Send an E-Postcard of:
Boy's Suit

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.

19th century families who could afford to do so did not dress their boys in pants-that is, "breech" them- until about the age of five. Before reaching that age, boys were dressed in skirted outfits, with bodices closely following the styles of adult women's bodices. This example of a boy's outfit is no exception. Supposedly worn by a son of "Boss Tweed," the notorious late 19th century political figure in New York City, the outfit is made of white/off-white silk faille with blue silk trim. The bodice closely resembles those of fashionable women's gowns during the early to mid 1870s.

top of page