Figure 1.--This photograph shows a dress worn by a small Dutch boy in the 1740s. Notice the stylish large cuffs. Men at the time wore jackets with the large cuffs. This seems to suggest that dresses for boys had some syling derived from mens clothes.

Younger Dutch boys like other European boys for several centuries commonly wore dresses for several years before they were breeched and began to wear trousers like their fathers. HBC at this time has little information about this practice in the Netherlands. Available imagesm however, provide some information on the styles of dresses worn over time. As in the rest of Europe, this practice began to decline after the turn of the 20th century.

Chronology

HBC has just begun to assess Dutch boys' dresses. One 1740s dress appears to have styling derived from mens clothes. HBC had thought that boys and girls wore identical dresses in the 18th and early 19th century and that boys' styles developed in the late 19th century. This subject needs to be investigated further.

Ages

HBC at this time does not have detailed information on the age of boys wearing dresses. Obvuously theywere worn by babies. But boys also wore them well after toddler ages. In other European countries, boys were generally breeched at about age 5. This varied from country to country and overtime. Much was up to the judgement of indovidual mothers. HBC at this time has no information specifically related to Dutch parctices concerning the appropriate age for boys to wear dresses.

Christening Dresses

Religion has played a major role in the history of the Netherlands. It featured prominently in the struggle for independence from Spain in the 16th century. Most Dutch are protestants. An important event for any Dutch family was the christening of a new baby. The baby was dressed in often elaborately embroidered white dresses for the event. The importance of religion has declined in the modern Netherlands, but through the mid-20th century, christening was a major event.

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Created: March 23, 2001
Last updated: March 23, 2001