Figure 1.--

Suits were a very important part of a boy's wardrobe in the 1890s. Both affluent and very poor boys wore them. We note a very wide range of suits offered in the by Eatons Fall-Winter 1893-94 catalog, including both two- and three-piece suits.

T. Eaton Department Store

These suits were offered in the Eaton's Fall and Winter catalog, 1903-04, pp. 158-159. T. Eaton's was a well known Toranto department store. Their catalogs provide a good indication of the styles popular in Canada at the time. This Canadian retailer began publishing mailorder catalogs in 1881, at least that is we begin noticing them. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. The 1970s catalgs were full of clothes which look like American styles. Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian department store chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small dry goods business in Toronto during 1869. He built a giant retail store in Ontario’s capital city along with a country-wide mail-order business and a big new branch store in Winnipeg, by the time of his death in 1907. The Winnipeg branch was the first of many branches. Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40 years. It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.

Suits

Suits were a very important part of a boy's wardrobe in the 1890s. Both affluent and very poor boys wore them.

Three-Piece Suits

One page offers boy's three-piece suits in chest sizes from 27 to 33, which is roughly ages 14 to 19. All these suits have knee pants and are worn with long black stockings. Interestingly, a tuxedo suit is included (p. 158). The ad copy read, "Boys' Suits--3-piece, Norfolk Jacket and Tuxedo Styles. Size 27 to 33-inch chest measure. 665. Navy Blue English Serge, lined with Italian cloth, as cut 665. $2.50. 666. Dark Domestic Tweed, neat patterns, well trimmed, as cut 665. $3.00. 667. Boys' Canadian Tweed Suits, neat patterns, Italian lined, as cut 665. $3.50. 668. Navy Blue All-wool Serge Suits, strong Italian linings, as cut 665. $4.00. 669. Dark All-wool Domestic Tweed, neat patterns, as cut 665. $4.00. 670. Neat Check patterns in stylish dark colors, as cut 665. $4.50. 671. Imported Cloths, Clay Twills and Worsted Serges, in navy blue and black, good linings, as cut 665. $5.00. 672. Scotch Effect Tweeds, brown and Grey mixtures with overplaids, as cut 665. $5.00. 673. Worsted Finished Tweed, dark neat pattern, small check, as cut 665. $6.00. 673A. Navy Blue Worsted Serge and Black or Navy Blue Clay Diagonal Worsted, also Cheviot Tweed, black with indistinct red stripe, as cut 665. $6.50. 674. Dark Imported Scotch Tweed, in neat checks, also Colored English Worsted, as cut 665. $7.50. 675. Dark Domestic Tweed, neat patterns, as cut 675. $3.00. 676. Plain Grey Homespun Halifax Tweed and Checked Domestic Tweeds, as cut 675. $3.50. 677. Navy Blue Serge, soft finish, all wool goods, as cut 675. $4.00. 678. Neat checked patterns, all-wool Domestic Tweed, as cut 675. $4.00. 679. Heavy Weight Fisherman's Cheviot Serge, also neat Domestic Dark Tweed Suits, as cut 675. $4.50. 680. Brown Corduroy, heavy ribbed imported goods, as cut 675. $5.00. 681. Navy Blue and Black All-wool Worsteds and Serges, also dark neat Checked Tweeds, as cut 675. $5.00. 682. Black and Navy Blue Clay Twills, and Navy Blue Worsted Serges, as cut 675. $6.50. 683. Cheviot-finished Tweed, black ground with indistinct red stripe, as cut 675. $6.50. 684. Scotch Tweed, neat mixture with overplaid, best trimmings, as cut 675. $7.50. 685. Boy's Norfolk Suit, coat and pants only, made of all-wool dark grey Tweed with green Overplaid, as cut 685. $4.50. 695. Heavy dark Mixed Tweed, with indistinct stripe, as cut 695. $4.50. 696. Scotch Effect Tweed, grey and green mixture, as cut 695. $5.00. 700. Boys' Tuxedo Suits, imported black Venetian cloth, silk faced, as cut 700. $8.50."

Two-piece Suits

Another page offers two-piece suits. The ad copy read, " Boys' 2-Piece Suits. Sizes 23 to 28 only [chest sizes--boys from about 8 to 14 years] 705. Navy Blue English Serge, lined with Italian cloth, as cut 705. $1.50. 706. Dark Domestic Tweed, in neat small check patterns, as cut 705. $2.00. 707. All-wool Dark and Medium Check Tweed, good linings, as cut 706. 23-24 $2.25. 25-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 710. Navy Blue All-wool Serge, good quality lining, as cut 710. 23-24 $2.25. 25-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 715. Dark All-wool Cheviot Finish Domestic Tweed, plain patterns, as cut 715. 23-24 $2.25. 25-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 716. Dark Brown Small Check Pattern All-wool Canadian Tweed, Italian linings, as cut 715. 23-24 $2.75. 25-26 $3.00. 27-28 $3.25. 717. All-wool Canadian Tweed, dark check overplaid, good linings, as cut 715. 23-24 $2.75. 25-26 $3.00. 27-28 $3.25. 718. Navy Blue Imported Hard Finish Worsted Serge, good quality linings and trimmings, as cut 715. 23-24 $3.25. 25-26 $3.50. 27-28 $3.75. 720. Dark Neat Check All-wool Worsteds, good Italian linings, as cut 720. 23- 24 $3.50. 25-26 $3.75. 27-28 $4.00. 721. Imported Navy Worsted Serges. Black Clay Twills. Black Venetian Worsted, good linings, as cut 720. 23-24 $4.00. 25-26 $4.25. 27-28 $4.50. 725. Heavy All-wool Navy Blue Serge, Italian linings, as cut 725. 23-24 $2.25. 25-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 726. Dark Grey Checked Red Overplaid All-wool Domestic Tweed, good strong linings, as cut 725. 23-24 $2.25. 26-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 727. Dark Checked All-wool Canadian Tweed, heavy weight, good linings, as cut 725. 23-24 $2.75. 25-26 $3.00. 27-28 $3.25. 728. Light and Dark Brown All-wool Tweed, some with overplaids, Italian linings, as cut 725. 23-24 $2.75. 25-26 $3.00. 27-28 $3.25. 729. Imported All-wool Navy Blue Worsted Serge, as cut 725. 23-24 $3.25. 25-26 $3.50. 27-28 $3.75. 729A. Heavy All-wool Scotch Effect Tweed, dark brown, good linings, as cut 725. 23-24 $3.50. 25-26 $3.75. 27-28 $4.00. 729B. All-wool Blue Serge and Black Clay Twill, imported cloths, as cut 725. 23-24 $4.00. 25-26 $4.25. 27-28 $4.50. 730. Norfolk Suits, heavy domestic tweed and navy blue serges, good linings, as cut 730. 23-24 $2.25. 25-26 $2.50. 27-28 $2.75. 731. Scotch Tweed Effect, medium dark mixtures and overplaids, Italian linings, as cut 730. 23-24 $3.00. 25-26 $3.25. 27-28 $3.50. 732. Navy Blue All-wool Worsted Finish Serge, good quality linings, as cut 730. 23-24 $3.25. 25-26 $3.50. 27-28 $3.75. 735. Yoke Back and Front Norfolk, heavy dark striped tweed, good linings as cut 735. 23-24 $3.25. 25-26 $3.50. 27-28 $3.75. 736. Scotch Tweed Effect, Norfolk style, grey and green mixed, Italian linings, as cut 735. 23-24 $3.75. 25-26 $4.00. 27-28 $4.25. 737. Heavy Dark Domestic Tweed, neat patterns, good linings, as cut 735. 23-24 $3.00. 25-26 $3.25. 27-28 $3.50. 738. Blue, Brown and Drab Corduroy Norfolk Suits, as cut 735. 23-24 $3.50. 25- 26 $3.75. 27-28 $4.00. 739. Heavy All-Wool Tweed, stripes and checks, good quality linings, as cut 735. 23-24 $4.50. 25-26 $4.75. 27-28 $5.00. 740. Yoke Style with Belt Norfolk Suit, Oxford grey Halifax and dark stripe tweed as cut 740. 23-24 $2.75. 25-26 $3.00. 27-28 $3.25. 741. All-wool Canadian Tweed stripes, checks and overplaids, good linings, as cut 740. 23-24 $3.25. 25-26 $3.50. 27-28 $3.75. 742. Heavy Scotch Tweed Effect, all-wool grey mixtures, as cut 740. 23-24 $4.00. 25-26 $4.25. 27-28 $4.50. 745. Green and Brown Mixture, all-wool, neatly made with belt, as cut 745. 23- 24 $4.25. 25-26 $4.50. 27-28 $4.75. 750. Dark All-wool Tweed, neat patterns, good linings, as cut 750. 23-24 $3.50. 25-26 $3.75. 27-28 $4.00. 755. Dark Grey Tweed, heavy all-wool cloth, good quality linings, as cut 755. 23-24 $3.50. 25-26 $3.75. 27-28 $4.00. 756. Dark Cheviot Finished Tweed, indistinct stripe, good Italian linings, as cut 755. 23-24 $4.50. 25-26 $4.75. 27-28 $5.00."

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Created: 5:00 PM 7/20/2005
Last updated: 5:00 PM 7/20/2005