Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows an unidentified child in a plaid dress. We assume that the child is a boy, both because if the plaid pattern and the side hair part. The portrait wasHe looks to be about 3-years old. taken at the Vick studio in Ipswich. The portrait is undated, but looks to us like the very lsate-1860s or 1870s.

We note prints such as polkadots, plaids, and others. We do not yet a large enough archive to compile a complere list of the various patterns. Plaid was especially popular for boy dresses. We are not sure about the colors, but believe red plaids dominsated. Plaid appears to have been a particularly popular pattern for boys' dresses by the 1870s, in part because it related to a boy's skirted garment--the kilt. We believe that solid colored dresses by the late 19th century became common for boys by the late 19th century, but can not yet substantiate that.

Created: July 10, 2003
Last updated: 4:34 AM 2/26/2010