Figure 1.-- Here we see a boy dressed up for his First Communion which can be seen by the sleeve bow, white gloves, and prayer book. The white straight bow is also probably a First Communion touch. The suit is, however, a standard doublr-breasted knee pants suit worn wth dark long stockings and high-top shoes. The portrait is undated, but the mount suggests the 1890s. Note the creases in the pants. This began in the mid-1890s so that means we can date the portair to the late-1890s. The studio was Ettlin's in New York City. The inceiiption on the back suggess the boy is Hlaska Savold??? [writing iundistinct]. I'm not sure about the nationality, perhsps Czech.

For the first time we see a substantial number of boys dressing up in new suits for First Communion for the first time. Buying a new suit was no small matter for a working-class family. We suspect that most could not have afforded similar celebrations it in Europe. In America, an increasing number of catholics could. We have not found nearly as many First Communion portraits as we see after the turn-of-the 20th century, but we begin to see examples during the 1890s. We think the primary difference between the 1890s and 1900s was the growing income and success of immigrants. White suits were still not common in the late-19th Century. Nor were white stockings commonly worn. We do see boys wearing fancy Funtleroy outfits in the 90s. This is important because it looks like Catholic families were npt purchasing outfdits specifically for First Communion. A white suit would have had only limited use after First Communion. What parents did was the practical step of buying a new standard suit that the boy could have worn for best after the his First Communion celebration. We are not sure about the junior wedding dresses that girls began wearing.

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s]

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Short pants suits] [Blazers] [Jackets] [Kilts]
[Sailor suits] [Sailor hats]
[Ring bearer/page costumes] [Shortalls]

Created: 4:10 AM 10/10/2014
Last edited: 4:10 AM 10/10/2014