Figure 1.--The unidentified boy in this CDV portrait wears a cut-away jacket suit. Notice the scalloped trim on the jacket edges, pockets and knee pants. He has white long stockings and whsat look like ecpemsive high-top shoes. He is holding a straw hat with a black silk tassel. The photographer was E. Murphy & Brother of Binghamton, New York. The portrait is undated, but we woud guess was taken in the late-1860s.

We notice boys hats with tassles. This seemed most common in the early-19h century. We still see a few examples at mid-century. We see a few rounded-crown hats with tassles. They were not very long and did not hang down over the brim. This was as far as we can tell from the photographic record not very common. This was both the case for the rounded-crown hats and for the 1860s. These tassles seem to be a boys' styles with military origins. WE notice them more on caps than hats. We do not note them on girls hats. The tassels were usually silk.

Created: 12:26 AM 8/27/2008
Last updated: 12:26 AM 8/27/2008