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Virtually all of the images of English tunics we have found show boys wearing flat or solid colored tunics. We rarely show patterned material or fancy decoration. Most of our fashion information comes from the photographic record which means almost entirely beginning about 1860 when the CDV began to become important. We have found very few Dags and Ambros to illustrate fashions earlier (1840s-50s). We have found some painted portaits, but these are also very few in numbers, especially compared to the number of images that photography has made possible. And the painted portraits we have found all show the tunic to have been a very plain, basically utilitarian garment, although it seems to have been worn by middle- and upper-class boys. We see no evidence of working-class boys wearing tunics, but of course working-class boys were not photographed as extensively as boys from more affluent families. We have found very few images of tunics that were not very plain, flat (solid) color and undecorated. The boy's plaid tunic here is a rare example (fugure 1). We suspect it was for schoolwear. Even less common are decorated tunics.
Virtually all of the images of English tunics we have found show boys wearing flat or solid colored tunics. We rarely show patterned material or fancy decoration. Most of our fashion information comes from the photographic record which means almost entirely beginning about 1860 when the CDV began to become important. We have found very few Dags and Ambros to illustrate fashions earlier (1840s-50s). We have found some early-19th century painted portaits, but these are also very few in numbers, especially compared to the number of images that photography has made possible. The preva,ence of plain tunics can be seen in the mnany Enbgklish images we have archived in the genreral English tunic section.
And the painted portraits we have found all show the tunic to have been a very plain, basically utilitarian garment. Noys at the ctime unless from welkthy families did not have large wardrobes, so the tunic may hve also been used fo formal occassions like going to church. We believe it wss widely woirn as a school garment, lthough almost always the plain versions. The books on the table here rather suggest, however, that the boy's plaid tunic was a school outfit (figure 1). English boys still wore tunics to school in the 1860s, but this fashion dclined in the 1870s.
The tunic seems to have been worn by middle- abd upper-class boys. We see no evidnce of working-class boys wearing tunics, but of course working-class boys were not photographed as extensively as boys from more affluent families. The fact that tunics were worn to school in itself has social class implications. Btitin did not create a comprensive public school sysystem until 1870--nearly a centuyry after Amnerica and Prussia had enbarked on that enterprise. We suspect that patterbed or decorated tunics were even more rare for the working-class.
There are two excepotions to the general convention of the tunic as a plain unadorned garment. We have found very few images of tunics that were not very plain, flat (solid) color and undecorated. The boy's plaid tunic here is a rare example (figure 1), We suspect it was for schoolwear. Even less common are decorated tunics.
A rare exception to the general convention of plain favric beung used for tunics is plaid material. This is the only patterned material we have found so far being used for tunics. And these plaid tunic were were not very commom. This CDV portrait shows a boy naimed Pinter or Winter in 1869 wearing a belted plaid tunic (figure 1). He also had dark solid colored knicker pants along with white stockings He also has a matching plaid shoulder sash. The outfit is completed with a Glengary bonnet. Unfortunately there is no studio information so there is no way of being sure where it was taken. It could be a Scottish portrait, but English seems more likely. And the name seems English.
Even less common are decorated tunics. In fact until we found a very early photographic portait, we had no idea they existed. We think it was an Ambrotype, although the dealer suggested it was a Dageuerrotypoe. These early photograpic types were not as common in Britain and the rest of Europe as in Anerica and is a wecomed adduitioin to our English archive. While most tunics were polain, of course, mothers being mothers, there were some highly decorated tunic oufits. A portrit from the mid-19th century, probably the 1850s, shows a Barnstable boy in a white, highly decorated tunic outfit. The bioy is uentifiued, but the witing is diffucult to read. Unlkike Anerican Dags abd Anbros, it is not a cased portrait. The boy's tunic has elborate embrodery. The shortened sleeve abd blouse sleeve ako help dare it to mid-century. We have no idea about the color if the emnbroidery, but this could gave been a very colorful outfit. Clearly not a school garment.
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