| At
the end of the nineteenth century there was a growing movement to liberate
infants and young children from stays and the excessive layers of clothing
in which they were usually enclosed. Until the age of about five, both sexes
wore heavily starched white pinafores and dresses trimmed with lace and
embroidery over petticoats. The outfit was finished with a large hat (straw
hats were popular for boys, while the girl's hats often matched their mother's)
or a bonnet with lace frills and ribbon, gloves, black or striped stockings
and boots. The short-legged sailor suit was a popular choice for boys. Girls'
skirts, too, were shorter than women's until they made their debut and became
an adult member of society. |