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Younger boys wore dresses throughout the 19th century. We still see some dresses advertized for boys in 1905, but this was much less common than in the 1890s. We note the Ladies Home Journal offering dress patterns. Most were for girls, but there was a plaited dress for a liitle boy which the Journal explains could be worn by a girl as well. It was a waistless dress looking rather like a smock.
The pattern here appeared in the March 1905 issue of the Ladies Home Journal As the oldest still publishing, most respected women's service magazine in the country, The Ladies' Home Journal has always focused on issues of crucial importance to millions of women. Since its first issue in December 1883. This long history make The Ladies Home Journal and invaluable source of information on American fashion trends. Its covered an incredibly wide range of topics beyond just fashion, from the latest medical research and consumer news to parenting know-how, workplace survival, good skincare, nutrition facts and much, much more. It was The Ladies Home Journal who sucessfully merged the elements and produced the right formula, becoming the top ladies magazine in America. The Ladies' Home Journal both empowered women and applauded their growing power.
We note the Ladies Home Journal offering dress patterns. Readers could purchase the patterns frm the Journal and sew them at home.
Most of the patterns were for girls.
There was a "plaited" dress for a liitle boy which the Journal explains could be worn by a girl as well. It was a waistless dress looking rather like a smock. I'm not sure what "plaited" meant. Perhaps it means pleats. It was model No. 3815. The Journal ad copy read, "Something new in a plaited dress for a little man, which may be won by a girl quite as well. A figured print or white linnen piped with blue would be attractive for it. Pattern for tis one-piece, plaited dress (No. 3815), closed on the left shoulder and side front, come in four sizes: 2 to 8 years. Size four requires 3 yards and 5/8s of 24 inch material without nap. Price 10 cents." Age 8 seems rather old for a boy to wear a dress in 1905. We suspect that it was made in larger sizes mostly for girls.
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