Figure 1.--This enigmatic painting by Anguissola is a 9-year old scion of an Italian nobel family, Massimiliano Stampa. It was painting in the mid-16th Century when boys and men still wore bloomer like breeches and long, tight-like stockings.

Photography

Some of the most reliable information on boys fashions in the years before photography (mid-19th Century) was developed were paintings and drawings. Even after the commercial development of photography in the 1840s, it is paintings that provide details on color as well as settings in context that provide valuable insights into fashions and how they were worn. Photography until the turn of the 20th Century was generally limited to a photographer's studio and it was not until the 1950s that color photographs become widely available.

Portraits

Many artists specialized in portrait paintings which was the most lucrative form of painting. Artists like every one else had to be worried about making a living. After the Renaisance when art was no longer dominated by the Church, almost all of the great masters either specialized in portraits or used portrait painting to fimance their other work. The images that emerged provide fascinating details on the fashions of the day. While the paintings are not nearly as numerous as photographs, they offer one great advantage in that they provide historical information on the color of the garments worn. In addition, there is often considerable background information available on the dates and even the individuals involved.

Alphabetical Lists

Some of the most important artists providing information on boys' fashions in different countries include:

A-F

G-L

M-R

S-Z

Unknown

Created: February 29, 1999
Last updated: January 3, 2002