Child's Tunic, 1840-1850

This might be a boy's tunic, to be worn with trousers, although one wonders if the color and fabric were sufficiently masculine (it might also be a girl's tunic, but appears to be too short). This piece might have been used by the Bowen family of Pennsylvania.

Boy's Vest and Pants

Boy's Jacket, about 1820

This jacket is for a very young boy, perhaps three or four years of age, and is notable for its exquisite hand-stitching. It belonged to the Mitchell family of Long Island, New York.

Boy's Jacket, about 1820

This young boy's military-looking jacket is unlined and was probably for summer wear. It belonged to the Mitchell family of rural New York State.

Boy's Suit, about 1820

The military-looking Eton-style suit was common for young boys in the 19th Century and was used for school or special occasions. This rare example belonged to the Mitchell family of rural New York State (as did the very similar suit numbered 35.596.57). The jacket front is very typical of those worn around 1820. This is a variation of the skeleton suit in which the trouser buttons attached to a shirt or braces rather than the jacket.

Boy's Jacket, 1840-1860

This is a good example of a mid-19th century boy's suit style, made for the "in between" years of a boy too young for an adult male-style trouser suit, and a radical departure from the kinds of suits worn by boys a century before. It might have been part of a spring suit, to be worn with cotton or linen trousers buttoned onto the jacket. It is also an excellent example of the use of velvet for boy's clothes from that era. The lack of seams in the center back also suggests an 1840-1860 constructi…

Boy's Suit, 1820-1830

The Eton-style suit was common for young boys in the 19th Century and was used for school or special occasions. This rare and rather expensive example belonged to the Mitchell family of rural New York State (as did the very similar suit numbered 35.596.5).The jacket front is very typical of those worn around 1820. The suit is nicely made but not exquisitely so; it is all hand-sewn and of lovely silk fabric. This is a variation of the skeleton suit in which the buttons on the waistband attach to …

Boy's Suit and Blouse, 1885-1900

According to the source of purchase, this conventional young boy's black knicker suit belonged to the Linsley Simpson family of Northford, Connecticut. Such Fauntleroy suits became popular after the publication of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "Little Lord Fauntleroy" in 1886. It is not likely that this blouse originally accompanied it - the knickers have buttonholes in the waistband for attaching a blouse waist, and this blouse has no buttons.

Boy's Suit, about 1892

This suit was worn by William Deuel Hailes of Albany, New York.

Boy's Sailor Suit, about 1925

Boy's Tweed Jacket, 1880-1900

Child's Dress and Jacket, 1850-1860

This outfit could have been made for use by either sex, but was probably made for a boy due to the shortness of the skirt (with knickers probably visible underneath). The printed wool is very fine. The flat-pleating all around suggests an 1850s date. A fashionable dress for warm weather.

Boy's Jacket and Shorts, about 1935

The shorts were found in the collection with the jacket and are presumed to be related. One wonders if the terriers were inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt's "Falla" - a dog that was beloved by Americans.

Boy's Suit, about 1920

This is a fine example of an early-to-mid 20th Century knicker suit for a young man of about age ten.

Boy's Suit, 1940

According to the donor, this suit was worn by Richard Royhans Johnson for his first communion, most likely at Visitation Church in Highland Park, Michigan (Johnson was born in Marion, Indiana in the spring of 1941 or 1942). It is a nice example of a shorts suit for a boy moving up from a knicker suit.

Denim Jacket, about 1973

Worn by the son of Elenore Lehmann Herkommer of Beverly Hills, Michigan, this is a great example of a young boy's waist-length jean jacket of the 1970s, when mass-produced rugged wear formerly reserved for the farm and ranch became fashionable casual wear among all social classes. Patches with a variety of images and slogans were a popular way of personalizing and adding visual interest to a piece, even if the wearer did not necessarily grasp their meanings (Schlitz, for example, was a popular b…

Pantaloons, about 1820-1840