Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows two unidentfied brothers wearing identical suits with shirt lapel jackets. Yje boys look to be aboutb 8-11 years old. The portrait is undated, but we believe was take in he late-1860s, despite the modern posing. The sharp corners help to date it. Note tyhat the pants do not match the jacket. We see notched high see notched lapels with velvet trim. There are teo sude pockets. Particularly notabkle are the buttons. There are not as many nuttons as we see in the 1840s and 50s, but there are still far more than we see on modern jackets.

There are a range of elements to a suit jacket. The most obvious suit element is the lapels. Not all suits have lapels, such as the collar buttoning jacket which was very important in the 19th century, cut-away jackets, junior Eton suits. The boy wearing a cut-away jacket here is a good example (figure 1). But the major element in modern suits is the lapels and the governing the two major types of suits: single and double breasted suits. Double-breasted jackets were very common in yhe late-19th century and early-20th century, but after World War I (1914-18), single-breasted jackets dominasted, especially for boys. One fashion expert mentions 37 elements of a suit. The most imprtant elements of a suit jacket are the back, buttoning, collar, lapels (notch, peak, or shawl), length, lining, pockets, quarters, shoulder treatment, skirt (lower half of the jacket), sleeves and sleeve cuffs, and waist suppression. Many of these features are more important on adult suit jackets than on boys' suits. Not all jackets that have the basic elements and they could vary widely among the various jacket types. Some jacket types are similar for boys and adults. Some are identucal. Others are very different. We rely heavily on the phitographic record which provide more information on some of these elements than others. Information on the back and linings is limited.

Created: 1:44 AM 7/24/2024
Last updated: 1:44 AM 7/24/2024