Figure 1.--We note a number of German boys wearing jackets and suits with Norfolk jackets at the turn of the 20th century. This image is unidentified, except that it was taken in Halberstadt. It is undated, but looks to have been taken about 1905-10. the suit shown here, but there were also doubled-breasted jackets as well. Note the collar shown here. It does not overlap the jacket like an Eton collar, but is much smaller. It appears to overlap one wing of the collar and probably secured with a button. we are not sure what it was called. Image courtesy of the MD collection.

We note that many German boys wore Norfolk jackets. There were two basic styles. One type buttoned at the collar. Another style was a sack suit style with lapels. Age may have been a factor here. Also this style may have varied over time. The Norfolk styling of belts and pleats also varied. Most Norfolk jackets had defined waist belts but varied in the place of a variety of flaps, pleats, and vents. The boy here, for example, had a defined belt, which as with most suits were secured with buttons (figure 1). We have seen some with buckles, but buttons were more common. Many available images look to be two-piece suits composed of jacket and knickers. We have also seen three-piece suits with an added vest (waistcoat). Most of the Norfolk jackets we have noted have been single breasted like the suit shown here (figure 1), but there were also doubled-breasted jackets as well.

Basic Types

We note that many German boys wore Norfolk jackets. There appear to have been two basic types of Norfolk jackets, although there are endless variations of these basic types. One type buttoned at the collar and had a collar ratther than lapels. Another style was a sack suit style with lapels. The size and shape of the lapels varied over time. Age may have been a factor associated with the two types. Also these types may have varied over time. We notice the collar buttoning style forst in the 19th century. Most of the Norfolk jackets we have noted have been single breasted like the one the boy here is wearing. We have noted some double-breasted jackets as well.

Styling

The Norfolk styling of belts and pleats also varied. Most Norfolk jackets had defined waist belts but varied in the place of a variety of flaps, pleats, and vents. The boy here, for example, had a defined belt, which as with most suits were secured with buttons (figure 1). We have seen some with buckles, but buttons were more common.

Pants

We note Norfolk suits with different types of pants. This appears to be primarily a reflection of the popular types of pants at the time and not the styling of the suit. Here there were some exceptions in the 19th century. We note some Norfolk suits with styling on the pants that matched styling on the jacket. As far as we can tell, however, this was not very common.

Vests

Many available images look to be two-piece suits composed of jacket and knickers. We have also seen three-piece suits with an added vest (waistcoat).

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Created: April 29, 2003
Last edited: 10:43 PM 4/23/2006