Child's trousers, pantaloons

This frock and pantaloon set was worn by the donor's grandfather when young boys wore similar clothing to young girls. Pantaloons, loose trousers worn underneath the frock, allowed the child to be more active and the skirt to become shorter until a boy grew old enough to wear trousers. This happened in a formal ceremony of 'breeching' somewhere around age 5-7. This outfit is made of cotton printed with very fine brown stripes, and the decoration is made of russet-coloured braid.

Pantaloons were also worn by adults. Outside Britain the shortened word 'pants' became common use to describe trousers, while in Britain pantaloons, and then 'pants' became associated only with underwear. This difference can still cause confusion between English-speakers today.