Breeching (boys)
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Flemish boy of 1625 in a dress with sewn in tucks to both layers of the skirt to allow for growth. The hair and hat are distinctively masculine, and he wears a sword or dagger (observer's left) and red coral beads, which were used for teething.
Boston, 1755–1760, boy and (probably) girl
Breeching was the occasion when a small boy was first dressed in breeches or trousers. From the mid-16th century[1] until the late 19th or early 20th century, young boys in the Western world were unbreeched and wore gowns or dresses until an age that varied between two and eight.[2] Various forms of relatively subtle differences usually enabled others to tell little boys from little girls, in codes that modern art historians are able to understand.
Breeching was an important rite of passage in the life of a boy, looked forward to with much excitement, and often celebrated with a small party. It often marked the point at which the father became more involved with the raising of a boy.[3]
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