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boys first communion suit: United States individual experiences unidentified American boy
U.S. First Communion Suits: St. Mary's Catholic Church(1946)
Figure 1.-- This is the first communion class at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1946. Sharpsburg is a suburb of Pittsburgh with a historically large Catholic population owing to a history of European immigrants who settled there (German, Polish, etc.). Sharpsburg is famous for the birth of H. J. Heinz, the founder of the famous canning and bottling firm that produces Ketchup and other well-known brand foods and is still located in nearby Pittsburgh. The children are the traditional age for first communion--about 8 and 9 years old. Notice that the class is disproportionately boys--a somewhat unusual feature, since most first communion classes of the period in other parts of America tend to be dominated by girls.
This is the first communion class at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1946. Sharpsburg is a suburb of Pittsburgh with a historically large Catholic population owing to a history of European immigrants who settled there (German, Polish, etc.). Sharpsburg is famous for the birth of H. J. Heinz, the founder of the famous canning and bottling firm that produces Ketchup and other well-known brand foods and is still located in nearby Pittsburgh. The children are the traditional age for first communion--about 8 and 9 years old. Notice that the class is disproportionately boys--a somewhat unusual feature, since most first communion classes of the period in other parts of America tend to be dominated by girls. The much fewer girl participants are massed at the rear or ranged along the side railings. The children are standing on the steps of the church with their priest and mentor in the center at the rear. The boys are dressed in the traditional white short trousers suits worn with white low-cut shoes and white long stockings (obviously worn with supporters and garter waists). Long stockings were by World War II going out of style in America, We rarely see them being used for First Communion after this, especially by boys. The girls are also in white and have the traditional white wreath of flowers in their hair. Notice the bouquets the boys are holding. A British reader writes, "You commented on the large number of boys. The cut of the boys' shorts is unusual in that the legs are very wide." Yes that was the style in the 1940s. We see that a lot in the photograhic record.
