Figure 1.--This French post card says "Happy Easter". This boy wears a romper or barboteuse with a "choupette" hair style. The French reader who provided the image dates it to 1946-49. Note the Peter Pan collar, puff sleeves, smocking, and strap shoes.

HBC has not note French boys dressed in rompers, although a French reader tells HBC that some do exist. This is somewhat surprising given the poularity of rompers in France. This is in part due to the fact that the romper was considered a paly garment in the 1920s and early 30s. Boys were not dressed up in rompers for formal events or special activities. Thus they were not considered aprropriate for the postcards showing well dressed children. Agter 1935/36 the roimper began to appear in dressier, more formal versions. Some postcards were made at this time, but as the fashion of sending cards with children dressed in fancy clothes had become less common. Thus relatuively few of these cards exist with boys dressed in rompers. Most of these cards date from the 1940s, but a few were made in the early 1950s.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits]
[Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores]

Created: October 26, 2001
Last updated: October 26, 2001