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The HBC biography section is for people or families that have achieved some degree of notariety or fame. HBC readers in many cases have submitted family portraits. HBC has until now not added them to the biography section. We believe now that this is a mistake. Many of the HBC readers contributing family portraits can also provide details about the boy and him family. This background information help us to assess social trends and put the fashions involved in perspective. This is just why the biographical section is an important part of HBC. As a result, HBC has decided to create pages for these relatively unknown people, when some basic family data is available. Incidentally if you find a relative here, please do tell us somehing about him. Here we are listing these biographies alpahabetically to facilitate looking up individual names. The alphabdetical list is the primary data base in this section. While we have not persued geneolgical resreach on these individual, having the names and in many cases the loaction provide the potential to acquire more back ground information in the future which may provide additonal insights into the fashion and life style trends.
A handwritten inscription on the back of the CDV here says: "Stephen S Uchlein - died Tuesday August 9th 1870 aged 16 yrs 3 mo". In the portrait he looks about 14-15 years old so we would guess that the photograph was taken about 1868-69. I'm not sure what kind of mame Uchlein is, but it seems German. The photographer is E M van Aken of Lowville, New York. Clearly he is being photographed with a new suit. What is interesting here is the fact all these clothes are clearly way too big for him. That was not uncommon for younger boys, but somewhat less common for older boys like Stephen here. Clearly mother was going to make sure he got some good out of his new suit.
We have been able to find virtually no information on this American boy who appears to have been something of a child prodigy. He is, however, of special interest becuause we have obtained a quarter-plate daguerreotype of him. This is the oldest photographic image that we have of any prodigy. The boy is identified in the intact full-case as Willie F. Underwood, and dated 1855. He looks to be about 4 years old. We know nothing about his musical abilities other than he played the violin at a very young age. No information is available on his concerts or any contribution to the world of music as an adult. Willie in the portrait appears seated on a draped stool or chair with the drapery slightly tinted red. The boy is dressed in finery that only a mother could love, a low cut vlouse with ruffles, velvet kneepants, pantalettes, and the wildest plaid stockings.
We note a postcard of James Urnsby in a play army uniform. We know nothing about James except his father was Lawrence Urnsby. We do not know where in America they lived. Nor do we know whem the photograph was taken, but would guess the 1910s, perhaps during World War I. James is wearing a knee pants Army uniform. It might have been a military school uniform, but the white stockings and sandals surely make it a play outfit. Both the uniform and the stockings and sandals suggest a family living in comfortable circumstances.
This CDV portrait shows Ollie Vail in a cut-away jacket suit with long pants. Note the connecting tabs on the cut-away jacket, The material is a rather loud check. I'm not sure about the color. He has a blouse with small collar which unusually hangs out over the jacket. Also notice how the blouce slleves ballon out. This suggess to us that the portrait is a fairly early CDV, perhaps 1862-64. Ollie is a good example of how common long pants were in the 1860s. Even quite young boys wore them. Ollie looks to be about 7-8 years old. The portrait was taken at the Union Gallery in Danbury, Connecticut. It is not dated, but would have been taken in the 1860s. As there is no tax stamp it would have to be either before September 1, 1864 or after August 1, 1866. During this time a tax was charged and there is no revenue stamp on the back of this portrait..
Here is a Czech boy about 10 years old in his First Communion suit. The boy wears a dark double breasted suit with a white shirt and open collar, knee pants, and long stockings which seem to be dark brown rather than the more customary black. He wears high top shoes. The photo was taken in 1935. The boy's is Jaroslav Valdman who was born in 1925. The portrait was taken in Susice, a small town in the south-western Bohemia.
This studio portrait shows Floyd Van Horne wearing a Norfolk knee pants suits with a large white collar and light-colored floppy bow. Floyd has page-boy bangs. He looks to be about 5 years old. The portrait was taken in Litt’s Studio in Ellendale, North Dakota. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1915. Knickers were more common for boys in the 1910. We see many older boys wearing jackets like this with knickers. While knickers were very common in the 1910s, we see many younger boys still wearing lmee pants. Floyd also wears long stockings and lave-up high-top shoes.
Here we have only a poor image. We do, however, have his name--Charles
Richard Van Norstrand. It is an American image, although we do not know where it was taken. The name suggests Dutch ancestry. He is 6 years and 3 month old although he looks a bit younger. He wears a plaid Little Lord Fauntleroy skirted kilt suit. It is inscribed on the back, "to Aunt Jenny with hugs and kisses." he had his portrait taken with a
girl doll. The portrait is undated, but we would estimate it was taken about 1890.
A HBC reader has provide us some charming photographs of herfather Lester VanTine and his fraternal twin Chester. The boys grew up in Pennslvania and are shown in a 1911 photograph wearing tunics with long stockings. They both have long, but not shoulder length hair.
A New York boy Hiram Van Vliet Braman wore a Highland kilt. The kilt was donated to the ??? Museum and is in the New York City collection. Hiram wore the kilt about 1883, although for ewhat occassions and how commonly we do not know. The Museum calls it a "Scotch Suit", but it is clearly a full Highland kilt outfit in the Black Watch plaid, complete with sporran. According to the Museum, Upon Queen Victoria's "coronation, the influence of Victoria's reign and the ensuing predilection for all things British were strongly felt on the New York side of the Atlantic. A popular souvenir from a trip to the British Isles was the ubiquitous Scotch suit that was worn by fashionable children of either gender." This undoubtedly true, although we are not sure to what extent girls wore Hoghland kilts. Americans traveling to England and Europe in the late 19th century mean families of means. We also wonder if they might not have been able to purchase them in New York City shops.
Édouard Vuillard, in the later stages of his career, turned to portraiture. His portraits feature prominant individuals in aristocratic Parisian society. He did several elegant portraits late in life. Several of these portraits are masterful studies. Only one we know of is a child--Claude Berheim de Villers who he pained about 1906. Unfortunately he have no information about Claude or his family. He obviously comes from a wealthy famiky. Claude has long hair and wears a fancy white outfit with white long stockings. The abstract style makes it difficult to make out detail.
This is a First Communion portrait of Adeian Viring in 1941. He was from Wisconsin, but we do not know what city. He looks to be about 7 years old. The portrait is interesting because it shows a boy wearing knickers with abkle socks. For some reason, kneesocks declined in popularity just before knickers did. Thus you see a number of boys in the late 30s and early 40s wearing knickers with ankle socks. When this portrait was taken, knickers were also going out of style. They were rarely seen after workd war II (1945).
This photo postcard portrait shows Gordon Voelker with a wonderful cocker spaniel. No doubt te family's faithful dog. We think the portrait was taken in the 1920s. Post card portraits were most common during the 1900s-20s, they were much less common in the 1930s. Voelker I think is a Dutch name, but we do not know where he was from in America. Gordon wears a patterened shirt with a plaid tie. Notice how wide it is and tied to hang above the belt. He has what look like long-cut flannel short pants. His pants have belt loops and a belt. But this seems to be oirnamental. The pants are button style, held up by buttons on the shorts.
Here we see a German boy in 1917. His family name is Wagner, but we do not know his first name. He was photographed in Weimar, I think by the Handschriftlich studio. He was 3 years old. The CDV photograph was taken August 22, 1917. He wears a tunic suit done in an unusual style, similar in some respects to the Russian blouse style. Note in particular the trim often used with Russian blouses. The stripped front looks somewhat like a sailor dickey which is unusual on Russian blouses which normally had closed, circular collars. Also note that there is a string rope waist tie rather than a belt.
This portrait Is of Maude Wallace of Detroit, Michigan. We are not sure who the boy is. One source suggests that he was possibly a brother as she had one son but not until 1934. The boy looks to be wearing an elegant white sailor tunic with wjite long stockings and white strap shoes. He looks to be about 7 years old. The photo is signed by E. Hill presumably the color tinting artist. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1915-20.
Here a wondeful scene fron turn-of-the-20th century New York. They look to be a well established family. We see the father, the mother and their two two. The boys are Harold and Alfred Wallgren. The older boy looks to be around 5 years old. He wears a sailor tunic with white long stockings and button shoes. Both boys have lonish hair. One done in bangs the other in curls. The younger boy is about 3 years old. It is less clear what the younger boy wears. It could be a dress, bit looks to me like a differently styled tunic suit. The portrait was taken in a famous New York studio--the Scherer Studio. They had three studios including one in Brooklyn. We have two shots taken at the same time. The body language suggests the boys were very close.
The popular image of exploited child labor generally is seen in mines and factories. In fact some of the most brutal conditions were in rural areas. Many early laws restrivting child labor dod not cover agricultural workers. This photograph depicts 5-year-old Harold Walker picking cotton in Comanche County, Oklahoma. It was taken in October, 1916, by Lewis Hine who worked as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), documenting working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1921. Children this age by 1916 in America could not be hired for factory or mine work.
The boy here is Ted Walkley. We believe he is an altar boy rather than a chorister. The cabinent card portrait was made by Hellis & Son. This was a concern with stdios located throughout London. So we know Ted was from London, but we do not know where. Ted was born in 1886 and was 13 years old when the portrait was taken in 1899.
John Trueman Brooke Waller was an English boy. We have a portrait of him taken when he was 6 years old during September 1892. The portrait was taken at East Croydon, a suburb of London. The photo is a wonderful example of an English boy elegantly attired in a velvet Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit nd golden long curls.
This quarter plate daguerreotype portrait of three well-dressed brothers was taken in May 1852. Thgey wear identical suits. Note the collar buttoning jackets with a row of front buttons, perhaps brrass. They all have white shirt collars which show, but the collars are all different. This is a style we see commonly in these old portraits, although we are not yet positive how to date it. The boys are identified inside the case as "Martin William Wallis, Martin Samuel Wallis, Martin Howard Wallis". Interestingly, each boy holds a daguerreotype case in his hands. We wonder if that was for an individual portrait. The boys are poses with their arms interlocked and the two younger brothers on the outside leaning in slightly toward their older brother in the middle. We are guessing that they both really look up to him. The portrait is housed in a full case with a floral design.
This portrait is of Martin Allister Wambold. He was born on December 2, 1880. The portrait was taken in 1886 so Martin seems to have been 5 years old. Unfgortunately we know nothing about his family. Martin wears a boy’s dress with what looks like a lace collar and large colored floppy bow. The bow seems a different color than the dress. The dress looks rather like a suit, in particular a kilt suit, but it does seem to be a dress. We do not know what color the dress was. We suspect it was a muted shade, with thfloppy bow adding a bit of color to his outfit. We do not know what kind of headwear he would have worn. In this case the hat or cap is not placed near by. He also wears long stockings and shiny high button shoes. He has long ringlet curls and is holding a book. The ringlets are quite long, falling over his sholders. The front of his hair style seem to be bangs. The portrait was taken by Draper. We do not know, however, in what city. We know the studio was at 1313 and 1315 Columbia Avenue.
Carl P. Weber had his portait taken by Meynen & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl looks to be about 5 years old. The portrait is undated, but was probanly taken about 1895. Carl wears what looks like a Fauntleroydress. It looks to be made in velvet, I'm not sure about the color. We don't have a good enough scan to know if the outfit is a dress or a jacket and matching skirt. He has an elaborate lace collar and matching wrist cuff trim. Carl also hs long ringldet curls. One unusual aspect is a cone shaped hat at right. I have ot common;y seen that hat style. He holds a whip which would have helped identified him as a boy even if we had not known his name.
This portrit shows Julius Weise. It is undated, but was probably taken in the 1900s. We do know that Julius was photographed in Dresden, a city in eastern Germany close to Czecheslovkia. I'm not sure which Landen that is. The portrait shows him in a folk costume with an Alpine jacket and lederhosen. I would have thought it was a Bavarian outfit.
William J. Wetheral was a student at the Chester Springs Orphan School. This was part of the Pennsulvania Orphan School System set up after the Civil War. Many fathers were killed in the War. At the time father's were the main bread winners. Thus these schools were set up to help care for their children. The portrait is not dated, but William looks to be about 14 years of age. The boys wore Civil-War style uniforms in honor of their fathers. He has the rank of seargeant and clearly very proud of it. While William wears a military-style school uniform. The School was not an actul military school as there were girls at the school as well.
Here we see an English boy with wire-framed glasses. HJ looksto be about 9 years old anf=d has a very pensive look. He has printed his name. It looks to be H.J. Whillocktol, but we are not sure. He has a habit of putting capital letters in the middle of his sirds. His letters are fairly clear, but that does not sound like an English name we are familiar with. He does add that he was from South London. He wears a kind of knitted sweater shirt with a Rugby collar. He has buttoned the collar, but does not wear a tie. The portrait is not dated, but we would guess about 1930.
Goddard White was photpgraphed in the A. Marshall Boston studio in March, 1897. He was 8 year, 9 months old. He wears a classic summer light-colored sailor suit, probably light blue. The suit was a kneepants sailor suit with which he wears dark stockings and what lookmlike patent strap shoes. He is pictured with his violon. Perhaps he was about to play in a reciatal.
We have acquired two cabinent card portraits of an American boy, probably taken in the 1890s. We know very little about him, except that he was from eastern Pennsylvania. One portrait was taken in Harriburgh and the other in Allegheny City. The family may have moved explaning the two different studios. We know nothing about Robert and his family, but the way he is dressed we would guess he came from an affluent family. The first portrait shows Robert wearing a Fauntleroy blouse with elaborate ringlet curls. He looks to be about 7-8 years old. Another portrait shows him at about 13 or 14 years of age wearing a suit with a wing collar and Windsor tie. The portraits or not dated, but theivory collared mounts suggest the 1890s to us, one taken in the early 90s and the second the lter 90s.
Here is a composite photograph that pictures a 5 2/3 year old boy (as noted on the back) in various poses wearing his sailor suit. The written notation on the back reads "Dee Wilbank- 1902 - 5 2/3 years". The photographer (Stecnil?) has signed the photo in pencil under the first photo on the left. The photo was taken in Los Angeles. After the individual photos were taken, the professional photographer made the composite and developed the final photo. The composite was then attached securely and expertly to a fairly thick cabinet card-like material. The boy wears an emaculate white sailor suit without any detailing. He has a darl presumably black scarve. The outfit is a kneepants sailor suit which the noyswears with contrasting black long stockings. A white sailor suit like this would have been for Summer wear. He has a dark reefer jacket which would have been worn in cooler weather.
Here we have a formal sitting of Frank Willcox with two black pugs. Frank is American, but I am not sure where the portrait was taken. This portrait was taken in 1910 by the George A M Morris studio. The dealers discription is confusing. The original portrait msay hsave been taken in 1890. Frank wears a white or light-colored knickers suit with an Eton collar and tie. He wears dark long stockings.
Here we have a snapshot of Clarince H. Williams. We do not know where Clarince was from, except that he was American. The snapshot was printed as a postcard. On the back of the card is written "THIS IS CLARINCE H. WILLIAMS TAKEN AUG. 1910 WITH THE DRESS ON THAT AUNT EMILY MADE FOR HIM". Clarence has a large bow/ribbon in his long curly hair. Outfitting boys in dresses was becoming less common in the 1910s, but it was still an accepted practice as the snapshot here shows.
This cabinet card portrait is of Edward Wilson. The family called him Eddie. He looks to be about 8-9 years old. Eddie is very smartly dressed. He is has a straw hat with a wide colored hat band. It looks like a boater, but the heigth is somewhat higher than modern boaters and the crown is slightly rounded. He has a wide white collar and small bow. Note the very plain jacjet. It is simmilar to the cut away jackets popular in the 1860s and 70s, but not longer noticeably cut away. He holds a toy hoop standing next to a taxidermy bird. The photographer is identified as the famous Bogardus Gallery in New York. It was taken August 21, 1882.
This is an interesting view of not only Harold Wilson, but the inside of his home. Most 19th century photographs were studio portraits. Here we see Harold in the parlor of his home. Harold lived in
Harwichport, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. He was 8-9 years old and wears a middy blouse and knee pants. He stands next to a stuffed easy chair covered in brocade or velvet, with a lace antimacassar draped on the back. The parlor has ornately flowered wallpaper and carpet, a framed painting on the wall and other artwork that can be seen behind the chair. In the sunny window is a plant stand and plant - a unique glimpse of the furnishings in use by an affluent family at the turn of the last century. He was related to a family from Westboro, Massachusetts whose history included connections to early textile manufacturing mills in Lowell, Massachusetts and to the the Cordaville Woolen Mills in Southboro.
This looks to be a family on vacation. We believe these are the children of H. E. Woolever. That could have been the name of a tourist photographer, but we think it is more likely the family name. The photograph was taken as in Crystal Beach, Ontario, but we are not sure where the family lived. The family was probably on vacation. This means they could have been American or Canadian. Curiously the boys wear long stockings and the girls ankle socks. I think it would have bee more common for the children to wear similar hosiery.
Here we have a photo podstcard of a boy in a sailor suit and cap. It looks to us like a modestly priced sailor suit. The portrait was taken at the M. Zalkoff Photo Studio / Division St Chicago. On the back seems to be written, "Woycik boys?" We think that may be the boy's family name. Presumably his parents were Polish immigrants. Chicago of course had a substantial Polish community.
This cabinet card portrait shows Frank Wlf outfitted in a blouse and kilt-skirt combination. Itis a little difficult to tell, but it looks like he is wearing a black velver blouse with front buttons and a dark, muted plaid kilt skirt. The kilt has large pleats. We are not sure anout the color. These kilt suits with both blouses and jackets were very popuilar in the late 19th century. He has a very elavorate pin-on lace collar. Frank looks to be about 4 years old. His outfit is finished with long stockings and high-top button shoes. The studio was in Buffalo, New York. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1880s.
Here we have a family photo of four brothers from Evergreen, Louisiana, taken in 1924. From left to right are Henry Clay Wright, Robert Lynn Wright, Alanson Burns Wright, and John Brunson Wright, ages 9, 7, 5, and 8 respectively. Henry, the eldest, wears a white shirt buttoned at the neck, above the knee knickers, and tan long stockings. Robert wears an interesting short pants outfit (open-necked shirt and matching shorts), a jacket with an unusual strap-button closure in front, and tan long stockings with supporters. Alanson, the youngest boy, wears a two-piece button-on suit with a large
collar and tan long stockings with supporters. John, the 8-year-old, is dressed similarly to Henry but wears light colored tweed shorts and tan long stockings.
This English boy wears a pin-on detachable lace collar. His name was Claude Bolton Wylde. He looks to be about 6 years old. He was photographed in Liverpool during September 1887. He wears a rather plain blouse, but the lace collar seems rather elaborate. It is one of the more elaborate such collars that we have noted,. Even so the jacket is worn open si the blouse can be seen. Note that the jacket is only buttoned at the collar. The large number of buttons weere decorative. Note that there are buttons on both sides, rather than button holes on one side. I'm not sure what color the suit was, but it may have been black.
Here we have some photographs of the Wynnes family. Unfortunately we have no specific information about the family. We have no background information about the family or where they lived. The available imahes, however tell us a bit about the family. The photographs are from 1906 and 1911. There appear to be four childre, The 1906 is a formal portrair od a boy and girl. The boy is not yet beached. The 1911 snap shot shows the children at the beach. This is interesting because of the children's formal attire for the beach. One boy even wears a tie.
Here we have an image of a Scottish boy, although we are not sure if it is a photograph or drawing. The boy is apparently Edward Roper Yerbury. We have no information about him. The image looks rather like an advertisement, or perhaps a novelty postcard. The boy was apparently born in in 1915 which would mke him 3 years old here. He looks to be 4-5 years old. He is pictured shining shoes. One interesting aspect of the photograph is that the boy is wearing closed-toe sandals. This is one of the earliest Scottish images we have of a boy wearing sandals. Also notice the suspenders (braces) used to hold up his trousers.
This cabinet card is a portrait of “Eddie Young, age 5 and Ralph Young, age 3. Their parents were Mr. and Mrs. Barie G. Young. The portrait was taken by Franck in Hammond, Indiana. It is not dated. The dealer estimates 1896-98. I think this is a good estimate. The Fauntleroy suits were popular in the 1890s. The light-colored cabinent card mounts became popular in the late 90s. HBC is not yet an expert in furniture, but we believe that whicker furniture was especially popular in the late-90s and 1900s. The boys seem to be wearing identical classic Fauntleroy suits. The only difference we can see is tht the floppy bows look to be different colors.
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