Figure 1.--While we have few Scottish Dags and Ambros, the CDVs that began to appear in the 860s give us a good insight as to fashion trends in Scotland. This unidentified Scottish boy wears a classic Highland kilt outfit complete with Glengarry, eagle feather, and sporan in a CDV portrait. He looks to be about 8-9 years old. The boy has some kind of crossbow which was unusual. The portrait is undated but the mount style (pointed corners) identifies it as an early portrait, either the 1860s or 70s. We would guess the mid-1860s. The studio was Low in Dundee.
We are not sure precisely how common it was for Scottish boys to wear kilts in the early-19th Century. The harsh measures against Scotland had been largely rescinded by the tun of-the 19th century. The Scottish literary revival beginning ikn the late-18th century was certainly a factor in changing the image of all things Scottish. Poetry and novels increasingly made the plaid a fashion experiment for the elite of English society.We have not been able to dtermine if or to what extent the kilt increased in popularity during the early-19th century, but we know that kilts were worn in the Higlands. The performance of Scottish regiments wearing kilts in the Napoleonic Wars was another factor in popularizing the kilt. What is not clear to us is just who in Scotland was wearing the kilts and for what occasions. It is clear that tartan suddently became fashionable among affluent fashion-conscious Englishmen 1822 when King George IV wore a kilt during a visit to Scotand (1832). The fashion conscious suddenly wanted to wear a kilt also. It is unclear how this trend affected boys. Earlier the kilt was generally considered a garment for poor uncultured Scottish highlanders. English boys would not have worn a kilt earlier. The new kilt fashion was made popular for boys in the 1840s when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began dressing the young princes in kilts. Queen Victorian and her descendents began to dress the young princes in kilts, a tradition which continued until Charles' sons William and Harry who disliked wearing them. The Queen's choice of the kilt made it acceptable in England and eventually an offshoot, the kilt suit in America. The kilt was not adopted as specifically boys wear until the Queen began dressing the princes in kilts in the 1840s. Only in the late-19th Century as the price of trousers began to decline in real terms did the wearing of the kilt begin to disappear in Scotland among poor children. I believe at mid-century the kilt may have been more common among boys than their fathers, but I am unable at this time to confirm this from historical sources. The industrial revolution enabled the precise manufacturing and replication made possible by machinery, allowed the mass reproduction of the plaid. Many of the poor boys wearing kilts, however, wore cheap cloth kilts rather than more expensive tartans. It is unclear if Scottish boys were wearing kilts to go to school or for play and work. It appears that the kilt in Scotland during the 19th Century was primarily worn for dress occaions by middle class and wealthy boys for dressing up, such as church, parties, weddings and other formal occasions. We arev unsure how the kilt was worn by poorer and middle-class boys. Victoria's grandchildren, for example, wore kilts for casual wear while in Scotland. Available photographic images available from the mid 19th Century onward provides a somewhat better idea of the extent of kilt usage in Scotland and just who was wearing kilts. One Scottish HBC contributor reports that kilt wearing by boys in Scotland began to spread from the affluent and middle class to urban or non-Highland "respectable" (more affluent) working class in the 1880s, although HBC can not yet substaniate this.
The 1800s
We are not sure precisely how common it was for Scottish boys to wear kilts in the early 19th Century. Certainly poets like James Burns (1759-96) and novelists like Sir walter Scott (1771-1832) helped to lead a Scottish revival. The kilt does seem to have grown in popularity during this period. The performance of Scottish regiments in the Napoleonic Wars was another factor in popularizing the kilt. What is not clear to us is just who in Scotland was wearing the kilts and for what occasions at the turn of the 19th century. We believe that kilts were much more commonly worn by Scottish boys in rural areas during this era, especially boys from poor families. This was probably more of an economic matter as a kilt was a less expensive garment than trousers. More affluent boys in urban aras might, like their fathers, have a dress kilt for formal occasions. Evidence on the prevalence of 19th century boys to wear the kilt is scanty at best. Without photography we have very limited information.
As far as we can tell, the Scottish kilt until the 1820s was still oknly worn in Scotland. And until the Napoleonic wars of the earky 19th century, the kilt had a rather unsavory reputation in Englandm asociated with the Scittish jaconin insurrections. Hardly the thing an English mother would choose for her son. A strong indication of the change underway was when King George IV wore a kilt during a state visit to Scotand (1822). Interestingly Turner in his pinting commemorating the event paints a little Scottish boy wearing a kilt inside St. Giles. This shows that the Scottish at the time wre dressing little boys in kilt outfits for special occassions. this would have been been the upper classes. We are still left with little information about every day dress and the irking class. It is worth noting that the King was lampooned for wearing a kilt in the Englih press. The idea of an Enhlish man or boy wearing a kilt was still on the cutting edge of fashion. Combined with the earlier romantic literature and the heroism of the Scottish regiments, tartan began fashionable among affluent fashion-conscious Englishmen The fashion conscious suddenly wanted to wear a kilt also. It is unclear how this trend affected boys. It is likely that this fashion trend included boys--at least among affluent families. Earlier the kilt was generally considered a garment for poor uncultured Scottish highlanders. English boys would not have worn a kilt earlier. Unfortunately this process is difficult to follow because it all began before the invention of photography.
The 1830s
We still only see kilts being worn in Scotland, although our information is very limited. A major development in the history of the kilt and the kilt as a boy's garment was the coronation of Queen Victoria (1837). She was very young, only 18-years of age. And she was filled with romantic notions of Scotland, influenced by the Scottish romantic revival--poets like Robby Burns and novelists like Sir walter Scott. She would not have much impact on the kilt in scotland, but sh would help to populize the kilt in other countrie, especially England and America.
The 1840s
The new kilt fashion was made popular for boys in the 1840s when the young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married (1840). The children began arriving soon after, first Victoria (1840) and then Albert Edward (1841). The new monarchs decided o dress the princes in kilts, making fashion history. The princesses did not wear kilts, but the boys did. They did not always wear kilts, but they often did. We know about the princes because there were quite a number of painted portraits. And we have photograph as well showing the clothing of the royal family. Unfortunately there are few photographs for the population at large in the 1840s-50s. Photography was invented with the Daguerreotype (1839), but we have been able to find very few English Dags and even fewer Scottish examples. While common in America, this was not the case in Europe.
The 1850s
A curious dichotomy became apparent at mid-century. Kilts were worn by poor Scottish boys whose parents could not afford trousers and rich Scottish AND perhaps by English boys as a fashion statement by their parents, especially after Victoria began dressing the princes in kilts. The kilt became extremely fashionable for boys in the mid-19th Century. Poetry and novels increasingly made the plaid a fashion experiment for the elite
of English society. Queen Victorian continued to dress the young princes in kilts as they arrived in secession and so did her descendents. The tradition continued until Charles' sons William and Harry who dislikeed wearing them. The Queen's choice of the kilt made it acceptable in England and eventually an offshoot, the kilt suit in America. The kilt was not adopted as specifically boys wear until the Queen began dressing the princes in kilts in the 1840s. In Scotland both men and boys had worn kilts. In England and america it was mostly boys. And as this association grew we note the kilt becomong more common for boys even in Scotglnd. It is clear that kilts in Scotland and even England were a popular outfit for fashionable boys clothes. It is less clear to what extent the kilt was worn by boys for day to day wear. While photography existed at mid-century, it was studio phoography. We fo not have the fmily snapdhot yet to tell us avout everyday uage. Also HBC is not sure how kilt wearing varied among different economic classes. Even Scottish contributors to HBC are unclear about the prevelence of kilts at mid-century.
The 1860s
The popularity of the CDV provides us with large number of photographic images which enable to follow fashion trends in some detail. The Dunde boy here is a good example of a boy dressed up in a Higland kilt outfit fof a formal portrait (figure 1). This suggests it was his dress up outfit for formal occassions. and given how well don up he is, e would suprct hat he comes from a well to do family.
The 1870s
Some sources suggest that Scottish boys were commonly wearing kilts by the 19th century. Definitive information, however, is not available. It appears that kilts were worn by fashionally dressed boys. It also appears many poor boys also wore simple kilts. I do not believe this was a national statement, but rather reflected the cost of trousers. Only in the late 19th Century as the price of trousers began to decline in real terms did the wearing of the kilt begin to disappear in Scotland among poor children. I believe at mid-century the kilt may have been more common among boys than their fathers, but I am unable at this time to confirm this from historical sources. The industrial revolution enabled the precise manufacturing and replication made possible by machinery, allowed the mass reproduction of the plaid. Many of the poor boys wearing kilts, however, wore cheap cloth kilts rather than more expensive tartans. It is unclear if Scottish boys were wearing
kilts to go to school or for play and work. It appears that the kilt in Scotland during the 19th Century was primarily worn for dress occaions by middle class and wealthy boys for dressing up, such as church, parties, weddings and other formal occasions. I'm unsure how the kilt was worn by poorer and middle-class boys. Victoria's grandchildren, for example, wore kilts for casual wear while in Scotland. Available photographic images available from the mid 19th Century onward provides a somewhat better idea of the extent of kilt usage in Scotland and just who was wearing kilts.
The 1880s
One Scottish HBC contributor reports that kilt wearing by boys in Scotland began to spread from the affluent and middle class to urban or non-Highland "respectable" (more affluent) working class in the 1880s, although HBC can not yet substaniate this. Our initial assessment is that it occurred earlier. We have found CDVs of Sxottish boys wearing Higland outfits. These are studio portraits of boys from both well-to-do families as well as midl-class families libing in comfortable curcumstances.
