Figure 1.- This family portrait shows Esquire Thomas Ford and Mary Jane Smart with their seven children who look to be about 1-20 years of age. In the back row we can see Verna, Stella and Henry. At the side of Esquire Thomas there is Walter and in front row the twins Earl and Ervin. Bessie is sitting on the knees of Mary Janes. The photo was taken in Tennessee in 1906. Another child, Bertha, will be born in 1907. The younger twin boys wear Fauntleroy blouses with knee pants and curiously flat cap. Walter wears suit with what looks like a large white square collar. Henry wears a suit with high-set lapels. The older girls wear blouses and skirts, on with a floppu bow. This is a good example of family portraits with barefoot children in the 1900s.

This family portrait shows Esquire Thomas Ford and Mary Jane Smart with their seven children who look to be about 1-20 years of age. In the back row we can see Verna, Stella and Henry. At the side of Esquire Thomas there is Walter and in front row the twins Earl and Ervin. Bessie is sitting on the knees of Mary Janes. The photo was taken in Tennessee in 1906. Another child, Bertha, will be born in 1907. The younger twin boys wear Fauntleroy blouses with knee pants and curiously flat cap. Walter wears suit with what looks like a large white square collar. Henry wears a suit with high-set lapels. The older girls wear blouses and skirts, on with a floppu bow. This is a good example of family portraits with barefoot children in the 1900s. We are not sure why this suddenly became so common. It is not as if going barefoot suddenly became common. Boys commonly went brefoot throughout the 19th century, but mostly put on shoes abd sicks for a portrait. and then in the 1900s, especilly the late 10s we suddenly see the children pitting on their shoes and socks for portraits again. We have no idea why so many barefoot children uddenly apprared in the 1900s. We would understand it if we were talking about family snapshots, but we are talking bout sudio portraits. And notice that everyone dressed up for the portrait. Many of these images come from southern states and they are often tin-types and taken in low budget, perhaps carnival studios. But why they are suddenly so common we do not know. A readr points out, "This is really something calling attention in formal portrait, when people clearly dressed up for the occasion."

Created: 10:37 AM 6/15/2015
Last updated: 10:37 AM 6/15/2015