Figure 1.--This cabinet card shows an unidentified boy wering a suit with a pattern, but it is difficult to make out the type of suit. Note the large, stiff Eron collar worn wih a floppy bow. Note the floppy bow has been carefully stuffed under the collar. The mount suggests suggest th portrait was taken about 1890-95. The portrait was taken by P.S. Ryder Studio of Syracuse New York.

American boys wore a wide variety of suits with Eton collars. We are still collecting information on this to develop information on the many different styles of suits. The number of boys wearing actual Eton suits were quite limited, much more so than in Brutain. A much larger number of boys wore single breasted, doubled breasted, Norfolk, and other suits with the Eton collar. One feature of most of the suit jackets worn with Eton collars was that they buttoned to the collar and did not have lapels. Eton collars were most commonly worn by boys after they had graduated from more juvenile clothes such as tunics, Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits and other styles for younger boys. We do not see, however, older teens wearing them. This of course was afactor in the style of suits being worn. A boys first real suit by the 1870s or 1880s would often have a Eton collar. One of the most common suit styles was the Norfolk suit. We note many boys wearing suits with patterns, in some cases loud patterns. Essentilly this was standard suits worn by American boys at the time. In sime cases we can't see the stle of jackers because the portraits are closeups. This is something we do not se that often in Britain. These suits usually had either kneepants, knickers, or long pants. While kneepants were popular in the late-19th Century, Norfolk suits often came with knickers. Short pants were less common as by the time they had become stylish, Eton collars were less common. Eton collars were also worn with kilts.

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Created: 5:50 PM 9/13/2007
Last updated: 3:58 AM 9/17/2012