Figure 1.--This unidentified Russian family was taken in 1924 just after the Russian Revolution and Civil War. They look to be about 3-16 years old. Almost all of the children wear sailor outfits, including the older girl. Notice there is no three stripe detailing on the collar and cuffs. That was the only part of a sailor blouse that was difficult to sew and may have been difficult to obtain at the time. It is interesting, however, that a style so associated with the Romanovs continued to be popular in Russia. The family was having a beach holiday which is also interesting at the time. Click on image to see the back of the card with the location. A Russian reader writes, "Interesting image. I find it a strange photograph given the state of our country at the time. Must be high up officials in Soviet society."

We thought that because the sailor suit was so connected with the Tsar's family and the middle class that the sailor suit would have disappeared after the Revolution, but this was not the case. We see quite a number of Soviet boys wearing sailor suits. We are not entirely sure how this would have been preceived. Popular fashion standards were slow to appreciate the new political realities. In the rest of Europe, the sailor suit had a middle-class image which also would have not be a positive in Russia. We think the sailor suit was especially popular with the educted elite in urban areas. Also we think that most sailor suits would have been sewn by mothers and were probaby difficult to find in stores. We note boys in the early Soviet era (1920s and 30s). We are not sure how common the sailor suit was at this time. A best we can tell the ssilor suit was worn by boys from properous families that were abe to afford better clothes. We also note some children who seem to be dressed up for formal occassions.

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Created: 2:41 PM 7/3/2019
Last updated: 6:04 PM 7/4/2019