Russian Blouses: Closed Neck


Figure 1.--The mother of these Wisconsin boys decided to dress her younger sons in Russian blouses. The two boys in the Russian blouses look to be about 6-8 years old. Both boys wear their Russian blouses with kneepants and long stockings. The photograph was probably taken about 1905.

A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children. It is typically gathered at the waist so that it hangs loosely over the wearer's body. The inspiration for the Russian blouse at the turn-of-the 20th century was the loose fitting garments worn by Russian pesants. Unlike many other blouse styles, there is no destinctive collar associated with the Russian blouse. Many Russian blouses are worn without a collar. Others are worn with large white collars such as detachable Eton collars. Some were worn as tunic suits at lengths falling to the knees. Others were bloused at the waist and we think best described as worn as blouses. We see many worn as Russian blouse suits, meaning the a Russian blouse and matching pants, usually knee pants or bloomer knickers.The closed necked version might be worn for more formal occasions than the open necked Russian blouse. They were made of many different materials. Some were made out of heavier materilas and seem suitable for cold weather wear. This style appeared in the 1900s and could be used as a kind of formal shirt for a boy who a decade earlier might have worn a Fauntleroy blouse. The closed neck Russian blouse could be worn with kneepants, but kilts were also worn with it. Long pants were not common as it was prinarily a younger boys' style.

Chronlogy

This style appeared in the early 1900s. It was worn in the 1900s and 1910s, but not commoinky seen in the 1920s.

Countries

The Russian blouse style was widely worn in European countries. I believe it was particularly popular in Grmany and France, but was also worn in Britain and America. Russian blouse suits were commonly called Buster Brown suits in America at the time. We do not yet have a lot of images showing boys wearing these garments, but it seems to have been a popular outfit for younger primary (elemntry) boys. As best we can tell they were most common in the early-20th century during the 1900s and 10s. The boys look to be about 5-10 years old, but this is just a preliminary assessment at this time which we hope to refine. A good example of a Russian blouse suit is worn by Oswald Bank in 1910. Notice that Oswald does not have a collar, but a kind of buttoned band in the same material as the blouse itself.

Conventions

The closed necked version might be worn for more formal occasions than the open necked Russian blouse.

Age

Russian blouses could be worn by quite young boys. It was worn by school age boys up to about 11 or 12 years. It was not commonly worn by teenage boys.

Materials

They were made of many different materials. Some were made out of heavier materilas and seem suitable for cold weather wear. It could be used as a kind of formal shirt for a boy who a decade earlier might have worn a Fauntleroy blouse.

Buttons

Button arrangements varied on Russian blouses. The buttons were some times employed as sylistic elements. Some blouses just had buttions around the neck opening, usually set to the side. Other blouses had buttons running down the entire side.

Colors

HBC does not yet have sufficent information to assess colors of Russian blouses.

Accompanying Clothing

The closed neck Russian blouse could be worn with kneepants, but kilts were also worn with it. Generally American boys wore long stockings when wearing closed neck Russian blouses, although French boys might wear three-quarter socks. Long pants were not commonly worn with Russian blouses as they were prinarily a younger boys' style.

Sailor Suit Dickey

We note one boy wearing a Russian blouse under his sailor jacket. This of course is not a dickey, but is is worn for the same purpose as a dickey. Russian blouses could be won as the side buttoning mean hat tere was unobstructed coverage around the neck lick a dickey. These presumably did not have embroidered designs. We are not sure how common this was as a way of covering the area between the "V" sailor collar. In most instances a boy in aformal portrait would have buttoned his sailor jacket, leaving no clue that he is wearing a Russian blouse underneah. A normal diuckie would not quite do for a sailor jacket. The We only found out about this concentioin when wee found a boy who had unbuttoned his sailor jacket in an infoirmal monment captured in a family snapshot. We suspect that it must have been most common with the jacket-type sailor jacket rather than middy blouses. Wearng it with a middy blouse would have meant wearing two vlouses. These sailor jackets seem most common in he 1900s. And we do note boys wearing Russian blouse-like colors with sailor jackets.

Hair Style

Boys wearing Russian blouses generally had shorter hair cuts. This was, however, not always the case.

Gender

The Russian blouse was primarily a boys' style.






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Created: December 19, 2000
Last updated: 8:47 PM 11/10/2017