Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait wears a traditional sailor suit with bellbotom trousers. The portrait is undated, but the card mount suggests the early 1900s. The studio was Le Clear in Lansing Michigan. The backdrop is interesting. A reader writes, "This boy seems to be at least 11 or 12 years old. That is older than many of the American photographs we have noted." Drops like this with military themes are very rare in the photographic record. The fact that the studio had one probably reflects the fact that the portrait was taken right after the Spanish American War (1898-99). The guns depicted illustrate a revolution in naval warfare that was about to take place. Battleships at the turn-of-the-20th century were bristlings with guns of many different sizes. It became ecident as a result of the Spanish American War and even more so the Russo-Japanese War (Battle of Tsushima) that the only important guns were the big guns. The result was 'HMS Dreadnought' which immediately rendered all other battleships obsolete. This set the precedent for the naval vessels that would fight World War I.

One interesting question is why the sailor suit was so popular. Of course, the sailor suit was not only popular in America, but it was popular throughout Europe, the British Empire, and moddle class families in Latin America. It is understandable why the sailor suit was very popular in Britain. Victoria dressed the princes in sailor suits (1840s). This and the legendary status of the Royal Navy explains why the sailor suit became so popular in Britain. Why it becaame so popular in America is a more difficult subject. The American Navy had an ilustrious history, but nothing like the RoyaL Navy. The U.S. Navy played an important role in the Civil war (1861-65), but it was the army heros that dominated the popular imagination. We suspect that a more important factor was the importance of European fashions. The fact that British and other European boys were wearing sailor suits almost certainly had a major impact. We think that many bpys liked wearing sailor suits, but children in the 1890s still did mot have a major say in what they wore, especially younger children. We think the sight of boys wearing sailor suits rather cauhht the public imaginbation. Ut was a style that parents could agree about. Mothers seem i have thought the boys looked cute. Fathers probably preferred them to alternatives like the Fauntleroy suit. We suspect tht other factors were involved and would be interested in other thoughts readers may have, The military dimensions seem a minor influence. Although current events seem to have been factors for short periods. The Spanish American War resulted in a huge interest in the Navy as did World War II.

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Created: 12:49 AM 6/8/2010
Last updated: 12:49 AM 6/8/2010