*** English sailor suits : background








English Sailor Suits: Backgrounds


Figure 1.--

The origins of the boys' sailor suit or vague. Apparently it was in England during the first quarter of the 19th century when someone had the inspiration that boys should wear sailors' trousers. (Some sources suggest an even earlier appearance of the sailor suit as boys' atire, but as yet I cannot confirm that.) It is not known who first conceived of the idea. It is known with certainty, however, who popularized it. It was Queen Victoria who began to dress the young princes in sailor suits during the 1840s. The 5-year old Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) was not the first English boy to wear a sailor suit. It was, however, when in 1846 the prince's portrait was painted onboard the royal yacht during the Queen's visit to Ireland that the sailor suit began to attract the interest of English mothers and eventually mothers around the world. The prince wore a scaled down version of a real Royal Navy uniform. The uniform was arefully chosen to be an enlisted man's sailor suit. This can not have been an acident. It was almost certainly a carefully chosen decision calculated to give a favorable impression of the monarchy to the British people. Unfortunately HBC does not yet have details on precisely how the uniform was selected. The sailor suit was not, however, an immediate success as a style for children. For several decades relativey few English boys wore sailor suits. It was not until the 1860s that increasing numbers of English boys were wearing them. By the 1880s, the sailor suit was widely worn by children, both boys and girls. Few English boys grew up by this time without wearing a sailor suit. Some boys wore practically nothing but sailor suits.

Origins

The origins of the boys' sailor suit or vague. It is not known who first conceived of the idea. Apparently it was in England during the first quarter of the 19th century when someone had the inspiration that boys should wear sailors' trousers. One source suggest an even earlier appearance of the sailor suit as boys' atire, but as yet I cannot confirm that. (Unfortunately HBC has lost the reference.) A reader writes, "The first sailor suit: You suggest in para 1 that the first "sighting" could have been earlier than the first quarter of the 19th century - this would put it into the 18th century. I think this is most unlikely. Admiration of the Royal Navy in Great Britain received a tremendous upsurge after the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), but fashions among the wealthy were still yearning for increased elaboration and impracticality, partly to emphasise that the wearer had no need to descend into physical exertion. Those who were not wealthy could not afford the indulgence of fashion." HBC tends to aggree. Another factor is that standardized uniforms for enlisted men (ordinary seamen) did not exist in the 18th century. Officers had uniforms, but not the enlisted men who wore a wide variety of clothing. Obviously boys could only war sailor suits after they had been adopted and standardized by the Royal Navy. Also parents would have been unlikely to do this before Trafalgar. Enlisted sailors before the Napoleonic Wars were looked on as ruffians and scalalawags. No parent would want her child dressed like a sailor.

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy was founded by Henry VIII in the 16th century and four the next four centuries has played a central role in modern history. It is no exageration to say that Royal Navy was the critical force in the creation of the modern world. The Royal Navy is common seen as an instrument of British colonialism and the suppression of many Asian and african peoples. This is certainly true. It is also true that the Royal Navy helped establish the modern world trading system. It broke up the closed international system established by Spain and Portugal and replaced it with a much more open system. The Royal Navy impact on the modern world is extensive and pervasive. The Royal Navy chartered sea lanes around the world. There are few ports and sea coasts that have not been touched in some way by the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy played an important role in the Indistrial Revolution. It helped to defeat series of opponents for the most part countries goverened by authoritarian or dictatorial rulers (Philip II, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Hitler). Thus the Royal Navy played a key role in establishing parlimentary democracies in the modern world. It was the Royal Navy that ended the slave trade. Although the Royal Navy played a major role in the Revolutionary war, it is also true that for much of the early history, the Royal Navy provided a shield from European interference behind which the American Republic developed. The prestige of the Royal Navy by the 19th century was such that the uniform of the British enlisted sailor became a standard outfit not only for British boys, but also for boys throughout Europe and North America.

Jack Tar

The term "tar" came to mean sailor in Britain. The term began to be be used in the mid-18th century. It was presumably an abreviation of tarpaulin. The name Jack seems to have been added about 1780 to refer to the ordinary seamen, much as Tommie later came to signify the ordinary soldier. The image of the British sailor or Jack Tar changed, as we discussed above during the Napoleonic Wars. The new romantic notion of the Royal Navy sailor was personified as "Jolly Jack Tar", always and ordinary seaman; in imagination, he was free to enjoy a healthy and exciting life of independence and physical prowess. These qualities combined to inspire Victorian parents to clothe their sons in the image of Jack Tar. The more practical style of the sailor suit appealed at a time when thoughts were moving towards physical health from sporting activity, and of admiring the natural countryside, and therefore exploring it, rather than remaining indoors.

Queen Victoria

While the origins of the sailor suit are, vague, it is known with certainty, however, who popularized it. It was Queen Victoria who began to dress the young princes in sailor suits during the 1840s. We do not know who had the idea. We suspect it was not the Queen herself. Perhaps it was. Perhaps it was Prince Albert. Or perhaps it was a unknown royal adviser. We have never seen this issue addressed. The royal family may not have been the first to clothe their male offspring in this way, but the famous Winterhalter portrait is the first image we have acquird of a boy not in the navy wearing a sailor suit. A number of notable public appearances popularised the image. In the 21st century it is difficult to comprehend how powerful royal families were in setting fashion trends. And in the 19th centurry, the British royal family were by far the most importnt. They were role models for fashion of every kind; just like the pop stars and soap stars of today.

Prince Alfed Edward--Bertie (1841-1910)

The 5-year old Prince Bertie (the future Edward VII) may not have been the first English boy to wear a sailor suit. He is the first, howver, that we can find in the paintiung/photographic record. It was when Winterhalter painted the prince's portrait onboard the royal yacht during the Queen's visit to Ireland or the Channel Islands [we have seen varying accounts] that the sailor suit began to attract the interest of English mothers (1846). The Winterhalter portrait, and then a series of engravings, helped to engage the attention of British mothers. And soon mothers around the world also becane enchanted with the style. The prince wore a scaled down version of a real Royal Navy uniform.

Enlisted Uniform

The uniform was carefully chosen to be an enlisted man's sailor suit. (The term "enlisted man" may not be well understood in the United Kingdom. British readers would probably say "ordinary seaman".) This can not have been an accident. It was almost certainly a carefully chosen decision calculated to give a favorable impression of the monarchy to the British people. Dressing the Prince of Wales up in an admiral's uniform would have had a very different affect. Unfortunately HBC does not yet have details on precisely how the uniform was selected. Surely the Queen and Prince Albert must have discussed it. And they must have consulted advisers. Who they consulted and the nature of the discussions as far as we know is lost to history. It seems to us the kind of thinking more likly to have been calculated by Peibce Albert than the Queen. The Prince of Wales wearing the uniform of an enlisted sailor was quite a departure from the way the royal princes had always been dressed. In the 19th century England was the most powerful colonial power and the Royal Navy was the biggest navy in the world. The sailor suit helped in a small way to put a crack in the class distinctions that were a prominent aspect of British culture. As a fashion trend the sailor suit thus had a strong social impact.

Popularity

The sailor suit was not, however, an immediate success as a style for children. For several decades relativey few English boys wore sailor suits. It was not until the 1860s that increasing numbers of English boys were wearing them. By the 1880s, the sailor suit was widely worn by children, both boys and girls. Few English boys grew up by this time without wearing a sailor suit. Some boys wore practically nothing but sailor suits. Our reader writes, "It was in the 1870's that the strengthening move towards rational dress and less impractical fashions, but also the influence of the romantic movement, permitted consideration of how boys might be clothed in new ways. As news was reaching Great Britain of the expansion of the British Empire by the exploits of the Army, the Royal Navy, and of civilian explorers, admiration of these people inspired the wish to emulate them. Small soldier suits were also sometimes created, but these were perceived as "dressing up" outfits to be worn on special occasions."






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Created: 5:35 PM 11/12/2005
Last updated: 2:54 AM 10/29/2014