Figure 1.-- Pantalettes were very common through the 1850s. A good example is an unidentified boy wearing a ring-banded dress looking somewhat like a tunic. Notice what looks like a wide leather belt which gives it a tunic look. This is an ambrotype whichis undated, but was a short libes photographic type. Almost all were taken from about 1855-65. By 1863 the CDV was rapifly replacing the ambro ehivh helps us date these images.

Pantalettes seem to have been primarily a 19th century fashion. Pantalettes were widely worn by American children in the first half of the 19th century and the gradually to a lesser extent in the later decades.. Both girls and boys wore them, at least boys not yet breeched. In the early 19th century boys when breeched wore long pants. At mid-century we begin the see shorteded length pants, primarily knee pants. And we begin to see some younger boys wearing oantalettes with knee pants. Gradually boys' pantalettes become plainer, but this convention varied from family to family. Pantalettes were very common through the 1850s. A good example is an unidebtified boy wearing a ring-banded dress looking somewhat like a tunic (figure 1). Pantalettes during the early 19th century could be quite long, covering the entire leg. We think this was mostly among urban families. We are less sure about rural areas. Pantalettes were still commonly worn after mid-century, especially the 50s. We still see them in the 60s, particularly the early 60s. A good example is Albert DuBois wjo looks to be wearing plain pantalettes during the 1860s. They begin to decline notably by the end of the decade and the early 70s. We continue to see them in the late-19th, but they became increasingly less common. In the latter part of the Century the boys still wearing pantalettes were boys wearing dresses are the increasingly common kilt suits and other kilted outfits. Pantalettes not only become less common, but they also become shorter.

Created: 9:00 PM 5/31/2020
Last updated: 9:00 PM 5/31/2020