English Dresses: Breeching


Figure 1.-- This unidentified English boys wears an elaborately decorated dress with pantalettes. He looks to be about 5 years old. The Carte de Visite portrit is undated, but looks to hve been taken in the 1860s. His mother wears an expansive hoop dress. The studo was T & J Holroyd in Harrogate.

Many English boys, as in other European countries, wore dresses from the middle ages into the 19th and early-20th century. Boys wore dreses before modern pants involved. After pants appeared, younger boys vontinued wearing dresss which became a symbol of early childhood. Boys wore dresses until they were breeched. Breeching became a milestone in childhood. The age of breeching varied from family to family. but was generally done before the boy began school. It might be done a little later for the children who did not attemnd school and were tutored at home. A few available images does show that some boys continued to wear dresses beyond the normal breeching age of 4 to 6 years of age. HBC is attempting to assess this custom in different countries, but to date has been unable to identify specific English trends. While there were some destinctive English boys styles, tis sems less true of gir;s' dresses. This was in part bcause France was so important in setting women's fashions--even in England. And girls into the 19th century basically wore small versions of their mothers' dresses. But one notable factor influincing England was that it was the wealthiest country in Europe. The Industrial Revolution created great wealth and substantially expanded the middlle class. And because well-to-do families were more likely to delay breeching, this practic at least in the 19th century may have been more pronounced in England than other countries. This may have changed at about the age of 8 years, at least in the late-19th century. As in America, some boys had their hair cut before breaching, at breaching, or after breaching. The pattern varied widely from family to family. This means that hair styles varied for the boys wearing dresses. Boarding school which was more common in England than in the continnt, this affcted both hair and clohing styles, but probably not dresses as so many boys were breeched by about 8 yars of age when boys began boarding school in the scond half of the 19th century.

Age Trends


Age 2 Years


Age 3 Years


Age 4 Years

We note an unidentified Frome family in the 1860s with many young children. The boy wearing a dress looks to us to be about 3 years old, suggesting he would be breeched at age 4 years.

Age 5 Years

The unidentified boy here wears a highly decorated dress we think in the 1860s (figur 1). He looks to be about 5 years old which means he would have been breeched at about 6 years old or possibly later.

Age 6 Years

The age of breeching varied from family to family. but was generally done before the boy began school at about 6 years or so. Of course England lagged behind merica and Germny in creating a public school system so many children di not ttend school until after the mid-19th century. Breeching might be done a little later for the children who did not attemnd school and were tutored at home. A few available images does show that some boys continued to wear dresses beyond the normal breeching age of 4 to 6 years of age.

Age 7 Years


Age 8 Years

And because well-to-do families were more likely to delay breeching, this practic at least in the 19th century may have been more pronounced in England than other countries. This may have changed at about the age of 8 years, at least in the late-19th century. Boarding school which was more common in England than in the continnt, this affcted both hair and clohing styles, but probably not dresses as so many boys were breeched by about 8 yars of age when boys began boarding school in the scond half of the 19th century.

Chronology

Many English boys, as in other European countries, wore dresses from the middle ages into the 19th and early-20th century. Boys wore dreses before modern pants involved. After pants appeared, younger boys vontinued wearing dresss which became a symbol of early childhood. Boys wore dresses until they were breeched. Breeching became a milestone in childhood.

Hair Styling

As in America, some boys had their hair cut before breaching, at breaching, or after breaching. The pattern varied widely from family to family. This means that hair styles varied for the boys wearing dresses.

Social Classes

One notable factor influincing England was that it was the wealthiest country in Europe. The Industrial Revolution created great wealth and substantially expanded the middlle class.

Styles

HBC is attempting to assess this custom in different countries, but to date has been unable to identify specific English trends. While there were some destinctive English boys styles, tis sems less true of gir;s' dresses. This was in part bcause France was so important in setting women's fashions--even in England. And girls into the 19th century basically wore small versions of their mothers' dresses.







HBC







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Created: 4:07 AM 2/13/2015
Last updated: 10:35 AM 7/31/2017