This is a well-documented boy’s garment which came into the museum collection with a daguerreotype of the owner wearing the dress. Likely, this dress was chosen to represent the child at his best for the photograph. Children’s fashions in the 1860s took on a much less structured silhouette, in stark contrast to the more fitted garments associated with the 1850s. The loose style of this garment is more associated with the 1860s children’s clothing than the 1850s. It is not clear whether the date was specifically associated with the child and the photograph or rather the style of the dress would more clearly date the photograph. Often when there is a clear history of the child, it is a confirmation of the date of the garment.
source: MET Museum
