A 16th Century Toddler’s Outfit (1550-1580) Part 1 of 6

This outfit was worn by Western European toddler boys from wealthy families, age 9 months to 4 years, after the long infant gown was set aside and before a boy’s breeching ceremony. These clothes were adopted as soon as a child started walking. The combination of shirt, petticoat & gown with short knitted or cloth hose (socks) for young boys is seen in artwork from the 1100’s until around the 1930’s, following adult fashions. The specific fabrics and style were chosen from sources dating 1550-1580, but toddler clothes were so slow to change that a new gown in the 1530’s would not have been out of place in the 1590’s. This outfit offered easy toilet training for both caretakers and toddlers, and freedom of movement for the child. The closures on extant men’s garments are complicated and take a long time to undo. Tiny bladders would not have been able to wait even if little fingers could manage.
The inspiration image is of an unknown 2 year old boy from England. It went up for auction in 2012 and was dated by the artist “1572, Dec 10.” There is conflicting information about who painted it, but both list it as an unknown English boy. There is also a discrepancy in the fabric, one says it is brocade, the other embroidered.
A breeching ceremony was when a boy transitioned from the nursery to more grown-up activities and took on greater responsibilities. It could happen anytime between the ages of 3 and 12, and the timing depended on many factors; potty training, various accomplishments, maturity level, status within the family and individual circumstances. It was usually the parents who decided when this would happen, but sometimes it fell to a patron or benefactor. This was very exciting for the young boy, and there was usually a party to go with the new clothes. I did not find any records of breeching ceremonies before the 1500’s. (Tudor Child, p. 29-31).
This outfit includes the following garments:
- A biggin, which is a white linen cap. (Please don’t remove, the doll is creepy without it).
- A blackwork linen shirt with ruffles on the cuffs and collar.
- A long coat or petticoat with buttons down the front.
- A long gown with hanging sleeves, fur-lined for warmth.
- Modern mary-jane style shoes.
Not included:
- Knitted knee-length hose, (I don’t knit).
- Knitted cap, (I don’t knit).
- Other hat (the boy won’t wear it).
- Matching breeches/hose would not have been worn in conjunction with this outfit unless the child was breeched very early. My son will wear them because ticks are yucky and hose help keep modern diapers on.
- Drawers & other forms of under garments are seen occasionally in different areas of Europe, but I have no evidence for them being worn from 1530-1600 in Western Europe by toddler boys. Whether this is artistic convention or actual fashion, I cannot say, but lack of evidence is not proof of absence and my search was not exhaustive. We can safely assume that if the child was not potty trained they still wore a clout to help contain messes, but that won’t fit on the doll so it is not included in the display.
- Lace cuffs as they would not have been worn with the ruffled shirt.
I used a combination of hand and machine sewing to complete the project. Whenever possible I used documented fabrics and patterns in natural fire-safe materials, though I did make accommodations for time, budget, my injured wrist and my son’s preferences. I used the sewing machine to baste, flat line layers together, and on some long hidden seams. Anything that can be seen on the outside is hand stitched with period techniques, and many internal seams are as well. Stitches include running stitch, back stitch, buttonhole/blanket stitch, double running stitch, whip stitch and slip stitch.