Figure 1.--Here we see the elaborate decoration on a boy's velvet kilt suit (1898). It was a three kilt suit. It includes the kilt jacket, kilt skirt, and vest. The three pieces all has=ave same dark grey decorarive piping, a little difficult to see because it is so dark. Click on the image for a fuller view. >

Kilts are today a type of ethnic clothing. This was also the case before the 19th century. In the early-19th century a young British princess vecanme queen--Victoria. She was not well educatedm but was an avid reader and devloped aove of Scotland. She an Orince aklbet decided to dreess the princes of varying ages in kilts. Thuis turned the kilt from an ethnic garment intio an imoortabt boys' garment. There were a variety of kilt outfits which developed, including Highland kilts, kilt suits, and kilt-skirt outfits. These outfits were widely worn in Britain, Canada, and America, but less so in other countries. The kilt suit in the late-19th century was a major suit style for younger boys. These kilt suits were very commonly worn in Britain and America, but surprisingly most common in America. The jacket was was usually styled like a regular suit jacket, but there were jacket styles just for kilt suits. They were often worn with vests, except when being done as Fauntleroy kilt suits, like the example here (figure 1). The boy for the kilt suit wore a kilted skirt rather than trousers. The kilt skirt was commonly longer than the traditional Scottish kilt that the fashion was loosely based on. The material was usually both solid colors as well as muted plaids. A good example is an American blue kilt suit probably worn in the 1880s (figure 1). We also notice kilt-skirts with vary degrees of kilt styling. Some were essentially plaid skirts. We notice a bright red plaid kilt skirt worn by an American boy about 1895. We have a French kilt suit or perhaps a kilt suit styled dress from the 1890s. Here we see a black velvet kilt suit worn by Harris Whittemore Jr. in 1898. Black was not very common for kilt suits. It was done with grey piping and decoration. Harris woyld be the model for Marie Cassett's painting 'Boy wuth golden curls'. She would paint him, however in a blue sailor outfit. Here we see the full suit showing the hcket with the floppy bow and lace collar (figure 1), bnut we also have iashes of the various other garments which help us understand the outfit in greater dertail.,