Figure 1.-This snaspshot shows an unidentified group of boys, perhaps Catholic boys at some kind of outing, perhasps in a park. Notice the pavilion in the background. Almost all ofthe boys are wearing suits. A few boys are just wearing shirts/blouses. We suspect that they have taken off their jackets, but they have come without thrir suit jackets. This is interesting because the boys have come preparing to play baseball. Noticetheboyswith baseball mits. The photograph is not dated, but we know it would have been taken in the 1900s, porbably about 1905. The fact it is a snapshot and the boys are wearing knee pants help date it.

What is fascinating in all the snapshots we see of children's activities is the lack of casual clothing. We see girls wearing dresses and the boys suits. Nothing could be more difficult from modern times. Now this may have been understandable if all we had to go on was studio photography, but this was no longer the case. Rather we have the Kodak Brownie and similar camneras which have left us an immense photographic record of life outside the studio which had confined 19th century photography. We see boys mostly wearing suits, just as they did for formal studuo portraits. The major concession to casual wear was that younger boyscommonly wore just their blouses and not their suit jackets during the summer. In addition, boys commonly went barefoot during the summer and this included when dressing up. This presumably was the case during the 19th century, but does not show up in studio portraits. For some reason it doesin the 1900s. It wasvirtually theonly time boys, even younger boys, did not wear long. We do not yet see casual jackets. Nor nor or sweaters yet major clothing item. One reason tunic suits were popular was that they were essential acasual garment compared to the suits young boys wore at the time. And in keeping with the conventions of the day, tunic suits could be embellished for a more formal look. More formal garments like Fauntleroy suits and kilt suits went out of style.

Created: 1:51 PM 10/18/2015
Last updated: 3:32 AM 2/6/2019