Figure 1.--The 1927 Franklin Simon catalog had a page on children's sleepwar and underwear. The title for the page us 'Underyhings both practical and smart for little girls and boys'. Sleepwear was seen as underwear. The garments are for children from 2-12 yeara of age. It was mostly for girls up to age 12, but there were a few items for younger boys as well up to 6 years of age. We get the impression that the store's line was bit upscale from Sears and Wards. The illustrations on the page are done in a top and bottom group. The top group is mostly sleepwear. The bottom group is underwear tops and bottoms. The styling suggests that this was a spring-summer offering.

Franklin Simon & Co. was a New York department store specializing in women's fashions and furnishing. It also handled clothing for younger children and eventully handled a full lin of fshions, oncluding mem. The store was different than most dry goods department stores. When it was founded in 1903, it began as a collection of specialty shops rather than a traditional U.S. dry goods store. Each 'shop' had a specialty product line, such as ready-to-wear apparel for women, misses, girls, boys, men, young men and infants. The store developed into a chain store and had a catalog as well. The 1927 catalog had a page on children's underwear. It was mostly for girls upnto age 12, but there were a few items for younger boys. We get the impression that the stre's line was bit upscale from Sears and Wards.

The Store

Franklin Simon & Co. was a New York department store specializing in women's fashions and furnishing. It also handled clothing for younger children and eventully handled a full line of fshions, oncluding mem. The store was different than most dry goods department stores. When it was founded in 1903, it began as a collection of specialty shops rather than a traditional U.S. dry goods store. The store was founded as Franklin Simon Specialty Shops by Franklin Simon (1865-1934) and his business partner Herman A. Flurscheim (1902). The main flagship store was opened at 414 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street. It was not a purpose built store. It was the elaboratevhome of Mrs. Orme Wilson, sister of John Jacob Astor. It became the first big Fifth Avenue store above 34th Street. Each 'shop' in the store had a specialty product line, such as ready-to-wear apparel for women, misses, girls, boys, men, young men and infants. The store developed into a chain store and had a catalog as well. The chain was sold to Atlas Corporation by Simon family duringb the Depression (1936). It then went through a series of corporate restructuing until finally bring closed by City Stores (1979). Dover Books on Costume reissued the Franklin Simon Fashion Catalog for 1923.

Hair Cuts

The illustrations in mail order catalogs often provide information beyond what is being offered for sale. Here the illustrations provide information on hair cuts. Note all the girls here have stylish have boyish bobs. It is even a little diffucult from just the hauir to tell who is a girl and who is a boy. This reflects a definite trend in the 1920s. And 1927 is right before Shirley Temple and her iconic curls entered the American cultural landscape.

Page Offerings: Children's Sleepwear and Underwear

The 1927 Franklin Simon catalog had a page on children's sleepwar and underwear. The title for the page us 'Underyhings both practical and smart for little girls and boys'. Sleepwear was seen as underwear. The garments are for children from 2-12 yeara of age. It was mostly for girls up to age 12, but there were a few items for younger boys as well up to 6 years of age. We get the impression that the store's line was more upscale such as Best & Company, Macy's Saks & Lord & Taylor than Sears, Wards, National and Chicago Mail order. The clothes selected show that as social conventions are reflected in that clothes are more juvenile looking in the upscale stores compared to more working-class clothes in the others. The illustrations on the page are done in a top and bottom group. The top group is mostly sleepwear. The bottom group is underwear tops and bottoms. The styling suggests that this was a spring-summer offering.

Top Group: Sleepwear

The top group of illustrations offers mostly sleepwear. We see both pajamas and nightshirts (called night robes here). Sleepwear through the 19th century was mostly nightshirts for men, women, and children. Pajamas first appeared late in the century (1880s). And it was when who began wearing them first. It was a Briutish infkluence originating in India--pajama s a coruption of a Hindi word. Women at first resisted pajamas believing that it gave them a manish look--even identifying them with sufergettes. Gradually mre and more men and boys began wearung them. Pajamas were widely worn by men and boys (1910s). Only elderly men contuinued wearing nightdresses. We can see the impact here on children's sleepwear. The boy and one of the girls wear pajamas. Notice that they are one-piece pajamas with drop sears, still fairly common. The styling is also interesting. The girl's pajamas have Chinese styling. There was considerable interest in China at the time. Oriental art began to inflence Western art (1880s). An art historian writes, "Visual modernism in America is not a sudden, revolutionary rupture with the past, but a continuous evolution and a multifaceted synthesis, which included the artistic influence from East Asia." There wasalso an indluence with the fashion industry. One fashion historin writes, "1920s fashion wasn’t just about flappers and fringed dresses. Traditional designs from China and Japan had a big influence on Twenties style with trends like kimino-style coats and robes and richly embroidered fabrics becoming popular." Another important influence was aathervdisparate group with a fiocus on the Chinese people--Christian Missionaries. Charlie Cgan was a popular figure in books and movues (beginning in 1926). Soon after Pearl Buck's Good Earth was a sensation (1931). This would be a factor in Americabn foreign policy eventually leading to Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War. The Chinese influence was strongest with girls. The boy's pajamas are styled like coveralls--a boy's play garment. Nightshirts continued tio be wirn by girls. One girl looks to be wearing underwear. We are unsure if that meant that this underwear outfit was worn to bed. It may be that it was justva marketing desire to get more underwear into the page offerings.

Bottom Group: Underwear

The bottom group shows girls and boys underwear. Notice the terminology. They are still using thev old-fashioned term 'vest' for the the top or 'T'/under shirt. This is still the British term. And they still use 'drawers' for underpants. The underwear was different for boys and girls. The boy's underwear is done as a two-pice affair. There is a T-shirt type top referred to as a vest, a term that was beginning to ggo out of style in America, but not Britain. Notice the ribbon at the neckline. The underpants are separate, but there seem to be button holes at the waistine which is not elacticized. Apparently they buttoned on to the top, but the buttons are not shown. We are not sure what the ribbed effect shoen by the illustration at the sleeve and leg cuff represents. We think it is two-ply material, not elastization. Most of the time boy's drawers button in front (often called front opening). But here in the box fir underpants we see that for younger boys, the construction is similat to girl's under garments. We suspect that is because of the button suspension system, children needed help with toileting longer than we imagine today and as such their underclothes were identical. A reader writes,We see similar things in very young children's clothing today when parents are dressing the children. Boys and girl's training pants and undershirts are often identical. Though in the past couple of decades we now have boy and girl diapers (mostly about colors and design) but outside of that the same holds true. At least from my observation. And that is true for trousers and shirts too." The girl's underwear is a sleeveless one-piece affair with a drop-seat. Notice the bloomer pants. We are not sure what the little square at the waist represents nor the vertical line from the neck. We are also unsure about about how closed bloomers were achieved. It does not look to be elcticized. If show there would hve been a drawstring which is not shown. The dated terminoology and the little bow on the boy's top suggests up-scale marketing.

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Created: 10:35 PM 1/17/2019
Last updated: 6:34 PM 1/18/2019