Figure 1.--This portrait was done in Cleveland Ohio by B. Decker and labeled "Paris Panel." It might have been some kind of commerical photograoh rather than a personal portrait. We have no details. Nor are we able to date it since the children are wearing costumes, surely the early-20th century.

Many American boys wore kilt outfits. They were primarily kilt suits for younger boys. These were not precisely kilts, but the term was commonly used. Actual Highland kilt outfits were less common, although boys from wealthy families like Franklin Roosevelt might wear them. Even kilt suits were primarily worn by children from affluent fmilies, but Highland kilt outfits we believe were indicators of very well-to-do families. Both the image projected and thecost of items like sporrans suggest to us that thry were mostly worn by boys from well healed families. While Highland outfits were not very common, they were worn. We have found several portraits of American boys wearing full Higland regalia, most commonly in the late 19th century up to about the turn-of-the 20th century. We even note one Highland outfit that one mother seems to have brought home from London, only with kneepants rather than a kilt. We also see boys wearing Highland kilts as a kind of fancy dress costume. The image here sems to be an example (figure 1).

Highland Kilt Outfits

Many American boys wore kilt outfits. They were primarily kilt suits for younger boys. These were not precisely kilts, but the term was commonly used. Actual Highland kilt outfits were less common, although boys from wealthy families like Franklin Roosevelt might wear them. Even kilt suits were primarily worn by children from affluent fmilies, but Highland kilt outfits we believe were indicators of very well-to-do families. Both the image projected and thecost of items like sporrans suggest to us that thry were mostly worn by boys from well healed families. While Highland outfits were not very common, they were worn. We have found several portraits of American boys wearing full Higland regalia, most commonly in the late-19th century up to about the turn-of-the 20th century. We even note one Highland outfit that one mother seems to have brought home from London, only with kneepants rather than a kilt. This was not very common.

Fancy Dress Costumes

We also see boys wearing Highland kilts as a kind of fancy dress costume. Fancy dress was popular among well-to-do fanilies in the late-19th and early-20th centurues. We see several examples in the phorographic record. The image here seems to be an example (figure 1). This were Scottish costumes, but without the meticulous accuracy of the Highland outfits. For these costumes, boys often wore plaid skirts rather than proper kilts. These images are relatively easy to spot because they usually lack the background that tells us that they were being worn as an actual garment in every day life. And they tend to be picture perfect examples of Hughland Kilts rather than something that mother has more or less thrown together based on an often very rudimentary understanding of Scottish fashions.

Created: 2:52 AM 12/30/2004
Last updated: 12:29 AM 11/12/2023