Figure 1.--This CDV shows an unidentified Sottish boy wearing what looks at first glance like a school blazer. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1860s. We believe that in the 1860s this could have been fancy suit jacket rather than a school blazer. He wears different colored knickes with the jacket and long stockings that match the knickers along with high-top shoes. His sisters wear matching dresses. Notice that the firl wear sockks. American children in the 19th century mostly wore long stockings. The studio was James Baecanqual in Auchtermuchty, town n Fife, a county north of Edinburgh.

The first dedicated boy's garment was the skeleton suit. Earlier boys just wore scaled down garments like the one their father wore. Skeleton suits were worn in the early-19th century They consisted of high-waisted, button-on jackets and long pants. Unfotunately we do not have any Scottish images of these suits, but they were common throughout Western Europe. Gradually as we approach mid-century we begin to see more modern looking sack/lapel suits suits. Scottish boys seemed to have followed Scottish trends. Skeleton suits had the jacket (top) generally made in the same materail and color. We also begin to see vests. The suits we begin to see at mid-cehtury commonly had diferent colors amd material for the jacket, optional vest, and pants. Cuts varied with jackets longeer than modern jackets. Skeleton suits had long pants. The new evolving sack/lapel suits were at first done with long pants, but by mid-century we begin to see shortened-length pants, both kickers and knee pants. We also begin to see more commonly suits done in the same material (1860s). Here with the popularity of the CDV we can begin to follow fashion trends in detail. From that point on suits were made in the same material, including the vests. We also begin to see colorful vests worn with grey pants or cricket whites. This was initially a school style. We first see what look like single breasted jackets. After mid century we see double-breasted jackets. Norfolk styling becomes popular. Vests became very popular in the late-19th century. The suit as the standard boy's garment thouhout the 19th century througout the 19th century. Older boys began wearing shortened-length suit pants (1880s). This continued into the 20th century. We begin to see a more informal trend in the 20th century century, especially after World War I in the the 1920s, but Scottish boys still wore suit jackets as standard wear. Most boys wore short pants suits. Single-breasted jackets became the standard. American boys often wore blazers instead of suits, but in Britain the blazer was more of a school style. Scottish boys comtinued to wear short pants suits through the 1950s, but long pants began to become more common (1960s). At the same times suits were steadily becoming less prevalent, replaced by increasingly informal fashions.

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Created: 6:41 AM 5/8/2019
Last updated: 6:41 AM 5/8/2019