Sailor suit

Unknown

1909–10 · cotton, silk · Costume Institute

Variations on the sailor suit were an extremely popular style for boys in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Prince of Wales was painted by Winterhalter in 1846 wearing a sailor suit, which initiated its wide popularity and continued unabated through the mid-twentieth century. The great American designer Norman Norell channeled his aesthetic from a sailor suit that he had fond memories of wearing as a boy, undoubtedly very similar to the one featured here. The accession records note that this suit was worn by the donor's father, Grant Flynn.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1909–10

Medium

cotton, silk

Culture

probably French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Charles Flynn, 1981