History of Children's Clothing

History of Children's Clothing

In relation to history children’s clothing is relative new idea. The different fashions for children nowadays were none existent until very late in history. Children are full of original sin so must be taught to be god fearing good Christians; hence their growing up was encouraged vigorously .

Children began imitation of adults at an early age. They were dressed as adults as soon as possible and encouraged to act mature.

In Tudor times little is known about children’s lives through records because not worth recording high enfant mortality rate. The average age of death was thirty years old. At the age of seven to nine children forced into adult life, so little records are show of children . There were very little portraits done for children and what exists show small versions of adults.

Babies were normally wrapped in swaddling clothes, they believed that wrapping babies would protect them from falls and help straighten legs and spine. It was also convenient for people to carry the babies around relatively more safely and if needed they were sometime hung up or a peg.

However, this constricted the baby and was not good for the physical growth.

They were some that even died of convulsions. These clothes were about six inches wide and ten to twelve feet long . Supposedly the tighter a child was wrapped the better arms were frequently bond as well.

Children are kept in these swaddling clothes until they are taught to use their limbs . Teaching them is at the caretaker’s discretion and not depending on the baby’s readiness, babies wore these clothes from six months to one year. The child was about to move their limbs when their clothes were changed, for example, when babies soiled themselves.

As time progress swaddling clothes become more elaborate. Clothes were sometimes worn over the swaddling clothes. During Tudor times, there were several different clothes needed to wrap a baby (for the wealthy). In the case of the children of James the III, the children wore shirt, a square band “bed”, which bounded from the breast to the feet and up again, a long band of swaddling clothes (roller) and tube waistcoat that bound the arms, and roller ad a blanket.

In England, in the Sixteenth Century, swaddling clothes were used limitedly. There are only bound for the first several months and there are put in d...

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...orn during this time but it had many changes for example the crown was raising, widening and loosening. Ribbons and frills were added matching the colour of the sash. The cap become less full at the crown and after a while were small, close-fitting and had narrower frills were added. Many girls were wearing bonnets or hats by 1820. Young girls wore pumps, which were more rounded while the older girls wore the same shoes as their mother.

After the early nineteenth century children began to have more identity in their clothing. The styles were changing more rapidly and the difference in clothing between boys and girls were greater. Children were not forced to grow up as quickly for medicine was improving and they were not need to procreate sooner. Their clothes were not adult like as soon as possible like before.

Bibliography

Buck, Ann Clothes and the Child Holmes and Meier Publishers Inc. NewYork: 1996

Cunninton, Phillis and Buck, Ann Children’s Costume in England W&J Mackay & Co. Ltd, Chatham Kent: 1965

Ewing, Elizabeth History of Children’s Costumes Charles Scribner’s Son’s New York

Rose, Clare Children’s Clothes Since 1750 B.T Batsford Limited, London:1998