Figure 1.--This cabinet card is marked 'The Orton children' that mnay be a groups of enterainrers rather than swritten in the portrait by a family member. The portrait is mnot dated but looks like the 1880s, in part because of the mount. The boy is wearing leather leggings. You can see straps on the back, probably part of clasp closures. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

Leggings were made with fifferebt closures. We see some leggings with large numbers of buttons. There were also straps which had clasps at the sides or backs. WEe are not sure the closures went ball yher way down the lrggings. This is all a little difficult to assess from the photographic record which are modtly tgaken from the front. Here a factor was the different materials, cloth anmd leather. That would have been daun ting for a younger child to master. Surely mother would have had to have helped. On other leggings the buttons are less apparent. HBC does not yet have adequate information to assess the different closures. Leggings in the 1940s and 50s had zippers which replaced the buttons. So putting on and taking of leggings became easier and even older toddlers might be able to dress thmselves.

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Created: 10:53 PM 1/15/2022
Last updated: 5:54 PM 1/17/2022