Figure 1.--A French sources describes this modern photograph as a dress worn by a French boy in the late 19th century. This photo is a historic reconstitution provide from collection du Musée Carnavalet France with the help from autentical collection Mrs Langley-Moore of London. It is described as a "costme escoces", a "Scottish outfit". The sleeve style looks to HBC as more like the mid-19h century, perhaps the 1850s or 60s. |
Boys by the late 19th century were wearing plainer dresses styles and there wwre significant stylistic differences between boys and girls' dresses, although not all mothers conformed to those differences. Young French boys until 4 or 5 years of age until the mid-19th century were virtually indestinguishable from girls. They wore the same dresses and lace collars as their sisters convenient for the thrifty mother in a large family. Many of these dresses reflected the looser fitting, less restrictive garments worn by some French boys. This began to cahnge in the alte 19th century as more clearly boys styles appeared. In addition the fashions were more formal and restrictive.
HBC has noted several styles of dresses worn by French boys in the late 19th century.
The Russian blouse:
The English robe was a simple dress for young children, both boys and girls. A French fashion magazine in 1882 described it as "... an unfitted pleated dress with two or three flounces at the hem, collar, and cuffs, often of plush or velvet, belted barely above the knee, passing under or inside the pleats or supported outside by belt loops, tied in a bow in back." [La Mode Ilustree, November, 1882] During the late 19th century this style was worn by boys until about 4 years of age, sometimes longer, and by girls until they were about 8 years old. It was o unknown, however, for a French mother to dress all of her children including boys in this style until 7 or 8 years. By the turn of the century, boys were not much seen in the robe anglaise after about 2 years, rather they began appearing in simple, low-waisted, straight piqué smock.
The American robe style appeared after the robe anglaise. It was an unbelted, dress gathered and falling in loose folds from a yoke which was often smocked. It usually had full sleeves which, when long, were banded at the wrist. This garment was sometimes referred to as a blouse. The design was based on that of a smock and commonly worn for school or play. Versions with ruffles and other trim could be used for more formal occasions.
Scottish styles were popular in Europe during the 19th century. Boys not only wore kilts, but tartan fabric and patterns were employed in dresses and other garments. We believe that Scottish styles were more popular in the mid-19th century, but this is a topic that needs to be pursued in more detail.
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