Figure 1.--Here we see a group of American boys during the summer (August 1917). They look to be stair step ages (about 1-8 years old) suggests that they are brothers. Notice how they are dressed in white even though these are their casual play clothes. The younger boy at left wears a stanfard, belted tunic suit. The third boy wears a short tunic with a fabric self belt. These short tunics became popular in the late-1910s. The oldest boy wears a regular shirt and longish short pants. Also notice the different kinds of hosiery, both three-quater socks and long stockings as well as no stockings. Notice that the black long stocking are the only non-white garment.

Tunics were very widely worn by American boys in both the 1900s and 1910s. Tunics were worn throughout the 19th century, but new styles appeared at the turn-of-the 20th century We suspect that the popularity was in part because tunic suits were very oractical garments. And the summer wash suits made them easy for mother to wash, a welcome feature for mother. A good example is American boy Hewett Lindsley in 1910. Tunics continued to be a very popular garment for younger boys throughout the 1910s. We notice large numbers of offerings in the major catalogs during the 1910s. And there are also many examples of the catalog offerings appearing in the photographic record. They were especially popular for pre-school boys. There also seems to ne a social-class component. We see many middle-class boys wearing tunic suit, but not very many working-class boys. And by the turn-of-the 20th century with the appearance of the Kodk Brownie and snapshot we have a much broader photographic record thn ever before.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main American 1910s tunic chronology page]
[Return to the Main American 20th century tunic chronology page]
[Return to the Main American tunic cronology page]
[Return to the Main American tunic page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Girls] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: 6:57 AM 12/17/2014
Last edited: 6:57 AM 12/17/2014