Girl's Gym and Camp Bloomers/Rompers: National Trends


Figure 1.--Gere we see a German gym class. We do not know the name of the school. We do know the location--Bremen. The image is undated, but we would guess about 1910. The interesting aspect of this photograph is not only the girls' gym togs, but the very formally dressed gym instructor. Click on the image to se more of the class. Image courtesy of Album.1900.

These romper outfits were widely worn in American highschools. Most American high schools had girls gym outfits with bloomers and middy blouses. These outfits wee also worn at summer camps. Bloomer or romper styled gym uniforms were still being worn into the 1960s atv some American schools (figure 1(. We do not at this time know to what extent these rompers were worn by girls as a gym outfit in other countries, if any. I believe they were worn in Britain and Germany. I'm less sure about France. One matter to consider here is that some countries had much more academic oriented academic programs than America. I an not sure that gym was an important subject in the French academic program. Most American high schools had gym and physical education programs. Sport was very important in British eduction. We are much less sure about the academic program in other countries. Nor am I sure about the foreign language terms. A German reader writes, "I asked my great aunt (93 years old) how she called that. Her answer was simply "Turnhosen". That means nothing else than 'gymnastics trousers'. Maybe these kind of trouser could be called "Pumphosen". Well, this term is not very specific. It could be used for bloomer or knickerbockers as well." The outfits used in early gym classes and camps were two-picece outfits, tops with bloomer pants. We do not know if European girls ever wore the one-pieve romper suits we note American girls wearing in the 1940s and 50s.








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Created: April 16, 2004
Last updated: April 17, 2004