Figure 1.--This is a detail from a 1820 portrait showing aristocratic boys wearing skeleton suits. Notice how colorful the uits were. Tese boys were Italian, but skeleton were a style widely worn by aristicratic boys and not assoiated with any particular country. It also became a style widely worn by boys of the expanding middle-class, but were less colorful .

The primary era for the skeleton was the early 19th century (1800-40). We see some skeleton suits in the 1830s, but the style was declining. The skeleton suits began as an aristocratic style, but in the early-19th century with the development of the Industrial Revolution and expansion of the middle-class ewe see far more people wearing fashionable clothing even children. But this was all only beginning in the 1820s. Unfortunately, photography did not come into the picture while skeleton suits were worn, so were bascically limited to the small number of portraits being painted. The skeleton suit was the first dedicated style for children, in this case boys. BNut future children's styles by mid-century would be captured by photography. Skeleton suits had many variations, but the classic suit had several common features which varied only slightly over time. It was most popular during the first three decades of the 19th Century. The classic skeleton suit consisted of a tight, short jacket and usually matching trousers. The trousers of these classic suits could have extremely high waistlines. In some cases the waistlines of the trousers could be halfway between the waist and the arm pits.

Created: 5:53 AM 6/17/2026
Last updated: 5:53 AM 6/17/2026