Figure 1.--This cabninet portrait was taken May 6, 1897. It shows an unidentified boy wearing a kilt suit. The jacket is done with sailor stripe styling, but made to be worn open to display a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. The portrait was taken by Haneons's Photo Studio in Modesto, Californias. Notice the sailor cap he is holding. We are not sure what the tally says, perhspsts 'Destroyer". Also notice the whicker furniture which was commonly used in turn-of-the century portraits.

The image of the kilt suit does not bring sailor styling to mind, but we see many suits with sailor-styled tops. This presumably occurred because styles, the kilt and the sailor suit, appeared at about the same time--the 1840s. ations stemming from the Brirish royal family. The kilt suit appeared somewhay later, at the same time that the sailor suit was beginning to become a major boys style--the 1870s. But at the time, sailor styling was highly varied. Many 1870s sailor suits were a far cry from the traditional sailor suit that was to become so common. We note a variety of kilt suits done with sailor-styled tops. This has involved a variety of garments. We note both sailor blouses done in a heavy material as well a various types of jackets. We notice boys pull-over blouse done in suiting, meaning a heavy jacket material. Note it is heavy winter jacket. These sailor-styled kilt suits could be quite plain. We also notice garments that looked more like jackets wehich buttoned up. This included both jackets that were made to be worn buttone up and others that were made to be worn open. The jackets made to be worn open were designed to be worn with a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. The effect is an outfit that looks like a Fauntleroy kilt suit even though the jacket is clearly done with sailor styling. The overall effect is a Fauntleroy kilt suit, but here we are discussing the jackets. The Modesto boy's outfit here is a good example (figure 1).

Connection Points

The image of the kilt suit does not bring sailor styling to mind, but we see many suits with sailor-styled tops. This presumably occurred because styles, the kilt and the sailor suit, appeared at about the same time--the 1840s. ations stemming from the Brirish royal family. The kilt suit appeared somewhay later, at the same time that the sailor suit was beginning to become a major boys style--the 1870s. But at the time, sailor styling was highly varied in the 1870s. Sailor jackets were just one of the many styles of jackets worn as part of sailor suits.

Terminology

We have no idea what the kilts suits with sailor jackets were called at the time. They may have been called a sailor suit or a kilt suit or some combinarion of the two. And when the trendency of mothers to add fancy blouses and lrge collars, sdome begin to look likele Fauntleroy kilt suits even though there is a sailor styled jsacket. Because our 19th century catalog archive is limited, we do not have an catalog or fashion magazine articles describing this style.

Blouse and Jacket Styling

Many early sailor suits were a far cry from the traditional sailor suit that was to become so common. And thus we see quite a range of sailor styling used for kilt suits. Some of the these jackets are not immeditely recognizable as sailor jackets. This is in part because the only sailor feature was the "V" front which was not as well developed as it was to become and even this was sometimes covered over by thed large white collars that became so popular in the 1880s. We note a variety of kilt suits done with sailor-styled tops. This has involved a variety of garments. We note both sailor blouses done in a heavy material as well a various types of jackets. We notice boys pull-over blouse done in suiting, meaning a heavy jacket material. Note it is heavy winter jacket. These sailor-styled kilt suits could be quite plain. We also notice garments that looked more like jackets wehich buttoned up. This included both jackets that were made to be worn buttone up and others that were made to be worn open. The jackets made to be worn open were designed to be worn with a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. The effect is an outfit that looks like a Fauntleroy kilt suit even though the jacket is clearly done with sailor styling. The overall effect is a Fauntleroy kilt suit, but here we are discussing the jackets. The Modesto boy's outfit here is a good example (figure 1).

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Created: 6:56 AM 3/18/2010
Last updated: 3:37 AM 11/22/2010