Figure 1.--Here we see aportrait of two unidentified children We know rhet are Engkish. The portrait was taken at the Eastmid Studios in Peterborough. While the portrait is not dated, the mount style suggests it was taken about the turn-of-the 20th century. The dress stling can also be dated, but we are less sure about the how to date dress styles. The children certainly look tobe boys, but it was not very common for boys this age to wear dressess by the turn-of-the 20th century.

One problem we have when dealing with dresses is that we can not always identify the gender oif the children involved. Younger boys commonly wore dresses in the 19th century. Complicating this is the fact that younger children do not have the same destinct gender features that older children and youth have. We invite readers to comment if they have any insights to offer about the children pictured in these images.

Peterborough Children (about 1900)

Here we see a portrait of two unidentified children We know rhet are English. The portrait was taken at the Eastmid Studios in Peterborough. While the portrait is not dated, the mount style suggests it was taken about the turn-of-the 20th century. White furniture is another turn-of-the century indicator. The dress styling can also be dated, but we are less sure about the how to date dress styles. The children certainly look to be boys, but it was not very common for boys this age to wear dressess by the turn-of-the 20th century. The center hair part commonly is a girlish indicator, but center parts at the turn-of-the 20th century were stylish for boys, at least in America. They have boyish cuts, but girls alo could wear short hair. We are less sure about Britain. The children seem to be twins. They are wearing nearly identical fashionable dressess. We only see a small difference in the neck treatment. There are boyish collars with what looks like a very small bow. The dresses are smocked with very high waistlines and very full sleeves. The dresses look to be white, although a very light pastel is possible. The children also wear white long stockings and low-cut shoes. The hem is calf high. Books were sometimes used as props to indicate boys. Here we see some kind of magazine. We are not sure if this is a gender indicator.

Created: 4:12 AM 12/27/2011
Last updated: 6:31 PM 12/27/2011