United States First Communion Suits: Colors


Figure 1.--This unidentified American boy wears a white knickers suit for First Communion as well as white hosiery and white shoes. We are unsure if he is wearing knee socks or long stockings. The portrait is undated, but looks alike about 1930. A reader writes, "I think these are pretty definitely knee socks. You can see the top seam of the socks just below the knee and a little bit of the bare knee. Both long stockings and knee socks were worn with white communion suits, but white stockings were almost never ribbed whereas knee socks could be." HBC was unsure if this may have been the tab used for closing the knickers at the knee, but we think our reader is probably correct.

We see American children doing First Communion wearing both formal white and dark outfits. The girls always wear white junior wedding dressess. The boys outfits were more varied. First Communions outfits from the 19th century are rare. We see mostly dark suits in the early-20th century. Almost all of these suits were dark suits. A new suit for First Communiin was very common for boys who could afford it. We are not sure about the color, but believe navy blue was commom. We see some boys wearing white bloues without jackets in the 1920s. We are not sure about the 1910s. We begin seeing white suits in the 1920s and they were a little more commin in the 1930s. We see both dark sand white suits through the 1960s, but by that time First Communion outfits began to become less common and we see fewer suits and less formal First Communion attite.

Dark Suits

We see American children doing First Communion wearing both formal white and dark outfits. First Communions outfits from the 19th century are rare. We see mostly dark suits in the early-20th century. Almost all of these suits were dark suits. A new suit for First Communiin was very common for boys who could afford it. We are not sure about the color, but believe navy blue was commom. The earliest outfits we see for boys were dark suits. The suits were mostly dark in the 1900s and 1910s. We continue to see dark suits in the 1920s and 30s, but we also white outfits after World war I in the 1920s. The dark suits were mosdtly knicker suits until the 1940s wghen long psnts became more common. Shorts pasnts were not as common as with thw white suits.

White Suits

The girls always wore white junior wedding dressess. The boys outfits were more varied.We see some boys wearing white bloues without jackets in the 1920s. We are not sure about the 1910s. There may have been some white outfits, although always suits. Dark suits were, however, dominate in the 1910s. We begin seeing white suits more commonly in the 1920s and they were even more common in the 1930s. We see both dark sand white suits through the 1960s, but by that time First Communion outfits began to become less common and we see fewer suits and less formal First Communion attite. The thing about white suits is that unlike the dark suits there were more limited uses for the suits after the boy's First Communion. White suits were commonly vworn with short pants, but we see knickerts and long pants as well.







HBC






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Created: 9:00 PM 12/5/2009
Last edited: 5:21 AM 6/29/2010