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True velvet is an expensive fabric as it contains at least some silk. We see it being used for dressy children's wear, both girls' dresses and boys' suits. This was the case for mostly younger boys, but older girls as well. The extraordinary industrial expansion of the United States after the Civil War (1861-65) generated wealth on a epic scale. This created not only the great captains of industry, but an enormous middle class and a huge market of well off consumers. This helped fuel the Fauntleroy Craze. Some skeleton suits were done in velvet, but our information on the early-19th century before the advent of photography is limited. Much more information is available beginning with the advent of albumen photography--CDVs and cabinet cards (1860s). The boys' outfit most associated with velvet is the classic Little Lord Fauntleroy suit (1880s). American Fauntleroy suits were commonly done in velvet, especially the classic cut-away jackets and matching knee pants. But it was not only Fauntleroy suits that were done in velvet. Here we see a collar-buttoning jacket, another popular style in the late-19th century (figure 1). There were even sailor suits done in velvet. This was not very common, but because so many boys' wore sailor suits, there are quite a few examples in the photographic record. These were garments for mostly younger boys, especially the Fauntleroy suits. But we see also see some the standard suit styles (collar-buttoning and lapel jackets) for older boys being done in velvet. Some of the junior Eton suits that became so popular for younger American boys in the 20th century were done in velvet or simulated velvet. A reader writes, "Of course, I cannot be certain, but the hat appears to me to be corduroy rather than velvet. Also with the very prominent belt buckle on the jacket, it appears to be a Norfolk styled suit with a Peter Pan collar and silk black stockings." Unfortunately, the scan and probably the image itself does not bring out much detail, but we see ribbing in the ht which does suggest corduroy. Norfolk suits did not normally have belt buckles like that, but self belts are indeed important features of Norfolk styling and there do appear to be vertical pleat elements in the jacket, another feature of Norfolk styling. Norfolk suits were done as both collar-buttoning and lapel jackets.
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