Figure 1.--The portrait shows a college friend of mine, Richard Holland, and his older brother Daniel, with their mother in Boston. The photograph was taken in 1936. Richard, the younger boy, is 5 and a half years old; Daniel is about 7 or 8. The picture was taken in Boston during the Winter (February, 1936) and shows how respectable middle-class boys were dressed at that time for a posed photograph.

A HBC reader has provided us a photograph of a friend and his brother, Daniel and Richard Holland. He indicates, "The portrait shows a college friend of mine, Richard Holland, and his older brother Daniel, with their mother in Boston. The photograph was taken in 1936. Richard, the younger boy, is 5 and a half years old; Daniel is about 7 or 8. The picture was taken in Boston during the Winter (February, 1936) and shows how respectable middle-class boys were dressed at that time for a posed photograph. Both boys wear V-necked sweaters with a stripe at the neck and wrists, white shirts the large collars of which extend over their sweaters, and neatly tied neckties. Both boys wear short trousers and very long tan stockings held up by hose supporters, although you can't see the shorts and stockings of Daniel, the older boy."

Family

The Holland family was a middle class family. We are not sure whu father was not in the portrait.

Chronology

The photograph was taken during the Winter (February) 1936.

Location

The family lived in Boston. It is a portrait taken in a photographic studio. The boys arewering sweaters rather than suits. As mother presumaly dressed up theboys for the portrait, we wonder if they had suits.

Children

The portrait is of Richard Holland, and his older brother Daniel, with their mother. Richard, the younger boy, is 5 and a half years old; Daniel is about 7 or 8.

Clothing

The pprtrait shows how middle-class boys were dressed at that time for a posed studio photograph. Both boys wear V-necked sweaters with a stripe at the neck and wrists, white shirts the large collars of which extend over their sweaters, and neatly tied neckties. Both boys wear short trousers and very long tan stockings held up by hose supporters, although you can't see the shorts and stockings of Daniel, the older boy. The boys were dressed alike. Richard mentioned this many years ago. Note how similarly the boys are dressed. The sweaters are different colors, but otherwise almost identical. You can see Richard's garter fasteners under his shorts which are pulled up a bit because he is sitting on his mother's lap. I think this way of dressing boys in Boston was quite typical for 1936--especially in the winter months when the weather could be bitter cold. Our HBC reader comments, "The long stockings were worn both for warmth and for dressiness. The picture reminded me of the way my mother dressed me at the same age.""

Created: December 24, 2003
Last updated: December 24, 2003