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 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 Sailor Suit, about 1925

Concentration Camp Uniform, about 1940-1945

Worn by Jan Kamienski, a Polish Catholic who was seized by the Germans inApril, 1940 in Poznan, Poland and set to Dachau, then to Mauthausen, then back to Dachau.He spent a little over five years in a concentration camp when he was liberated by the GIs.He spoke and read German and Polish and was apparently used as a translator in the camps.He was very ill during his internment but managed to survive.He came to Detroit shortly after the war where he met and married the donor of the uniform.He die…