Hyam & Co Suit

Boy’s suit, Hyam and Company, 1870-80. Museum no. Misc.227-1979 (click image for larger version)

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. The jacket fastens with a single steel button at the top and has a grosgrain lining. Grosgrain is a fabric made from closely woven silk.

Trousers had replaced knee-length breeches for boys in the 1780s, and derived from those worn by working men such as soldiers, sailors, fishermen and farm labourers. Trousers were looser fitting and wider in the leg than breeches, and more practical and comfortable for those who led an active life. The fashion for shorter trousers like these came to the UK from the USA in the 1860s. They were often worn as part of a suit with various styles of jacket.

The waistcoat is made from ivory satin at the front and fastens with six satin covered buttons. Unlike the jacket, the waistcoat is in the style of the 1820s and 1830s. It is elaborately embroidered with rosebuds, forget-me-nots and pansies. It is possible that it started life as part of an adult garment and was made smaller to fit the boy. The flowers would be more suitable for a young man with their romantic meanings in the language of flowers, which was popular during the Victorian period. Rosebuds mean love in its early stages. Pansies stand for thoughts, and forget-me-nots for true love or remembrance. Put together in this way, they suggest that the waistcoat was originally intended as a present from a girl to her future husband.