Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified boy, presumably American, about to take a Pan Am flight in 1955. He wears a short pants outfit. Notice the white gloves and coat, both suggesting he came from a well-to-do family. Long stockings were not very common in America by the 1950s. Perhaps he was living in Europe. Pan Am had largely international routes. We think he is an American boy because the snapshot is located in America.

Here we see an unidentified boy, presumably American, all dressed up for a Pan Am flight in 1955. He wears a short pants outfit. Notice the white gloves and elegant overcoat, both suggesting he came from a well-to-do family. There looks to be a foreign influence. Long stockings were not very common in America by the 1950s. Perhaps he was living in Europe. Pan Am had largely international routes. We think he is an American boy because the snapshot was located in America. We know nothing about this boy's family. The air flight and the clothing, however, suggest thst he came from a rather affluent, conservative family. Most people could not afford to fly in the 1950s, especially to fly their children.

Family

We know nothing about this boy's family. The air flight and the clothing, however, suggest thst he came from a rather affluent, conservative family. Most people could not afford to fly in the 1950s, especially to fly their children.

Boy

Here we see an unidentified boy, presumably American, about to take a Pan Am flight. We think he is an American boy, in part because the snapshot is located in America. A reader writes, "Except for the cap, I would have guessed the child was a girl. Are you certain it is a boy?" Other than the image, the only thing we know for sure is the date--1955. But we are farly confident the child is a boy. The flat cap is certainly a very strong clue. Girls didn't wear flat caps, especially when dressed up with white gloves. Other clues are the hair, the teddy (rather than a doll), and the shoes. n Now it is true that girls had teddies, but they were more common with boys because boys gebnerally did not have dolls. Anf girls did wear sensible oxfords go school, but not when dressing up when they would wear strap shoes. Also school age girls tended to wear dresses with longer hems in the mid-50s.

Chronology

This photograph accoirding to the dealer was tken in 1955. Presumably there is an inscription on the back of the image. We think it is a family snapshot. A commercial publicity photograph is possible, but the jagged edges of the photograph suggest it was a snapshot. The plane and clothing, except for the flat cap and long stockings, seem consistent with the mid-50s.

International Flights

Flying was very expensive before the War and not very comfortable because cabins were not pressuruzed. This continued into the post-War period. Another problem was aircraft ranges. Pan Am clippers inagurated the long Pacific routes before the War. Lockeed developed the Constelation during World War II as a long range troop transport, but with an idea of commercial sakes after the War. The Army bought a few, but primarily used DC-3s (C-47s) and DC-6s (C-54s) at the end of the War. Trans World Airlines (TWA) began transatlantic service with a New York-Paris flight in a Constellation (February 6, 1946). The elegant Constelation dominate long-range international routes during the post-War era. The advent of jet airlners about the time this photograph was taken brought and end to the Constelation era and ushered in an era when international flights became more common and less expensive.

The Boy's Flight

We believe the boy here is boarding a Constellation, probably for an internatiunal flight. A reader writes, "I think this picture suggests the boy was travelling alone to a foreign country. He has his favourite cuddly toy. He is waving goodbye to who ever took him to the airport. No one else is standing with him. Many other pictures of this period showing children on flights often have an adult with them." Pan Am did not fly exclusively international flights, but it is likely this is an international flight. At the time this photograph was taken, flying especially internatinal flying was still expensive and mostly the perogative of the well to. People dressed up when flying as is the case of the boy here. A reader writes, "The photo shows the formality of air flights in the 1950s and early-60s which totally disappeared as air travel became more common in the late-60s. Yes whether he was going to Europe/Japan or headed home is a good question. The fact that he is so happy given his age suggests he may be headed home which could explain the long stockings. The image was located in America. The thing is that American children commonly dressed like Americans when overseas. Military personnel lived on bases and diplomat/business people attended private schools without uniforms.

Clothing

The boy here wears a short pants outfit and elegant overcoat. Notice the white gloves and elegant overcoat, both suggesting he came from a well-to-do family. Long stockings were not very common in America by the 1950s. Perhaps he was living in Europe. Pan Am had largely international routes suggesting he was either headed to or coming from Europe or even Japan so there may be a foreign influence. We might have thought a French influence, but French boys in te 1950s did not wear long stockings.

Flat cap

The flat cap was standard wear for American boys duringv the 1910s-30s. It was commonly a tweed cap, but some were done in suiting fabric. The flat cap was worn in Europe as well, but not nearly as popularas in America. Until the mid-30s almost all American boys wore them. By the1940s they had disappeared. American boys in the 50s did not wear them. But note the cap here is white. American boys rarely wore white flat caps when they were popular. We suspect here that mother thoughtv this was a fashionable touch, in part because it was white. We sometimes see touches like this in fashion magazines. A reader writes, "I agree that someone dressed up so much and a girl would not normally wear a flat cap but a boy would." The confusing thing here is that flat caps were out of style in America during the 1950s. American boys dressed like this in short pants suits would be more likely to wear peaked caps.

Overcoat

The boy here wears a single-breasted overcoat. Notice the pocket detailing, a velvet flap with a contrasting color border. We see younger boys and girls wearing coats like this. They were done in pastel colors. As the boy vhere is school age, it is probably a camel-hair coat, meaning a kind of tan color . Double-breasted versions were also popular. They were called manteau baby in France. we are not sure what these coats were called in America. A reader writes,"I could not tell if the child was wearing a skirt or shorts under the short overcoat and it had velvet or felt flaps which was more common on female coats." These coats were not just for girls. Affluent children both boys and girls wore them. President Kennedy's som John wore them. He is wearing one in the famous photograph where he is saluting his father's casket. The boy here is on the upper end of the age boys wore them.

Short pants outfit

The boy is wearing a short pants outfit, presumably a suit. Most boys this age would have worn a uit when wearing an overcoat, especially when wearing white gloves. An Eton suit is aossibility, but there is no way to be sure. You can just make out the shorts at the hem of the coat. It looks to be a dark suit, probably navy blue. It looks like he may be wearing a turtle neck sweater/shirt rather than a collared shirt and tie.

White gloves

The boy here has white gloves. Even earlier this is a verry formal touch, something a boy might wear for First Communion or a wedding. They go along with the overcoat abd suit, but were not very vcommon. They suggest a rather well-to-do, conservative famikly. And also show how people dressed up for plane flights in the 1950s.

Long stockings

The boy also wears tan long stockings. Tan long stockings were common in the 1920s and 30s. Stockings went out of style in the 1940s, especially by the late-40s. We very rarely see them in the 1950s. I do not recall seeing them as a boy in the 1950s and was rather surprised to see them here in 1955. Knee socks or ankle socks were much more common withoutfits like this in the 1950s. The extren]me northern states ner Canada is a possibility. We wonder ifcthis was aforeign influence. Long stockings were worn jn Japan and a few countries in Western Europe, but going out of style. The major place where long stockings were still worn was behind the Irin Curtain--Eastern Eurooe and the Soviet Union.

Oxford shoes

The boy wears brown low-cut oxfords. These were the standard footwear for boys at the time. Either black ior brown oxfords are what most American boys wore to school or when dressing up. Younger boys might wear saddle shoes as a dressup shoe.

Reader Comments

An American reader writes, "This photo reminds me very much of my boyhood clothes in the late 1930s and early 1940s. I had a similar overcoat and cap (although tweed, not white). And the short trousers with long tan stockings worn with a garter waist was a style my mother favored--probably because she had seen rather upper-class boys in Europe dressed this way. I wonder if this boy is an American boy living in Europe who was back home visiting relatives in the United States and returning to his parents in Germany or some other central European country (possibly Sweden, Switzerland, Norway?), Or perhaps Japan? I'm wondering whether he belonged to a diplomatic family stationed abroad." I see a few cross currents. The white gloves and coat as wll as the airplane flight suggest a wealthy family, but the cap doesn't seem quite right, I would have thought a peaked cap. Also the long stockings don't seem right for a wealthy family which has its children wear fashionable conservative clothing. Curriosly the only place I know of where flat caps were still common in the mod-50s was of all places the Soviet Union and long stockings werecworn there.

A Russian reader writes, "I have serious doubts that this boy is from the Soviet Union. I know some facts when in 60s-80s, in times of the Detente, some children from the USSR visited United States or Great Britain for some rare surgery or another medical procedures that were not still developed in USSR. But all such cases always were considered as important acts of the Detente, and in Soviet magazines and newspapers there were a lot of information about such cases, including photos. But in 50s, in times of I have serious doubts that this boy is from the Soviet Union. I know some facts when in 60s-80s, in times of the Detente, some children from the USSR visited US or Great Britain for some rare surgery or another medical procedures that were not still developed in USSR. But all such cases always were considered as important acts of the Detente, and in Soviet magazines and newspapers there were a lot of information about such cases, including photos. But in 50s, in times of McCarthyism, it is impossible to imagine that a Soviet boy could visit USA and even make such a picture... Nope. [HBC note: While we agree that individual travel was very limited during the Cold War, we would say the primary limitation was not McCartyism, but 1) Soviet authorities did not want their citizens traveling abroad and 2) Very few Soviet citizens coukd afford it.] Last but not least - the white gloves is a detail that absolutely doesnt fit an idea about USSR origins of the boy. Even now you willnt find such a gloves for children in Russian shops -- 'cause Russians are, in fact, very practical when speaking about clothes. For the cold weather all kinds and sorts of mittens or knitted/skin-and-fur gloves - yes, but not white thin gloves. In USSR/Russia white gloves - a typical detail of a suit for a war orchestra musician or a military/police uniform. But white gloves for a child? It is useless, impractical, easy to stain and really cold, in fact."

Created: 9:39 PM 2/13/2012
Last updated: 9:39 PM 2/13/2012