Group of Men with a Child – Summer 1853

In this large horizontal print from the Journal des Marchands-Tailleurs, six men and a young child converse in front of a neoclassical building surrounded by trees in June, 1853. Comprising three groups of two, the pair of men on the left stand while they smoke cigars. The man furthest to the left models a white pleated shirt with a high standing collar with in a black cravat.

He wears a white waistcoat with a floral motif and narrow gray trousers with horizontal stripes in widely spaced bands of three on darker gray. His black tailcoat has three buttons and low notched lapels. To complete his outfit he wears yellow gloves, black heeled boots or shoes, and a black top hat. His sideburns are in the “mutton-chop” fashion. Taking a light for his cigar is the man next to him who wears a white pleated shirt, green cravat, a similar floral patterned waistcoat in pale pink, and narrow white trousers.

He wears a four-buttoned gray frock coat that is fitted at the waist. To complete his outfit he wears yellow gloves, black heeled boots, and a tall gray top hat. He is clean shaven except for his waxed mustache. The pair of men in the center converse with the man on the left facing away from the viewer. His dark blue tailcoat has four-button detailing in the back at the waist and hem. He wears tan trousers, black heeled boots, and carries a black top hat.

His hair is cut short and he wears a small mustache. The man next to him wears a white pleated shirt and a blue and white striped cravat tied into a bow. His narrow trousers and his waistcoat are white. His black jacket has notched lapels and diagonal flap pockets at the hip. He wears a mustache and long sideburns, and his curly-brimmed beige felt hat has a band patterned in repeating rectangles.

He carries a riding crop. The last pair of men on the right give their attention to a young boy “not yet breeched,” who stands between them. Sitting on a classically-styled marble bench, the man to the right of the child wears a white pleated shirt and cravat, white waistcoat, dark gray trousers and a knee-length, double-breasted black frock coat with notched lapels. He wears yellow gloves, black heeled boots, and carries a riding crop.

His hair is short and he wears long sideburns. The little boy holding his hand is dressed in a white blouse with a pointed eyelet collar. There is a blue ribbon bow at the neck. The short black jacket has buttons down the front, and black on black trim in an undulating stripe at the front, hem, and cuffs. Over white eyelet pantalettes, he wears a pink and black plaid knee length skirt tied with black ribbon around the waist.

He wears gloves, black and green buttoned boots, and blue striped stockings. His hair is short and curly, and he wears a shallow-brimmed straw hat trimmed with white ribbon. The last man on the right wears horizontally striped trousers in gray and black wide stripes. He wears a white pleated shirt and striped cravat, and a waistcoat with a wide red and black Tattersall plaid pattern on a light brown ground.

A fancy watch chain crosses his waistcoat.Over this he wears a dark blue double-breasted frock coat with a white handkerchief in the breast pocket. He wears yellow gloves and black heeled shoes over striped stockings; his shoes are decorated with small bows. His hair is parted on the side and is arranged in face-framing curls, and he wears a mustache.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges