Figure 1.--This French boy wears a standard blue middy blouse with a white kilt skirt. Although the image is unclear he appears to be wearing dark three-quarter length socks. The photograph was probably taken in the 1880s. |
The traditional kilt is of course the Scottish Highland kilt and matching regalia. Many other garments, however, were referred to as kilts or showed clear influences of the kilt style. French boys wore Scottish (tartan) styled dresses. This was particularrly fashionable at mid-century. Primarily this involved using tartan material or various kinds of material thought to approrximate tartan. They are claerly different than Highland kilts as the dresses have bodices and lack the full Higland regalia. We see jacketed dresses done with Scottish styling. There is a complication here in that some dressed were styled like kilt suits. And it is somewhat difficuklt to differentite between the two in photographs. The difference of coirse is that the Scotish style dress was a one-piece garment. A kilt suit is a two-piece outfit. Often this can only be determined by physically examining the garment. French boys wore both Scottish suits and skirts. These were two-piece garments with separate jacket and skirt. This was particularrly fashionable at mid-century in the 1840s and 50s. Primarily this involved using tartan material or various kinds of material thought to approrximate tartan. It was not referred to as a kilt because usually true tartan material was noy used and it was not worn with full Highland regalia like sporans. French fashion magazines in the 1860s show boys wearing kilts as part of full Higland regalia, indestinguishable from the outfits being worn in Scotland. They are even wearing the sporans. Boys wearing both Glengary caps and Balmoral tams are shown. After Queen Victoria popularized the kilt as appropriate boys' wear in the 1840s, fashionable French mothers sometimes dressed their boys in kilts. The outfit might include full Higland regalia such as a sporan, Glengary?? cap(sometimes reffered to as a Scotch cap), shoulder sash, and sometimes even the dirk. Balmoral tam-like caps became more popular later in the century. It was not a widely popular style, but some French boys did wear kilts. This was primarily in the mid-19th century. French boys in the in the late 19th century rarely wore kilts and almost never in the 20th century. French fashion magazines in the 1860s show boys wearing kilts as part of full Higland regalia, indestinguishable from the outfits being worn in Scotland. They are even wearing the sporans. Boys wearing both Glengary caps and Balmoral tams are shown. After Queen Victoria popularized the kilt as appropriate boys' wear in the 1840s, fashionable French mothers sometimes dressed their boys in kilts. The outfit might include full Higland regalia such as a sporan, Glengary cap(sometimes reffered to as a Scotch cap), shoulder sash, and sometimes even the dirk.
We do not yet know if boys wore the kilt suit fashion that was popular in America. We notice some garments described as kilt suits. The French term for kilt suit is "????". They seem quite different than the klit suit outfits worn by American boys. Here we are not sure because the number of available 19th century images to us are very limited. French boys may have worn kiklt suuits like the oines worn by Americam boys, but at present we can not yet confirm this. Hopefully as our site develops we will be able to address this topic more fully. We also notice some outfits that have some similarity to kilt suits, but are styled differently those worn in America and England. We are not sure just how they were described in France at the time. Some look more like dresses or tunuics than the kilt suits worn by American boys.
French boys wore Scottish (tartan) styled dresses. This was particularrly fashionable at mid-century. Primarily this involved using tartan material or various kinds of material thought to approrximate tartan. They are claerly different than Highland kilts as the dresses have bodices and lack the full Higland regalia. We see jacketed dresses done with Scottish styling. There is a complication here in that some dressed were styled like kilt suits. And it is somewhat difficuklt to differentite between the two in photographs. The difference of coirse is that the Scotish style dress was a one-piece garment. A kilt suit is a two-piece outfit. Often this can only be determined by physically examining the garment.
French boys wore both Scottish suits and skirts. These were two-piece garments with separate jacket and skirt. This was particularrly fashionable at mid-century in the 1840s and 50s. Primarily this involved using tartan material or various kinds of material thought to approrximate tartan. It was not referred to as a kilt because usually true tartan material was noy used and it was not worn with full Highland regalia like sporans.
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French fashion magazines in the 1860s show boys wearing kilts as part of full Higland regalia, indestinguishable from the outfits being worn in Scotland. They are even wearing the sporans. Boys wearing both Glengary caps and Balmoral tams are shown. After Queen Victoria popularized the kilt as appropriate boys' wear in the 1840s, fashionable French mothers sometimes dressed their boys in kilts. The outfit might include full Higland regalia such as a sporan, Glengary cap(sometimes reffered to as a Scotch cap), shoulder sash, and sometimes even the dirk. Balmoral tam-like caps became more popular later in the century. It was not a widely popular style, but some French boys did wear kilts. This was primarily in the mid-19th century. French boys in the in the late 19th century rarely wore kilts and almost never in the 20th century.
Sailor suits became an especially popular style in France beginning with the mid-19th century after the fashion had been popularized in Britain by Queen Victoria who began dressing the princes in sailor suits. French boys not only wore traditional sailor suits, but many other garments appeared with sailor styling, including the dresses worn by young boys. The sailor style was so popular that mothers wanted garments with sailor details for younger boys that had not yet been breeched. One of these garments was the kilt worn with a middy blouse. Actually it was not the Scottish kilt worn with sailor suits, but usually a solid color skirt even though a plaid skirt was almost never worn with a middy blouse. The kilt-skirt might have some detailing such as stripes near the hem, but the completely solid color ones were more common. It was generally referred to, however, as a kilt. They were normally a bodice skirt as the bodice made it easy to support the kilt on a young boy. The sailor kilt-skirt was usually either white or navy blue, but other shades of blue or even other colors might occasionally been used.
We do not yet know if French boys to anyv extent wore the kilt suit fashion that was popular in America. We do notice some examples in the photographic record. We notice some garments described as kilt suits. The French translation for kilt suit is "Costume kilt écossais". We do not know if this precise term was actually used. They seem quite different than the klit suit outfits worn by American boys. Here we are not sure because the number of available 19th century images to us are very limited. French boys may have worn kiklt suuits like the oines worn by Americam boys, but at present we can not yet confirm this. Hopefully as our site develops we will be able to address this topic more fully. We also notice some outfits that have some similarity to kilt suits, but are styled differently those worn in America and England. We are not sure just how they were described in France at the time. Some look more like dresses or tunuics than the kilt suits worn by American boys.
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