Thursday, May 16, 2013

Seventeenth Century Children's Clothing

Louis XIV and his brother Philippe
In those days, small boys wore dresses and all children were clothed in adult attire. From the Pragmatic Costumer:
In 17th century Europe, the sight of a little boy in a fluffy pink skirt wouldn’t have been frowned on in the least. Boys wore skirts from the time they could walk until the age of 6 or 7. Since zippers and elastic were centuries in the future, a 17th century mom couldn’t just slip a pair of pants over her squirming toddler’s legs. Breeches required buttons and buckles to hold them in place: two nimble, dexterous activities that toddler hands cannot perform on their own. Until a boy was considered mature and independent enough to handle his own dressing, he wore skirts. (Read entire post.)
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3 comments:

tubbs said...

Queen Anne should have had her head examined for dressing little Phil in a mauve frock.

fdicristi said...

where is this painting located?

elena maria vidal said...

Versailles