Etiquette and Breeched Boys in Pants

                          

Until the latter half of the 19th century, fashion etiquette in Europe dictated that young boys wear “dresses” until the age of 7 or even 8 years. Some of these early boys dresses still exist, in “Christening gowns” passed down from one family generation to the next. When a boy was finally allowed to wear “breeches” or pants, the had reached the age of “breeching” — an important rite of passage in days gone by. As it was, a variety of styles of long robes were commonly worn by adult males up until the mid 16th century, so boys wearing them would seem natural. During a time period when clothes were very expensive to all but the uppermost classes, dresses were also easier fit on boys and girls alike and had a bit of room for future growth. Breeching was made once boys had long finished toilet training and they had also reached the age when they could easily undo fasteners of many styles of early breeches and trousers. They could be quite complicated as designs changed through the centuries. —

“Breeching was the occasion when a small boy was first dressed in breeches or trousers. From the mid-16th century until the late 19th or early 20th century, young boys in the Western world were unbreeched and wore gowns or dresses until an age that varied between two and eight. Various forms of relatively subtle differences usually enabled others to tell little boys from little girls, in codes that modern art historians are able to understand but may be difficult for the layperson to discern.” — Text and public domain image of a Flemish boy (circa 1625) from Wikipedia.org

The Very First Pair of Trousers

“YOU must know,” said Bessie, “that at that time not one single man or boy in the world wore trousers.” “Oh-h-h-h, Bessie!” said small Bob and Sammie together. “What did they wear?”

Bessie went to the book-case and took down her General History. Then she showed them the draped figures of Greek and Roman senators and sages, and the bare-kneed, sandaled soldiers.

“A little later, they wore clothes like this,” she said, turning to a group of fourteenth century merchants with belted, fur-trimmed robes coming just below the knee. “But nobody in all the world had ever seen a man dressed in what we call pantaloons.”

Little Sam stroked his diminutive, newly-donned trousers with an air of great satisfaction. Bobbie, who was more used to the dignity of wearing them, said: “Go on, Bessie. Tell us about the first pair.”

“That's just what I am going to tell you,” laughed Bessie, “the very first pair of pantaloons that ever were made and why they called them so.”

“Well, you know they didn't have any books to read,” here Bob looked more astonished than when she had spoken of a day without trousers, — and the only way anybody could hear stories was to go to the Miracle Plays and see them acted out, unless they heard them from the troubadours who just went about to tell stories and sing songs; but they generally went only to the great houses.

“About this time, I think, there lived two little boys just as big as you and Sammie. One night their father came home in wonderful excitement. ‘There is going to be a miracle play in the churchyard tomorrow,’ he said.” The boys scarcely thought of asking ‘May we go?’ for, of course, everybody went to the ‘Miracle Plays’,” Bob and Sammie looked at each other as if to say, “What a delightful time to live in!”

“These plays only came but once in a year or so,” said Bessie, “and there was nothing at all to go to besides. No circus, no Sunday school, no school, no junior society; and no church, except the mass, which was said every bit in Latin, so that not one of the people could understand a word. It was a great treat to have a play in their own language, so that they could understand it. Just think, there was not even a newspaper or a printed book in the world!

“Well, our boys went with their father and mother and everybody else to the churchyard. There they saw a great stage built of boards, without any roof or back or side or anything. In front of the stage were several benches for the great folks of the castle, but everybody else stood up. When the time came to begin, a man nailed up a paper on a post that read, ‘This is a forest,’ and the actors came on.

“But our two little boys could not remember much of the play. The only thing they remembered very well was what we would call the clown. He was the funniest figure the boys had ever seen, and all the crowd howled with delight whenever he appeared. And he wore, as the height of all that was comical, the first pair of trousers that ever was made. He was playing the part of St. Pantaleone and that is why to this day the kind of garments he wore are called ‘pantaloons,’ Every time we say the word we are really referring to that old miracle play in the churchyard hundreds of years ago.”

Bessie had finished her story. The boys were quiet for a moment, then Bob exclaimed: “Come on, Sam, let’s have a show. I'll be the clown. See me!” and, catching up the table-spread before Bessie could interfere, he wound it around him after the fashion of a Roman toga, and went dancing across the room.— By Bertha E. Bush, in “The Housekeeper,” June, 1903

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