Figure 1.--This English CDV comes with no accoampanying information, including even the studio. We assume it is a primary school class, although the group is very small, only 14 children. Given the rather rough way the boys are dressed, we would guess it was a state school. Note it was a coed school. While the CDV is not dated, we would guess that it was taken in the 1860s, although the early-70s is possible. Notice that one of the boys seems to be wearing a kilt suit.

Kilts were worn by some British boys to school, but rarely English boys. Many Scottish and even a few Irish schools employed the kilt as part of a school uniform. A few made it required wear. Because of the cost it was at most Scottish schools usually only required on special occasions and Sundays. At some Scottish schools, usually private schools, boys were allowed the option of wearing kilts instead of long or short pants. We note some English boys wearing kilts as a kind of dress garment during the Victorian era, but as far as we know they did not wear them to school. And we see Scottish biys in primary schools wearing kilts when there was no school uniform. This was nmistly in the highlands. This was not the case in England. Kilts were not common in England, but they were not unknown. We see quite a few portraits of boys wering kilt suits and to a lesser ectent Highland kilts. These would be boys from the higher income groups, nit wirking class boys. And it would be mostly the Highland outfits that had bright plaid kilts. The kilt suit outfits would be done in flat fabrics or very muted plaids. While we see quite a few poetrits of these kilt outfits, we see virtually no exaamoles of boys wearing these garments to school.

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Created: 6:12 AM 9/27/2020
Last updated: 6:12 AM 9/27/2020