Figure 1.--This photo postcard back snapshot shows a delivery being made, probably on the outskirts of a small town. Based on the boy's knee pants, the photograph was probably taken about 1905 or so. (The AZO samp box sugests a later date.) It is a good example of how the Kodak Brownie and similar system brought photography outside the studio, so we can see how children were dressed when not all done up for a formal studio portrait. The fact that dad or someone else had a camera handy to snap a photograph shows just how photograophy had penetrated to every nook and cranny of America. Click on the image for a closer view.

Going barefoot was still very common in the early 20th century for pre-teen boys and many girls as well. In fact we note more boys photographed barefoot in the early-20th century than in the 19th century. This is of course bcauseof the Kodak Bronie which took photography out of the studio. Son we see children when not all dressed up for a formal portrait (1900). A good example is some unidentified Texas children about 1905. Thisdoes not mean that more boys actually when barefoot in the 1900s. In fact almost certainly this was not the case. America at the turn-of-the 20th century made the transition to a country where more thn half of the popultion lived in rural areas. And boys in cities were less likely to go barefoot than in rural areas. But for some reason we see see large numbers of studio portraits with barefoot children. Before and after, mother s usually dressed chikdren in shoes and stockings for formal portraits. We do not know why this convention suddenly developed. These portraits were especially common in the South and rural areas. This may relect the expanding use of photoraphy more than any change in the tendency of boys to go barefoot. Taking a portrait was being seen as less a formal occassion than earlier. The development of the Kodak Brownie and the amateur snapshot may have been factors in reducing the formality of the studiomportrait. We have quite a few images on HBC of boys going barefoot in the 1900s--even when dressing up. Another good example is John Conway in 1906. We also see Rubie and Raymond Gaston, probably about 1905. A good indicator is school portraits. Another good example is Tinsley Armstrong in the 1900s.

Created: 8:48 AM 4/20/2024
Last updated: 8:49 AM 4/20/2024