Children's Clothing
from the VictorianEra

Children's clothing in the Victorian era was very well designed for the most part. Often it included wide hems or tucks that could be let down at sleeves and skirt, drawstrings in the necklines on young children's dresses. Styles for young children did not change quite as fast as the adult dresses, so what was appropriate in 1876 for a small child would probably be just as acceptable in 1889. Fashions did follow the adults somewhat so the early victorian period (1840-1875)would show children in fuller gathered skirts(by 1868 these would often included apron style overskirts), while by 1876 the drop waist style would be popular, which would then change to circle skirts and empire waists in the 1890's. Girls and boys were dressed much the same until they were about 2 yrs old, often boys would still wear skirts at this time but the styles would be less frilly. As a general rule a boy's first pants were short ones, and he would probably wear this length until he was 6-10 yrs old. If you see a period photo look to see where the hair parts, usually boys part to the side and a girls would be parted in the center. The clothes you will see on these pages were for the most part made for my daughter Annie Beth.

1880's Dress for a child aged 2-6   This dress was made after an 1881-1882 child's costume for ages 2-6 yrs. I chose a blue woven check similiar to the old gingham and used blue bias tape and eyelet to trim it. This is Annie Beth's first "big girl" dress, one which actually is cut more along the lines of the adult dresses of the time. The dress is made with a center back seam, side back pieces and buttons down the front with abalone buttons.

First Dress Victorian Era This is an infant's first gown made after a style from the victorian era. These first dresses extend to below the baby's feet- a wise thing to do since the houses in the victorian era did not have central heat in the winter. They were worn up to about the age of 6 months or when they started to crawl. Often a dress like this is mistaken for a christening gown- however, in the 1800's a fashionable christening gown would extend to the mother's hem. These dresses could be made from very plain to very fancy depending on your skills as a seamstress and your status. I have an original in my collection that is very similar in cut, but made of a polka dot print(very faded). this particular dress is covered down the front with rows of pintucks and lace. White was a color often chosen because it would last throughout successive children. With no color to fade it could be sucessfully boiled and bleached to remain looking clean and presentable until the fabric wore out. Annie Beth had two of these dresses(the other one was trimmed with eyelet and puffing) with matching flannel petticoats and a full length coat with a cape. She was born in Oct. so they were made for winter wear- the bonnets were flannel lined, and she stayed safe and warm despite several cold weather events. I also had several pinning blankets - these are bands of fabric with a flannel "skirt" usually open all the way down one side. They were pinned around a baby's middle to serve as an extra petticoat for extra warmth, but we never got cold enough to use them.

Mother Hubbard Dress Infants first short dress Annie Beth at age 11 mo. My baby Annie at 11 mos. in a Mother Hubbard Dress. I fell in love with this design from an 1880's Butterick pattern catalog. The ladies of the 1800's were ingenious in their makeing of baby dresses, using a drawstring and wide hems a dress could fit for quite some time. As you see here is the same dress nearly a year later. Its a bit shorter but still long enough to be correct. I love this pattern!

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