Figure 1.--I am not sure what this child is wearing, probably a smock. We are sure that he child is a girl. While French girls were more commonly pictured with dolls, they aso had teddies, just like the boys. The serrated edges potcard dates to the 1950s.

Teddy bears are not as an effective indicator of gender as of chronology. They were, however, quite strongly associated with boys in France. Girls were much more likely to have dolls. A French reader reports, "I must add in France that little boys pften played with cloth-doll. After 1930, the mothers preferd to replace the doll with "nounours" (teddy bears) (pronounced: noo-noo-rs. It is common for children in nursery school to bring their nounours to nursery school. So little boys often set off the nursery school with "nounours" in their backpacks. "Nounours" are now a very important companion for all French children. Although not as common a for oys, French girls also had teddies. A French reader writes, "One of my daughters are very fond of "nounours" and has a huge collection. My little granson (5 years old) never forget to bring his favorite 'nounour' when he comes to visit."

Photo 1

A French reader tells us that this little girl is wearing " une robe de chambre " used after the bath. This image is from the 1950s. The garment was used for both boys and girls. It had a cloth belt attached by a bow in front. Our reader tells us, "I grew up in the 1950s and remember this garment very well. To day we name this " une sortie de bain " or " une robe de chambre ".

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

Created: February 17, 2003
Last updated: Fenruary 18, 2003