Poke Bonnets, Sacques and Rubber Drawers

The Well Dressed Victorian Canadian Child

The first Canadians swaddled their babies in skins and fur, packing the diaper area with moss to protect the outer clothing.  However, once they were "out of diapers", so to speak, they were dressed in the same manner as their parents; which basically was suitable to the weather.  Skins and fur in winter, and mostly optional in summer. The descendants of immigrants, still swaddled their babies throughout the Victorian Era, and in 1869; The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia, had these instructions for bundling an infant:

My Great-Aunt Annie

"The first article put on, after a napkin, should be a flannel band from four to four and a half inches wide; pin it snugly, but not tight enough to bind, the little shirt is the next article of dress; this should be open at the front, and folded smoothly, so as to leave no wrinkles; the pinner comes next; lay the infant on its stomach, fold the shirt smoothly on its back, fasten the shirt and pinner together with a small pin, leaving the point covered, so as to prick neither child nor nurse; wrap its feet in the pinner, and pin it as close as possible without cramping its limbs; then take the flannel skirt, draw it into place, fold the skirt over and fasten shirt, band, pinner and skirt together with two pins".  Well I'm lost!

Fortunately, most articles of children's clothing were not so complicated, but one thing was clear.  They were very much over-dressed, with many layers of clothing that were often detrimental to a child's health. In the 1840'S a baby was put in a shirt, a petticoat of fine flannel (two or three inches longer than its feet). Then came a dimity top or bodice coat which tied behind, and over this the robe or frock, again to fasten behind and "not much longer than the child's feet, that his motions may be strictly observed". (A Treatise on Domestic Economy, Beecher, 1849)

The dress for the night was a shirt, a blanket to tie on and a gown to cover all this. "Caps may be worn till the hair is sufficiently grown, but by no means till the child has got most of its teeth".  In the 1890's, apart from the flannel skirts, slips, and shirt, the "modern approved styles for dressing infants included long cashmere stockings pinned to the diaper so that the little feet were free to kick without the outmoded pinning blankets to still the naturally active healthy child." (Light on Dark Corners, 1894)

A Few Articles of Children's Clothing

Poke Bonnets were defined with a wide protruding brim, and usually made of organdy or lawn, with swiss embroidered trim.  Many like the one above also had a sun veil in the back.

Rubber Drawers went over commercial flannel diapers or homemade ones of muslin or cotton.

High Top Knit Booties.  Similar to those found today but generally a little fancier

Sacques - Fancy little jackets made for infants in anything from silk to flannel, or knit.

Early in the period, the children generally wore smaller versions of their parents' clothing, and much of it was actually 'cut-down' from larger garments.  However, publications like Woman's Domestic Magazine also included patterns for making children's clothing; mostly outerwear..

A typical outfit for a little boy would be a two-piece 'Cheviot Suit', with jacket and knee length breeches.  Cheviot got it's name from the type of sheep that produced the wool, but later any wool suit took on the name.  Boys graduated to long pants by about the age of 13; and this marked a 'coming of age'.

Button shoes were popular throughout most of the period.

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