Clothing
The Museum has the largest public collection of children's clothing in the UK - over 6,000 items. Its scope ranges from tiny garments for newborns to a kaftan worn by a student dropout, and includes accessories, underwear, nightwear, fancy dress, uniforms, and clothes for baptism and mourning as well as main garments such as dresses, shoes, coats and trousers. The earliest item is a baby's swaddling band of 1575-1600 and the most recent is a boy's shirt and jeans from 2003.
Bathing Costume
Sea bathing first became popular for health reasons in the 1790s: Boys and girls would wear swimming costumes very much like this one. They were often made out of quite thick material and they would feel quite heavy when wet.
Boys' Dress
This painting of a child with a hobby horse dates from 1836. And despite the elaborate full-skirted dress trimmed with ribbons, the child is not a girl, but a boy - Alfred Fuller, aged four.
Camp Fire Gown
This gown, made in the 1920s, was worn by a girl called Sybil Vincent. Sybil and her friends from Croydon High School formed a Camp Fire group called Camp Keema, meaning 'the camp which faces the wind'.
Chinese Silk Dress
This is an English girl's dress of about 1760. It is a fashionable dress made from expensive Chinese export silk, but it has a thrifty secret.
Clarks Shoes
These shoes for a very young child were made by the company now known as Clarks. They are made from black leather and elasticated cotton which stretches across the top of the foot to give more comfort. By the 1880s they were well known for producing high quality, comfortable shoes.
Fauntleroy Suit
This suit was worn by six-year old Walter Hamilton Moberly during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. In June 1887, Walter travelled to London especially to watch the Queen drive through the streets to Westminster Abbey.
Gilman Shoes
These children's shoes were made in England by C. S. Gilman in about 1851. He showed a large number of his shoes for adults and children at the Great Exhibition during that year.
Hyam & Co Suit
This boy's suit was made between 1870 and 1880 by the British manufacturer Hyam and Company who were based on Oxford Street. The suit and knee breeches are made from navy flannel, a typical material for boys' suits of the time.
Mourning Garment
This coat and dress was made in 1921 for a six-year old girl to wear, to mourn the father she would never see again.
Nike Trainers
These yellow Baby Max Triax IV trainers were made by Nike in Indonesia in 1998. They illustrate the increasing importance of commercial brands, even for babies.
Party Dress
This dress was made for a little girl called Jane by her mother in 1944. Jane had received a surprise invitation to a children's party, but she didn't have a dress she could wear.
Pudding Hat
Until the 1790s many children who were learning to walk wore protective hats known as 'puddings' or 'black puddings'. These protective hats were the equivalent of a crash helmet.
'Scotch' Suit
In this studio portrait, taken in 1883, Justin Laczkovic wears one of the most popular fashions for boys at that time, a 'Scotch' or Highland suit.
Swaddling Band
This swaddling band is the oldest item of children's clothing in the Museum's collection. It was made in Italy between 1575 and 1600. It is made from white linen and has a decorative trim made with lace and embroidery.
Utility Coat and Hat
This is a little girl's smart russet woollen coat and hat, made under the Utility scheme between 1942 and 1948.
Violet Dress
The girl who wore this costume was in fancy dress as a violet. For a relatively simple costume it contains a lot of different textiles, some of them unfamiliar to us today.
