Figure 1.--Here we see Margaret and William Blandings. Margaret wears a white dress and coat. with an overcoat. William wears a short pants Eton suit with an ovecoat. I'm not sure how to describe his hat. Notice the Chaudfeur.

William blandings came from a wealthy Rhode Island family. We note several photographs of him and his older sister. They are all family snap shots rather than formal photographic portraits. Some but not all of the photographs are marked 1934. The two seem close. They were about the same age and photographed together. He was known as "Billy". We know little about the family, but the fact the family had a chauffeur of course means that they were wealthy, We see Billy dressed both formally and for play. He wears a Eton short pants suit with beret. For play he has a white sailor cap. William wears both short pants and knickers. The difference seem to be both age and seasonality.

Dressing-up

Here we see Nargaret and William Blandings in 1934 (figure 1). Margaret wears a white dress and coat. with an overcoat. William wears a short pants Eton suit with an ovecoat. I'm not sure how to describe his hat. Both children have white socks, but different shoes. Even without the big car and chauffeur the children's c;othing suggest that they came from an affluent family. The Eton collar and short pants suit suggest a well-to-do, conservative family. Another snapshot shows the children outside their home. They are wearing coats so you can see much od their outfits except for the berets they are wearing.

Play

Here we see Margaret and William in front of their home or perhaps a summer cottage. It looks a little plain for a family that could afford a big car and chauffeur during the Depression. The children are dressed for play. Margaret wears a dress. Girls in the 1930s still wore dresses, even for play. William wear a non-descript white outfit. He wears a navy swabie cap, popular for biys at the time. He is barefoot which also suggests to us that this may have been the family's summer cottage.

Winter

Here we see William with an older brother or cousin. They are playing outside after a big snow. They seem to be having a good time. Both boys wear knickers. They seem to be in their back yard. The house in the background looks like a different neigborhood than the summer photograph. This photograph is not dated. William looks a little older. It might be 1935. We are not sure if William is wearing knickers because it is Winter or because he is a little older.

Switzerland

The Blandings appearently took a vacation to Europe in 1936. This was something only rich families could in the 1930s. At the time people traveled by ocean liners. We are not sure just where they went, but we see them at what looks like a lodge. William is wearing long pants. Margaret is wearing short pants, which I don't think was all that common for girls, except in situations like summer camp.

Created: 11:53 PM 11/21/2006
Last edited: 4:18 AM 11/23/2006