Figure 1.--Here we see a group of pre-school boys done up in white sailor tunuics, we believe in the 1910s. Rge boys look to be about 5 yerars old. The outfits were seen as suitable for dressing up for this age group. Tbe scene suggests that this was a play group, but hive they are imacukate, we wonder if any actual play was taking place.

The usage for sailor tunics varied substantially depending on the and material. Boys might wear these tunic suits rasther tyhan a formal suits worn by other boys. The fancy tunics were of course dressy garments reserved for special occassions. The sailor tunics could be used for both dressing up and play. We see quite a few images where tunic suits seem to be used as the boys' dress up garments. White tunics were a popular color for the dress-up tunics. This included both dressy lace trimmed tunic and sailor-styled tunics. Tunics were also done as play garments in a range of styles and and colors. These were often the colored tunics. We see a few younger boys wearing these tunics to school, but not very many. Tunics were on the outer range for all but the youngest primary school boys. We see very few in the available school photography. This had become a major source of fashion information for children's clothing. The pants were done as both knee pants and knickers. Some older dressy tunics might become play tunics. Gender

Created: 12:37 PM 9/20/2023
Last edited: 12:37 PM 9/20/2023