Figure 1.--Here are a couple of young re-enactors from the 2002 Rochester Dickens Festival in the United Kingdom. One boy looks to be wearing a hired sailor suit or perhaps one made by mum. lst the other lad is dresses as a ragged-trousered Victorian urchin--although perhaps a little too well scrubbed. His trainers don't help his outfit, but given the cost of buying period footwear, this is understandable. His cap looks rather authentic.

Sailor suits were not really worn in the early Dickesian period (1820s-30), but was worn in the later Dikensian era (1840s-50s) . The Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) was dressed in a white enlistedman's uniform for a 1840 Winterhalter portrait. The sailor suit fashion developed after that, but did not become wodely popular until somewaht later. The sailor suit became so widely worn that in the popular mind it will do for any 19th century recreations. It also appears in Dikensian recreations because boys are often more willing to wear sailor suits than some of the other 19th century outfits. Here are a couple of young re-enactors from the 2002 Rochester Dickens Festival in the United Kingdom. One boy looks to be wearing a hired sailor suit or perhaps one made by mum (figure 1). Note mum had added some buttons on the sailor trousers to give it an early 19th century look like the trousers for skeleton suits. The boys' sailor suit, however, is probably closer to a turn of the 20th century outfit, whilst the other lad is dresses as a ragged-trousered Victorian urchin--although perhaps a little too well scrubbed. His trainers don't help his outfit, but given the cost of buying period footwear, this is understandable. His cap looks rather authentic.

Created: June 13, 2002
Last updated: June 13, 2002