee pant and knickers, but the somewhat older boys wore knicker outfits. Thi is in contrast to America where boys including teenagers mostly wore straigh-leg knee pants in the 1890s.

Charles Baker Co.

The firm was Charles Baker & Co., a retailer that had several outlets in London--in Fleet Street (in the City), in Oxford Street (in the West End), and in Tottenham Court Road. The main headquarters of the firm was located at 271-272 High Holborn in the West End. This company seems to have been a large one, give the builldings shown. They seem to hav appealed to a large cross-section of the British public. We note quite a number of the store's advertisements duting the 1880s and 90s, suggesting that it was a very important store. They made a point at offering 'trade prices' or discounts. One source suggest this is a reflection of the highly competitive London market at the time. The store was apparently opened in 1864. The advetisement here suggests the proprietors were west of England manufacturers so the stores were apparently opened as outlets. We also do not when the store was closed. We note ads into the late 1890s, but the store coulkd well have continued operating longer than that.

Civil Service Stores

The page here says that they were opened to keep pace with the Civil Service Stores. Our British readers also have no idea what that meant. Some seem to think that htey were like Army Navy stores, but advertising for school clothing also mention competition with the the Civil Service Stores. We are not sure what that means.

Headwear

The Baker ads lits several styles of hats which are listed, but not identified with the suit illustrations. College caps were the mortarboard caps that Americans wear for graduation. They were worn as standard daily wear at some private schools during the 19th century. Colored tassles could be added, but were optional. the boy older boy in the top row of the ad is wearing one. Youth silk heads were described for wear with Eton suits. These are what Anericans could call top hats. Also offered are felt hats. I am not sure what is meant here. Straw hats are the wide-brimmed hatsorn with sailor suits. Alpine felt hats are not shown. Tweed caps might be one of the caps on the top row. A peaked cap is also shown, but not described as such. It might be included under felt hats, cap and hat are sometimes used intervchangeably. Niddy capsre ssilir cap, but not depicted here. Velelvet jockey caps are not oictured here. We know what aockey cap might be, but they are not usually done in velvet.

Shirts

Several shirt styles are listed, but mostly not shown. White shirts seem the standard. Oxford shirts meant that the buttons only went part of the way down the front. Flannel shirts were offered in 'neat fancy patterns'. Flannel shiets were common for school wear, in part because some schools were not well heated. Also on ofer were white flannel crickitung shirts.

Pre-teen SuitsSuits

We note many suit styles. While the sizes are not indicated, the names of the suits are useful. and some limuited information is offered along with detaile price information. Some of the name are easily reogninizable, like Norfolk suits. Others may be store names. The ad suggests that knicker suits were standard school wear. Only one entry has age ranges, but we sispect thathese suits were for pre-teen boys.

Norfolk suits

Norfolk suits are one of the most well known styles. The suit here looks to be a coolar buttoning jacket. Norfolks were also done with lapels. It is sjhown as being worn with an Eton collar and bow tie. Eton collars were detachable and as thspage shiws de rigur for boys at the time. It was offered with knicker pants. The ad copy indicates that they were available in diddrent fabrics: dirable tweeds and cheviots, Irish and Scottish cheviots and tweeds, and blue and black surges. The Irish and Scottish tweeds were much mre rxpensive han he other fabric. We are not entirely sure why. We suspect that the weaving process was less mechanized and thgus considered of higher quality.

Buckingham suits

Buckngham suits is a less well know name. We are not sure to what extent this was xaecognized suit style. The illustration also shows an Eton collar. the cap may be the jockey cap referred to in the cap section. we are unsure about that. The jacket has small lapels, but this wa more the popular style at the tim than an element of the Buckingham suit. Te principal detinguishing characteristic is that it had a cit away jacket closed with only one button. although not very common, we do see modern Buckingham jackets with two btton jckets. The Baket Buclingham suit had a best which looks to be collar buttoning. Te suit was done in tweeds and cheviots. The suit was done with knickers.

Suffolk suit

Suffolk suits are another lesser known style. The illustration shows n Eton collar and peaked cap. The jacket looks very similar to Norfolk styling. It is, however, diferent as it is a lapell ratrhger than a collar-buttoning jacket. The term is much less known than the Norfolk suit. Ir may be that the lapels were the detinguishing feature of the Suffolk suit, but iver time we see Norfolk suits done with lapels as well, and jacy jackets with pleats anbd builts became known as a Norfolknsuit. The suit here was done with knockers. The mateial included Scotch and Irish tweeds and cheviots. Unlike the other suit, here we are yold tht the age range was 8-12 years of age. We suspect that the Norfolk and Buckingham suits were done in similar sizes.

Rugby suits

The Rugby suit looks similar to the Buckingham suit even with similar slash breast pockets, but was done with a more standard sack suit jacket. This one has lapels and the three buttons that became standard in suit jackets. The illustration shows a college (mortar board cap), Eton collar and largfe necktie. The illustration is larger, but we are not sure that this meant that the style was worn by older boys. The suit has a vest which i not shown. Like the other suits it was done with knicker pants. The material inclused durable tweeds, West of England Tweeds, Scotts, and cheviots, and blue serges, and black cheviots. The prices show many different offerings suggesting that thiswas the most popular style.

Royal Navy suits

Royal Navy suits look like standard sailor suits. The smaller images probably suggests that they were made for younger boys, but we are left to guess. It looks like they were done with straigh-leg knee panytsm but we are not psitive. The materials include blue serge as well as black, blue and dark brown velvet, also suggesting that these were for younger boys. The boy is wearing aide-brimmed sailor hat with streaners.

Sultan suits

we are not sure why the suit here is called a sultan suit. Could it be the collar buttoning jacket. We are nor sure, hiwever, if this was an aoriental style. Sultan suggests Turkey or the Ottoman Empire at the time. We have not seen the term used eswhere, but our 19th cenbtury catalog archive is limited. This one seems to have some Norfolk like pleating, biyt this was optional. The boy wears an Eton collar with the suit. It also seems to be done with straight-leg knee pnts, the inference was that knee pants were for the younger boys. The material was durable tweeds and blue sege. Without the pleats the suits were done in tweeds and dark brown velvet cord..

American blouse suits

The name suggests that this was a suit style coming from America or popular in America. The illustration shows the suit worn with aimmed sailor hat and streamers. There is no jacket meaning it was more informal and less expensive. It has a large collar rather than an Eton collar. These suits have knickers rather than knee pants. The material was tweeds and serge and black and brown velvet.

Teenage Suits

The bottom row of illustrations seems to be outfits for teenagers because the styles seems approproate and the illustrations are larger. We lnow, however, that the younger boys a=t many public (elite private boarding( schools wore knicker uniforms. So some of the syles in toi=he top row may have been made in teen sizes. The white cricket suit is shown with knickers, but also available in long pants. We suspect teenafets mostly wore long pants. The Ron suit is fairly standard. Boys bu the 1890s entered Eton at about 13 uears of age. There is no indication of the age range fir these suits. Note the bowler hats.

Footwear

Foot wear includes laced boots and shoes. There are string and extra strong boots. Shoes include boys' calf and patent leaher shoes. There are also canvas shoes, presumably for gym. We are not positive that they had rubber soles.

Bags and Trunks

Baker added a range of bags, portmanteauxes, and trunks. A portmanteaux was a kind of attavhe case that opened into tso sections. Boys might use them for books and school work. The trunks were for boys going to boarding school. At the times the schools had long lists of school wear that the boys were expected to bring to school, including both clothes and ganes equipment.

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Created: 11:43 PM 8/6/2014
Last updated: 11:43 PM 8/6/2014