Figure 1.--This CDV of an unidentified Parisian boy wearing an heavily enbroidered tunic suit is undated. We suspect it was taken about 1870. The boy looks to be about 6-years old. There is an elaboitely enroiderd front and belt. The length of the tunjic is moderate, about half-wat between the waust anf the knees. Notice the hat with streamers and the bloomer knickers. The boy;s hair was done with a center part. This was more commonly done for girls. We are not sure how common it wa for boyz.

We do not have precise details on when tunic suits first appeared in France. We believe tht it was a style that appeared in the early 19th century. They were clearly being worn in the period following the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Here our information is some what limited. We note substantial variations on the length of the tunic. As best we can tell they they were being worn with knee pants rather than bloomer knickers. With the invention of photography we have more information on the mid-19th century. How poular they were earlier we do not know, but it was presumably early in the 19th century. We see the Hugo boys wearing Tunics about 1835. HBC has developed information on one 1850s tunic suit that appeared in a Belgian fashion magazine. (We mention it here because we still have limited French 19th century material and believe Belgian boys' fashions to be generally similar to French fashions.) Another example is the Caplain brothers in Paris about 1870. We notice a boy wearing a heavily embroidered tunic suit about the same time.

The 1800s

We do not have precise details on when tunic suits first appeared in France. We believe tht it was a style that appeared in the early 19th century. We are not sure yet, however, by the 1800s. How popular they were uin the early-19th cetury we are not sure.

The 1820s

Tunics were clearly being worn in the period following the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Here our information is some what limited. We note substantial variations on the length of the tunic. As best we can tell they they were being worn with knee pants or pantalettes rather than bloomer knickers.

The 1830s

We see the Hugo boys wearing Tunics about 1835. Thev tunics are quite long, down to the knees. We do not yet have enopugh French images tonknow how common thst was. Only notice the very wuide bekt.

The 1840s

The Dagurreotype first appared (1839) and became the only photograpphic format available (1840s). Despite being invented in Frabce, for some reason, we see relatively few French Dags. We believe patent law restricted the growth of the industry in France. Thus we do not yet have many photographic images of French boys wearing tunics in the 1840s. We do note a portrait of two unidentified boys which we believe was painted in the 1840s. The artist was Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin who played an important role in American portaiture.

The 1850s

With the invention of photography we have more information on the mid-19th century, although Dags and Anbrois were jot nearly as common in France as in Smerica. . How poular they were earlier we do not know. HBC has developed information on one 1850s tunic suit that appeared in a Belgian fashion magazine. (We mention it here because we still have limited French 19th century material and believe Belgian boys' fashions to be generally similar to French fashions.) Notice the eide sleeves and blocing shirts sleeves worn under the tunic, but vissible at the cuffs.

The 1860s

We sudenly have much more informtion on French tunic suits in the 860s. Thecreaon of course is the popularity ofvthe CDV. The albunen process and the CDV were developed in the mid-1950s, but for some reason did not become popular until the 1860s. Suddenly we see portais being done in unprecedented numbers. Tunic outfits seemned to have been a popular style for French boys in the 1860s. Some tunics buttoned at the front and were worn with bows. The tunic sleeves in the early-60s might blouse, but not like the ines we see in the 50s. The tunic and pants were done with both different and like-colored pants. We are mot yet sure which was more common. The tunics seem mostly short lengths. The lengths varied. A common lehgth was halfway between the waist and knee, looking somewhat like long shirts. They were often worn with belts, giving a military look. Most tunic suits were done with long pants. We notice both plain tunic suits as well as some done with a range of fancy detailing. The tunic suit we see in the early 60s seem rather plain, but we see more elaborate detailing by the end of the decade. We are still working on the age ranges. The boys eweating tuics seem to be pre-teen ages.

The 1870s

We continue to see a number of French boys wearing tunics in the 1870s. The detailing seems much more elaborate than we see in the 1869s. An example is the Caplain brothers in Paris about 1870. They seem quite young. We notice a Parisian boy wearing a heavily embroidered tunic suit about the same time (figure 1). Notive the tunic detailing continues on to the pants. We begin to see more boys wearing shotened-length pants, both knee pants and bloomer knickers.

The 1880s

The 1890s