Figure 1.--This unidentified Pittsburg boy wears a suit with vertical detailing that look like Norfolk suit pleats. We see jackets like this very commonly in the 1880s. We are not sure if they can be called Norfolk jackets, but they certainly are influenced by the popularity of Norfolk styling. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1880s.

Norfolk suits consisted of a jacket with destinctive styling. Thevmatching trousers had none of the Norfolk styling. They were usually knee pants or knickers. The jacket had the very destinctive Norfol design elements. We note collar-buttoning jackets and sack suit jackets with lapels. Nut this had nothing to do with the Norfolk styling. Various jacket styles were dome in both collar buttoning and lapel types. The basic Norfolk styling elements were 1) vertical pleats/vents and 2) horizontal waistsel- belts. The well-tailored jacket was a loose belted jacket with a a box pleated front. The belting and pleats could vary widely. Some jackets only had the vents, but some had belts as well. In many suits the vents were only hinted at, in others they were pronounced. We note that by the 1880s in the United States that many jackets had vertical pleating that was a major feature of the Norfolk jacket. We note Norfolk suits with all kinds of pants. The matching pants did not have any of the destinctive Norfolk styling, but were usually knee pants or knickers. Most American boys in the 19th century wore them with knee pants. Hunting suits were wirn with knickers, but as the Norfolk suit became a popular boys' style, that connectionwas broken. There was no real association of the boy's Norfolk suit and any specific type of pants. The pants worn with Norfolk jackets was simply the popular types of pants during the various decades in which Norfolk styling was popular.

Jacket Styling

Norfolk suits consisted of a jacket with destinctive styling. The styling was all in the jacket. The matching trousers had none of the destinctive Norfolk styling. They were usually knee pants or knickers. It was the jacket had the very destinctive Norfolk design elements. We note collar-buttoning jackets and sack suit jackets with lapels. Nut this had nothing to do with the Norfolk styling. Various jacket styles were dome in both collar buttoning and lapel types. The basic Norfolk styling elements were 1) vertical pleats and 2) horizontal waist self belts. The well-tailored jacket was a loose belted jacket with a box pleating vertical design elements. The belting and pleats could vary widely. Some jackets only had the vents, but some had belts as well.

Trousers

We note Norfolk suits with all kinds of pants. The matching pants did not have any of the destinctive Norfolk styling, but were usually knee pants or knickers. This simply reflects yhe popular type of trousers worn by boys at th time. We are not sure to what extent they were done with long trouses. We think this may have been fairly common when the style first appeared in the 1970s and 80s. Most American boys in the 19th century wore Norfolk jackets with matching knee pants. Knickers became more common in the 1910s. Hunting suits were worn with knickers, but as the Norfolk suit became a popular boys' style, that connection was broken. Few American boys wore a Norfolk suit as a hunting suit. There was no real association of the boy's Norfolk suit and any specific type of pants. The pants worn with Norfolk jackets was simply the popular types of pants during the various decades in which Norfolk styling was popular. A good example is Raymond Uferte wearing a knickers Norfol suit in 1921.

Kilt Skirts

We note some American boys wearing kilt suit jackers with some Norfolk elements, especiaaly the jacket vents and pleats. we have not seen full Norfolk jackets, but the verticalvents were fairly common on kilt suit jackets. This was at a time when the Norfolk style was still developing. Aood example is an unidentified boy vacationing with his family in Provincetown (1885). These partial Norfolk jakers of course were just one of the styles worn as part of kilt suits.

Created: 12:54 AM 4/3/2005
Last updated: 7:33 PM 8/14/2017