Figure 1.--This cabinet card is undated and there is no studio information. The girls dresses include lace. plaid, and velvet with the big baloon sleeves. The baloon sleeves date the image to the 1890s -- probably the mid-90s. The boys wear the same almost identical double-breasted suits. Note the high-set lapels. We are not sure why the collar and neckwear is different. The children look to be about 1-12 years old.

The sack suit first appeared in the mid-19th century. It began as a loose fitting single-breasted garment without a waist seam, but we soon see double-breasted versions as well. We are not sure where they first appeared, presumably Britain. Nor do we know who created the style. These were the two basis styles of the sack suit, but their were countles stylishic redering of these two basic sack suit styles. They were a style worn by school-age boys and adults. T he popularity of the single-breasted and double-breasted styles varied over time as well as many other sylistic details, especially the placement and size of the lapels. The lapels were the single most important stylistic variation of lapel suits. Double-breasted suits were popular at the turn-of-the-20th century. Single-breasted suits gradually grew increasingly popular as the 20th century unfolded, especially after World War II, but double-breasted suits have never entirely gone out of style. I remember thinking as a boy in the 1950s that double-breasted suits looked rather old fashioned. At the time we mostly saw adukts wearing diuble-breasted suits, but this was not the case earlier in the century. Sinle breasted jackets were standard in the lte-20th century, especially after the 1940s. We occassionaly saw boys wearing double-breasted suits. Suits in general, however, were increasingly less common. And we do not notice them in the 21st century.

18th Century

The men's suit bagam evolving in the 17th century when men first began wearing a coat over a shirt and vest. By the 18th century was fairly established. both men and boys wore them. the ida od dedicated fashions fir children was just beginning to appear in the late-18th centuty. The skeleron suitwas the firsrt such garment. Suits were by bith boys and men, but much of the populationm esopecuially poor boys coukd not afford suits.
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The 19th Century

The sack suit first appeared in the mid-19th century. At the time, collar buttoning and cut-away jckets were more populr for boys. The sack suit began as a loose fitting single-breasted garment without a waist seam, but we soon see double-breasted versions as well. We are not sure where they first appeared, presumably Britain. Nor do we know who created the style. These were the two basis styles of the sack suit, but their were countles stylishic redering of these two basic sack suit styles. And the increasingly substantial photographic record provides a detailed decade by decade history of these fashion trends. These suits became popular at about the same time tyhjat large numbers of photographic image began to be taken. They were a style worn by school-age boys and adults. The popularity of the single-breasted and double-breasted styles varied over time as well as many other sylistic details, especially the placement and size of the lapels. The lapels were the single most important stylistic variation of lapel suits. There were other details, such as pockets. Flap pockets seem very popular in the 1890s. These suits were worn mostky with long pants and knee pants depending in the boys' age and decade. Knickers wee also worn by not nearly as common.

The 20th Century

Boys still commonly wore suits in the early-20th centuy. Double-breasted suits were popular at the turn-of-the-20th century, both the late-19th and early-20th century. Single-breasted suits gradually grew increasingly popular as the 20th century unfolded, at first for boys. Norfolk styling was very popular in the early-20th century and most were single-breasted jackets. The Norfolk suit was especially popular and many were sungle breasted suit, but we stil commonly see double-breasted jackets in the 1920s and even the 30s. Single breasted jackets emerged as the dominant style for boys, especially after World War II, but double-breasted suits have never entirely gone out of style. They were, hoever, rarely worn by boys in the post-War era. I remember thinking as a boy in the 1950s that double-breasted suits looked rather old fashioned. At the time we mostly saw adults wearing double-breasted suits, and even that was becoming less common. This was not the case earlier in the century. Single breasted jackets were standard in the late-20th century, especially after World War II in the 1950s. We occassionaly saw boys wearing double-breasted suits, mostly in fashion magazines. Suits in general, however, were increasingly becoming less common as fashions continued to become more casual.

The 21st Century

We no longer notice double-breasted jackets in the in the 21st century. Actually suits in general are not very common in the 21st century. Many schoolm age boys still have suits, but only wear them for the most formal evcents. We no longer notice double-breasted jackets in the in the 21st century.

Created: 3:29 AM 3/7/2012
Last updated: 5:35 PM 9/11/2022