Figure 1.--This Ambrotype portrait shows an unidentified American boy wearg in a suit jacket with rather poorly defined lapels, but clearly lapels none-the-less. The boy looks to be bout 10-years old. In this case it was a notched lapel. We are not sure how to define the type of jacket, but notice the stock bow. We can also see his shirt. The stiff white collar was probably detchavle. As it was an ambro, the portrait would have probably been taken 1855-1860, perhaps a few years later. Notice the large case on the table. In America, Dags and Anbros were usualy done as cased photos. These cases were less common in Euope. The hair cut over the ears was a standard 1850s style.
The lapel was a relatively modern innovation. There were no lapels on 18th century suits. These suits cold be quite elaborate, but there were no lapels. The suit had become an important garment in the 18th century, but they were done without lapels. The lapel was the creation of the French Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars. We see lapels just before the the turn of the 19th century, but noone knows for sure who created the lapel. The general belief is that an officer in the heat of battle or perhaps during manuvers on a hot day, opened his tigthly buttoned coat at the collar and folded it back. From that point on the lapel became the major feature of men's suits, but not a first on boys' suits. While we see men wearing suits with lapels we do not see boys earing suits with lapels until mid-century. The earliest outfit done specifically for boys was the skeleton suit. It was worn from the very late-18th century into the early-19th century. Ther were many styles of skeleton suits, but all the tops were done without lapels. Lapels were not very common for boys even by the mid-19th century. Fortunately thanks to the expanding photographic record, we can follow this in some detail--at least from the 1850s. The limited number of poortraits wuth boys wearing lapel jackets in the 1850s was largely because two of the most common types of suits did not have lapels--collar-buttoning and cut-away jacket suits, but we do begin to see lapels by the 1850s. Thids began to change as the sack suit increased in popularity. From that point lapels become increasingly common. Almost all of the different types of sack suits had lapels, both single- and double-breasted suits. Most boys's suits had lapeks (20th centyury). The orimary exceprtion was the junior Eton suits worn by younger boys.
The lapel was a relatively modern innovation. There were no lapels on 18th century suits. These suits cold be quite elaborate, but there were no lapels. The suit had become an important garment in the 18th century, but they were done without lapels. The lapel was the creation of the French Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars (1789-1815). We see lapels just before the the turn of the 19th century, but noone knows for sure who created the lapel. The general belief is that an officer in the heat of battle or perhaps during manuvers on a hot day, opened his tigthly buttoned coat at the collar and folded it back. From that point on the lapel became the major feature of men's suits, but not a first on boys' suits. We have a few painted poortraits to shoiw the evolving style.
The 19th Century
While we see men wearing suits with lapels we do not see boys earing suits with lapels until mid-century. The earliest outfit done specifically for boys was the skeleton suit. It was worn from the very late-18th century into the early-19th century. Ther were many styles of skeleton suits, but all the tops were done without lapels. Lapels were not very common for boys even by the mid-19th century. Fortunnately thanks to the expanding photograpohic record, we can follow this in some detail--at least from the 1850s. Dags appeared in the 1940s, but bit is difficult to destinuish them from the 1850s. Ambros are euer toi fate. They were mostly taken in 1855-60, with sime rajken in tghe early 60s before veung reolce by CDVs. The limited number of portraits with boys wearing lapel jackets in the 1850 was largely because two of the most common types of suits did not have lapels--collar-buttoning and cut-away jacket suits, but we do begin to see lapels by the 1850s. Thids began to change as the sack suit increased in popularity. From that point lapels become increasingly common. Almost all of the different types of sack suits had lapels, both single- and double-breasted suits.
The 20th Century
Most boys's suits had lapeks (20th centyury). The orimary exceprtion was the junior Eton suits worn by younger boys.
