Figure 1.--We begin to see large numbers of CDVs in Britain during the 1860s. Here we see an unidentified English boy. All we know bout him was that he was 4-years old. He is wearing a cut-away jacket with heavily embroidered bloomer knickers and is holding a military-styled cap. Notice the socks and bare legs. American boys wore long stockings. The portrait was taken in October 1869. The studio was David Hains in Kensington which we think was the London neighborhood..

Trousers or panrs in America were the second primry suit garment. By the 1860s when cut-away jackets had become standard boys wear, the suit garments matched. We are not yet sure just how common the various types of pants were. we are still assessing the photogrphic record. Our English archive is smaller than our American record. Our 19th century English archive is too limited to form any valid assessment yet. We note all these different types of trousers being worn: long pants, knickers, bloomer knickers, and straight-leg knee pants. Bloomer knickers, meaning draw-string closures rather than buckles, seem very popular, much more popular than in America. We see knee pants in both America and England. All the shortened-length trousers were cut rather long in the 1860s and 70s, often at calf level, some nearly to the ankles. Only in the 1880s do we begin to see these pants more toward knee lengths. We see the same variety of trouses in America for which we have many more images. We are just not sure how common the different types were in England. The cut-away jacket was primarily worn by younger boys so we believe that the shortened-length pants were more common with cut-away jackets than they would have been for a wider age cross section. The type of trousers worn with cut-away jackets were in part affected by the decade. While we see boys wearing these shortened-length pants, long pants were still very common, even for younger boys. This included even pre-school boys, at least in the 1860s and 70s. By the 1880s the shortened-length pants were being more widely worn, although cut-away jackets were declining in popularity.

Matching

Trousers or panrs in America were the second primry suit garment. By the 1860s when cut-away jackets had become standard boys wear, the suit garments matched.

Types

We are not yet sure just how common the various types of suit pants worn with cut away jacket suits were. we are still assessing the photogrphic record. Our English archive is smaller than our American record. Our 19th century English archive is too limited to form any valid assessment yet. We note all these different types of trousers being worn: long pants, knickers, bloomer knickers, and straight-leg knee pants. Bloomer knickers, meaning draw-string closures rather than buckles, seem very popular, much more popular than in America. We see knee pants in both America and England. We see the same variety of trousers in America for which we have many more images. We are just not sure how common the different types were in England. We think prevalence in the photogrphic record is a good reflection of actual prevalence. so as we acquire more images we should be able to answer this question. These were not trousers specifically adopted for cut-away jackets, they were just the standard trouser types worn by the boys at the time.

Age

The cut-away jacket was primarily worn by younger boys so we believe that the shortened-length pants were more common with cut-away jackets than they would have been for a wider age cross section. The boy here looks to be about 4-years old (figure 1). We see boys up to about 11-years of age wearung these jackets with shortened-length pants.This is just our initial assessment. we hope to refine it as our English archive grows.

Chronology

The type of trousers worn with cut-away jackets were in part affected by the decade. Unfortuntely we have very few 1850s images. Only with the introduction of thev CDV in the 1860s do we have many images to assess. While we see boys wearing these shortened-length pants, long pants were still very common, even for younger boys. This included even pre-school boys, at least in the 1860s and 70s. By the 1880s the shortened-length pants were being more widely worn, although cut-away jackets were declining in popularity.

Length

All the shortened-length trousers were cut rather long in the 1860s and 70s, often at calf level, some nearly to the ankles. Only in the 1880s do we begin to see these pants more toward knee lengths.

Decoration

Pants and trousers for the most part are not decorated. Most of the decoration and styling is in the jacket. An exception was shioteed length knee pants and knickers for t=younger boys in the 1870s. This was nostly embroidered in some cases elaborate enbroidery. A good example is an Eastbourne boy.

Hosiery

Shortened-length trousers reveal the hosiery boys wore with these cut-away jacket suits. Amweican biys always wore lonf stockings. In Britain we see ak=lso see long stockings, bur=t we also see socls. White sovks wre common in the 1860s and 70s. We mostly see dark hosiery beginning in the 1880s.

Created: 7:04 AM 7/30/2012
Last updated: 6:28 AM 2/16/2024