Figure 1.--This American boy was pointed in 1853 by American primitive painter L. Moulten. He was not one of the more effective primitive artists, but his portrait here provides important documentation that the sailor suit had come to America. Note the short hair style.

HBC has virtually no information on L. Moulten, an American primitive (naive) artist. We believe that he was American. We know of one portrait done in 1853. It is of interest because it shows a boy wearing a tunic in what appears to be an early sailor style. This is one of the earliest American images that HBC has which shows that the sailor style that began in Britain had spread to America. As this appears to be a rural setting, it suggests that the sailor style had arrived in American cityies even earlier. The boy wears rather wide white pantalettes with his tunic. Moulten does not appear to have been one of the more effective primitive artists, but his portrait provides valuable doumentation of fashion and hair style trends

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Created: March 1, 2002
Last updated: March 1, 2002