Figure 1.--The salor style in the 1870s was being used for boys even before breaching. This is H.Douglas Burn photographed at Sandown on the Isle of Wight on July 13, 1872. He is 2 years and 7 months old. Note the hat, suit styling, and stipped socks.

While Quen Victoria and Prince Albert set the precedent for dressing English princes in sailor suits, the style did not begin to catch on with the general public until the 1870s. The sailor suit achieved immense popularity, in both Continental countries (especially Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherland). The style was also widely popular in the United States. Interestingly, the sailor suit was more popular in many of these countries than England itself. Nowhere was the sailor suit more popular than Germany which proceeded to build a powerful navy, deemed necessary for a modern colonial power. Sailor suits were especially popular for the royal princes in virtually every European country--most with powerful navies. Many royal families had strong naval links. Both the British and German royal families dressed their children in the new fashion. This reached a peak with the children of George V who wore virtually nothing but sailor suits, except for kilts on visits to Scotland. The sailor suit by the 1860s had begun to spread to other countries in Europe. We still do not fully understand the ages at which sailor suits were worn which undoubtedly varied over time and in different countries. They were still generally worn by younger boys, but by the 1880s the style was being extended to older boys as well who began to commonly wear them. By the late 1880s the style had become almost a uniform for boys and even spread to girls fashions. The sailor seat reached its peak in the 1890s. Few boys in the 1890s did not wear a sailor suit at some time.

The 1870s

While Quen Victoria and Prince Albert set the precedent for dressing English princes in sailor suits, the style did not begin to catch on with the general public. By the 1870s, however, the sailor suit had become a major style for boys. A good example is Maurice Carmichael Tweedie, an English boy in 1878. The sailor suit achieved immense popularity, in both Continental countries (especially Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherland) as well as countries outside of Western Europe like Greece. The style was also widely popular in the United States. Interestingly, the sailor suit was more popular in many of these countries than England itself. Sailor suits were especially popular for the royal princes in virtually every European country--most with powerful navies. Many royal families had strong naval links. Both the British and German royal families dressed their children in the new fashion. This reached a peak with the children of George V who wore virtually nothing but sailor suits, except for kilts on visits to Scotland. The sailor suit by the 1870s had begun to spread to other countries in Europe. The fact that royalty wore sailor suits helped to make them increasingly popular with the general public making it a major boys' style. By the 1870s sailor suits were one of the most popular styles for boys. Younger boys might wear dresses with sailor styling even before breaching. We are unsure as to what age boys would wear sailor suits in the 1870s. We believe that older boys wore sailor suits on the Continent than England, but this needs confirmation. We stillhave only limited information as to the popularity of the sailor suit in individual countries or the ages of the boys weaing them in specific countris. We note that sailor suits were being worn even in countries outside the Western mainstream like Greece.

The 1880s

They were still generally worn by younger boys, but by the 1880s the style was being extended to older boys as well who began to commonly wear them. By the late 1880s the style had become almost a uniform for boys and even spread to girls fashions.

The 1890s

The sailor seat reached its peak in the 1890s. Few boys in the 1890s did not wear a sailor suit at some time. A factor here was Kaisser Wilhelm II of Germany who became Kaisser in 1888 and dismissed Chancellor Bismarck only 2 years later. The new Kaisser launched a more agressive foreign policy and decided to build a naval force to rival the British Royal Navy. A major publicity campaign mastermined by Admiral Tripitz was necessary to convince a reluctant Reichstag to approve the vast expenditures required to build a modern navy. This and the resulting arms race had a major impact on the popularity of the sailor suit in Germany and the rest of Europe. Battleships were ship of great national prestige which added to a boy of wearing them. It is no accident that nowhere was the sailor suit more popular than Germany which proceeded to build a powerful navy, deemed necessary for a modern colonial power. The sailor suit was one of the most popular outfits for boys in the 1890s. We see them being worn by boys in many different countries. We note an American boy in 1891.

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Created: July 17, 1998
Last updated: 3:16 AM 12/29/2006