Figure 1.--These unidentified children were photographed about 1890. The photograph was probably taken in the late-1890s, but it could have been the very early-1900s. The image is on glass negative. The boy wears a traditional sailor suit. The pants may be slightly flared, but look like straight-leg pants. Notice the saucer-style sailor cap, three-stripe detailing, and dickey with an embroidered anchor. His little sister wears a bonnet and overcoat. We are guessing that it is an Easter portrait with their new oitfits. They look to be about 5-10 years old. They look to be living in a small town.

The first sailor suits for boys were made with long pants because they were made to emulate Royal Navy uniforms (1840s). The British Royal Family dressed the princes in sailor suits styled like Royal Navy uniforms which of course meant long pants. American mothers followed this precedent when they began dressing their boys in long pants. And knee pants were not universally worn when sailor suits first began to be worn in America. Interestingly, some sailor suits were available in long pants at times in which younger boys rarely wore long trousers. Thus the variety of pants worn with sailor suits was more varied than with standard sack suits. Gradually knee pants suits became more common, but long pants suits never disappered. Presumably long pants were acceptable because this was what actual sailors wore with their uniforms. We see many boys in both the late-19th century and the early-20th century wearing long pants sailor suits at a time that most boys did not wear long trousers.

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Created: 9:34 PM 7/15/2011
Last updated: 9:34 PM 7/15/2011