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We are not entirely sure what to call these dresses, but they have details that look rather like boy's suits. The bodies are styled like suit jackets. This we are going to call the suit dresses. We welcome readers who know more about dresses to provide us more information on these drssses. Notably, we do not see girls wearing them. As far as we can tell, they seem to be a boys' dress style. They are different than kilt suits in that suit dresses are one piece garments. We notice these dresses in the late 19th century when Norfolk suits were popular. Thus we see these dresses commonly made with Norfolk detailing. The basic dresses were often made on a A-line basis although some are almost tubular with very little flaring of the skirt. They commonly had self belts.
This cabinet card portrait is unidentified (figure 1). All we know for sire is that the portrait was taken by the Morton studio in Providence, Rhode Island. It is undated, but looks like the 1880s. We are not at all sure how to classify the all white garment the boy is wearing. It is not at all sure to us if this is a dress or a jacketed skirt /kilt suit. The top or bodice has thecappearamce of a jacket, but clearly the buttons or ornamental amd there is no jscket to be opened. And we are not sure of this is a single piece garment or a separate jacket and pleated skirt. It has some similarity with a kilt suit. We are not at all sure how mothers in the 19th century woukd have called it. Because it looks something like a kilt suit, we suspect that this was a style that mothers would have seen as more suitable for a boy than a girl even though there is ruffles and lace trim. Also notuce the large, rounded lace collar. In cotrast to the white dress is his dark long stockings. The most curious aspect of this portrait is the adult-style homberg hat he is holding.
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