Figure 1.-- Here we see two American boys in their frontyard. The family snapshot is undated. We would guess it was taken in the 1910s, although the early 1920s is possible. We are not sure where the photograph was taken, but would guess the mid-West. The children are unidentified, but look to be about 6 and 10 years old. They seem to be in their Sunday best. The younger boy wears a checked summer suit with matching blouse and knee pants. His blouse has a wide white collar and a decorated breast pocket to match. The older boy wears light colored knee pants with a dress white shirt and light-colored tie. Perhaps they have just come back from Church and are having their photograph taken outside their suburban house with their black spaniel before changing into their play clothes. Both boys wear long black stockings with supporters. The black long stockings are obviously not worn for warmth since it is a warm summer day. Long stockings were simply part of a any boy's dress clothes during this period. They also wear knee pants. The younger boy wears hightop shoes whereas the older boy wears low-cut Oxfords.

Here we see two American boys in their frontyard. The family snapshot is undated. We would guess it was taken in the 1910s, although the early 1920s is possible. We are not sure where the photograph was taken, but would guess the mid-West. The children are unidentified, but look to be about 6 and 10 years old. They seem to be in their Sunday best. The younger boy wears a checked summer suit with matching blouse and knee pants. His blouse has a wide white collar and a decorated breast pocket to match. The older boy wears light colored knee pants with a dress white shirt and light-colored tie. Perhaps they have just come back from Church and are having their photograph taken outside their suburban house with their black spaniel before changing into their play clothes. Both boys wear long black stockings with supporters. The black long stockings are obviously not worn for warmth since it is a warm summer day. Long stockings were simply part of a any boy's dress clothes during this period. They also wear knee pants. The younger boy wears hightop shoes whereas the older boy wears low-cut Oxfords

The Boys

Here we see two American boys in their frontyard. The boys are almost surely brothers. The children are unidentified, but look to be about 6 and 10 years old. We know nothing about the family. Judgeing from the homes, they came from prosperous, but certainly not wealthy families.

Chronology

The family snapshot is undated. We would guess it was taken in the 1910s, although the early 1920s is possible. We think it is the 1910s primarily because the boys are wearing kneepants rather than knickers.

Location

We are not sure where the photograph was taken, but would guess the mid-West. We think it may be a suburb rather than a small town. Notice that there are no large trees, but rather recently planted ones. Also notice the grass rather than gardens.

Clothing

They seem to be in their Sunday best. The younger boy wears a checked summer suit with matching blouse and knee pants. His blouse has a wide white collar and a decorated breast pocket to match. The older boy wears light colored knee pants with a dress white shirt and light-colored tie. Both boys wear long black stockings with supporters. The black long stockings are obviously not worn for warmth since it is a warm summer day. Long stockings were simply part of a any boy's dress clothes during this period. They also wear knee pants. The younger boy wears hightop shoes whereas the older boy wears low-cut Oxfords.

Sunday

Perhaps the boys have just come back from Church and are having their photograph taken outside their suburban house with their black spaniel before changing into their play clothes. A reader writes, "I will not agree with you about the fact that they will change for play suits and then pulling off their stockings. This outfit was for Sunday the day long and it was for religious reasons. Here boys are white and black and on week more colored and barefoot as you mention. But on this Lord Day, Catholics and Protestants were similarly dressed all the year round like their parents who wore a tie and a coat. That day was occupied to read the Bible for Protestants and going to Mass in the morning and to the Vespers on the afternoon for Catholics. You have no idea how this kind od ethics was observed in little communities. Every non-conforming people was eradicated from the place. It was a kind of solidarity between members and this discipline was a reason why settlers were so eager to go west. A good example of this behavior is the series "The little house in the prairie". Of course, religion does not appear at the center of the story but it is clear that the stiffness of such practice was the reason why those people were so sure of themselves: they had God on their side. Unlike the Indians !!! This Puritan way of life was for a most part responsible of the advent of Capitalism. Money was not the expression on wealthy but the expression of God's answer to prayers. As Max Weber said, Protestant Ethics (and also Catholic Jansenism) is related to accumulated richness. Those boys were not unhappy while wearing their long stockings. They moved little, mainly in hot summer, They sat on a rocking chair in the veranda whole hearing parents talking with relatives or neighbors. But those stockings were not pulled high over the knees. Here the boys don't wear suspenders but rubber bands just over the knees. That is why the stockings are like a rattler. From the adults, the message was that no bare part of the body has to be shown. But the children out of sight played to pull down their stockings with a risk of punishment. Everywhere the Church was dominant, it was like that the year round." Our reader could well be correct. In many families children were mot allowed to play on Sunday. Most stores were closed and there were restrictions on what could be done. These restrictions were very common, but not all families were religious and strict about such matters. Our reader adds, "Of course. it was not all families but where the majority was strict, people had to conform." It is an interesting question as to what proportion of the population had strict attitudes. This varied over time. There were also regional differences. Such attitudes were of course strongest in the Bible belt. Different denominations also had varying activities, adding even more variation.

Childhood

A reader writes, "This picture is so telling. We are far from an official photography. Those children, strinctly controlled Amish or Hassidim Jews seems to be happy. I think that when a society is clear in its demands, even when strict, children can live happily. I am not sure that modern kids are so happy maybe because of the contant focus on senualituy in the media, even programing for younger children. It is spreading even into primary grades by television and commercial advertizing. This seems to be narrowing the period that can be seen as childhood."