Figure 1.--This Canadian boy was phototographed at the Ewing Studio in Toronto, probably in the 1870s. He wears a cut-away jacket suit with knickers. They look more like proper knickers than the bloomer knickers Amnerican boys commonly wore. Notice his bowler hat to the left.

Canadian boys wore cut-away jackts with matching and contrasting pants. They were also worn with various trouser types. We see boys wearing knee pants, bloomer knickers, and long pants. At the time that cut-away jackets were popular, most boys wore long pants. Conventions varied from family to family, but even younger bys miht wear long pants. The cut-away jacket, however, was a style for youngr boys and in the 1860s bd 70s, yoinger boys might wear shoetened-length pants. We are not yet sure about the relative poplrity of the differentv types of pants. Some of the Canadian boys wear knickers rather than the bloomer knickers that American boys seem to commonly wear. An example of a cut-away jacket suit worn with what look like knickers is the suit worn by William McFarland Notman about 1870.

Created: 11:01 PM 2/1/2008
Last updated: 11:02 PM 2/1/2008