Sailor suit
(c. 1903)
Medium
cotton, plastic (buttons)
Measurements
(a) 38.0 cm (centre back) 16.0 cm (sleeve length) (blouse)
(b) 33.0 cm (outer leg) 43.0 cm (waist, flat) (trousers)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Schofield Collection. Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the Government of Victoria, 1974
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Most children’s clothes in the Victorian era mirrored the fashionable styles worn by their parents. The sailor suit, however, came into fashion as a more informal and practical style for children in the late 1840s after Queen Victoria dressed her young son in a ‘pretend’ uniform while on board the Royal Yacht. By the 1880s the nautical look was firmly established as a craze, affirmed by royal tastes, and adopted by both genders and across classes.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
(England)
Accession Number
D200.a-b-1974
Department
International Fashion and Textiles