Figure 1.--Here we see a proud dad with and his two sons obvously on vacaion, we think in the 1950s. The 1950s is the first decade that we see boys weaing vacation wear. The boys look to be about 3-6 years old. Notice how the boys are done up for vacation with matching tropical Florida shirts and white or khaki shorts. School sandals were also common for vacation wear. Notice the white socks which were not common for boys.

We see the beginning of more casual attitudes toward clothing in England during the 1950s. This was a notable trend earlier, but was becoming inceasingly apparent (1950s). World War II was surely a factor here as people moved toward more basic fashios during the War. And the economic trends as a Socialist Government was elected which alled the economic miracles that occurred on the Continent and in America as countries began recovering from World War II. Low incomes limit spending on fashion. This meant that we see more interest in fashion on he Continent. While we see more casual clothing in England, we still see many boys wearing suits, including short pants suits. Here the penchant to dressing up for school was a factor. Sailor suits were no longer worn excep for special occassions. Short pants cntinued to be sandard wear for boys, incliding during the cold wnter monts--alhough that was beginnng to change. We see short pants bein made for summer and vacation wear. his was a change from earler years in which boys wore the same shorts year round. Jumpers (sweaters) were worn by most children, somwha less by girls because dresses were so common. We see several different types. Knee socks continued to be widly on by both boys and schools. School sandals were very common footwear, worn for school, play, and summer wear.

Donaldson Family (1950)

This is a 1950 portrait of a happy middle class British family that they used to send as a Christmas greetings photograph; they are signed as 'The Donaldsons'. Father, mother, two sons and a daughter, all smartly dressed. The father looks like a professinal man. The children look to be about 4-11 years of age. The girl wears a smocked dress and the boys matching short pants suits. One boy looks to be eearing a white shirt, his younger brother a grey school shirt. The suits could have been worn for school, but at the time middle-class children might have suits in addition to school uniforms. Short pants suits were still standard for boys. A real image from mid-century suburbia. The portrait was taken by the A. Pollard Studio in Bexleyheath, Kent.

Cavendish Family (1952)

Here we see Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington with his sister Lady Emma Tennant (n�e Cavendish) in 1952. They are about 8-10 years old. They are pictured on the family estate with the manor house in the background. Peregrine and Emma are wearing matching white sailor suits with the traditional blue trim. That was not so common in the 1950s as traditiuonal sailor outfits were no longer commonly worn by children. Of coirse artistocratic children growing up on an estate were not as affected by popular fashion. This was probably just before Peregrine was sent off to his prep school. Earlier wealthy aristocratic children were titored at home, but by the 20th century, especially after World War II, most attendded private boarding schools.

Post Card Image (1950s)

We note what appears to be a postcard image. Postcards used to be used rather like greeting cards or note paper. By the 1950s they had become more of a vacation greeting, but earlier they were more widely used. One popular type of postcard were ones with children. This had become less common by the 190s, but had not yet disappeard. The card here is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1950s. It is clearly a staged photograph, but the family probably posed in their actual clothing.

Vacation Family (mid-1950s)

Here we see a proud dad with and his two sons obvously on vacaion, we think in the 1950s (figure 1). The 1950s is the first decade that we see boys weaing vacation wear. The boys look to be about 3-6 years old. Notice how the boys are done up for vacation with matching tropical Florida shirts and white or khaki shorts. School sandals were also common for vacation wear. Notice the white socks which were not common for boys. Dad is dressed more conventionally, but is also wearing sandals.

Roberts Family (mid-1950s)

Here we see the Roberts family in the 1950s. They look to a a family of modest, but comfortable means. There are three children. I think the names are Alan, Wendy, and Ken. They look to be about 6-15 yeard old. The family image here appears to have been talen in the mid-1950s. All we know about them is that the family seems to have liked seaside vacations. This was before the cheap flights to Spain. Notice all the sweaters. The two boys are wearing crewnecks which means they are probably not school sweaters.

Summer Back Garden Family (mid-1950s)

Here we see an unidentified English family. The snapshot is undated, but we we think in was tal=kern in the mid-1950s. They seemn to be a comfortable middle-class family. It looks to be family get together, apparently in grandmother's back garden. Basck garden is the English term for back yard, yard being offensive in England. We see four children looking to be about 6-14 year olds. The boys look to be brothers. The girl may be a cousin. The boys are all dressed alike in casual summer outfits, sleeveless sweaers, short-sleeved shirts, casual short pants, ankle socks, and closed-toe sandals. The sweaters may seem a bit unusual for summer, but there can be copol days even un the summer. Trainers (sneakers) were not yet very common, what the Britiuh call school sandals were very common summer footwear. Sneakers at the time were called plimsols, but were more for school gym than leisure wear, at least among middle-class families. They may have lost grandfather, unless he took the photoograph.

Visiting Grandmother (late-1950s?)

This snapshot looks to show two boys about 8-11 years old who we believe may be visiting grandmother and her kitty. The room does not look like a room in a family house. And the boys have clearly been spruced up for a visit. Mom or dad probably took the snap. It looks like she may be in an old folks home--perhaps a sign of the time. There is no information associated with the photograph. All we are left is to guess about the image. The dealer involved is British, but we note that he also handles a lot of German images. We think in this case that English is most likely. The boys have close-cropped hair and wear collared shirts, V-front swearers, probably grey short pants, light-colored knee socks, and dark leather shoes. The boys could be dressed identically or wearing a school uniform, but there are minor differences with school muniforms -- especially a tie was genrerally worn with a school uniform. The snapshot is undated. Wr are guessing that it was taken in the late-1950s, but the early-60s is certainly possible.

Created: 3:41 PM 4/10/2025
Last updated: 3:41 PM 4/10/2025