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HBC has collected images of quite a few American families in the 1910s. Many boys wore flat caps. Younger boys wore sailor caps and hats in different styles. We see boys wearing tunic suits, Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits, an Norfolk suits. Eton collars are worn by some boys. Most boys wear kneepants or knickers. The Norfolk suit was a very popular style. During the Summer boys might wear fancy blouses without jackets. Girls all wear dresses. Many biys have bangs. We note some boys have their hair parted in the middle. Hair bows were very popular with the girls. Many boys went barefoot in the Summer, especially in small towns and rural areas. Most children wore long stockings.
This RPPC AZO postcard was mailed in 1910. It pictures mom and dad with the four children. Dad has a mustache and wears a three-piece suit. He holds a boy about 2 years old wearing a saolor tunic suit. Mom and the girls wear white dresses. The girls wears matching dresses and long stockings. They lived near Blackwell, Wisconsin. They live in a log and clap-board home. Note the oil paper windows. Their home was just as interesting as their clothing. Presumably dad built it. They surely were a farm family.
Unfortunately this image is undated and unplaced. We believe that the photograph was taken in the 1910s, possibly in a Westrn state but we are not sure about that. It is rather an unusual photograph as the father has a horse and the boy a goat. They are out in the country somewhere. We do have, however, the names. From left: unknown wife of Frank Welch, Frank Welch, Leonard Welch (with goat), Nancy Jane Hardin Welch, Solon Orlonzo Welch Sr. The boy wears a flat cap and knickers suit, but is barefoot.
A Canadian reader has provided some wonderful images of an American family on a summer outing. There are three girls and their little brother. The family is unidentified and we do not know where in the States they lived. We suspect it was somewhere in the northeast. We would guess the photographs were taken in the 1910s, although our readers guess about 1925. He writes, "Thes snapshots are really artistic. We smell summer like it was during my childhood in Quebec. Something has vanished for modern children. The dresses on the girls are like those still worn by Amish and Mennonites. And the tunic with the leather belt on the boy helps to date the images. I would say about 1925. Look at their posture. The little girl holding her hand up to shiekld her eyes from the strong summer sund. They got permision to take off their long stockings to paddle in the lake and feel water on their legs, but not for long." I like those photos. Children are so natural. It was at that time when they stay childen lnger than on today. A certain taste of
innocence. It was those kids who made America.
We believe this portrait was taken about 1910, but that is only a guess on our part. We do know that the portrait was taken in Chicago Illinois. The portrait is of interest as it shows three generations of an unidentified family. The little boy looks to be about 3 years old and has distibctive sculptured bangs. He wears what looks like a satin Little Lord Fauntleroy suit.
Unfortunately we have no information about this family. The portrait was in a group of postcard portraits that were probably from Minnesota. The portrait was undated, but we would guess was taken about 1910, although any time from about 1905-15 is possible. Mother had dressed all the children alike, although there are small differences. There are three children pictured with their mother. At first glance the children all look like girls, but we think one is a boy.
Here is the children of James Edward Simpson and Margaret Elizabeth Clark Simpson. They were from Texas, probably in a small town near Fort Worth. Left to right, the siblings are Jesse Newman Simpson, James Murphy Simpson, Vida May Simpson, Opal Edelpha Simpson, Bessie Cumie Simpson. We know that Vida May, in the center, was born in 1900. Since Vida May looks anout 10 years old, the portrait would have been taken about 1910. Thev boys wear blouses and knickers. Thegirls simple dresses. All the children are barefoot except for Vida May. This would have been quite common at the time. Going barefoot was not necesarily a poverty indicator, but affluent familes probably would have had the children in shoes. Note the backdrop and setting. It looks like a very basic, low-price studio.
We found this family portrait difficult to assess. It is an American image, probably taken about 1910. In part we can not see the middle child's entire outfit and thus it is not real clear what the child is wearing. My best guess is a sailor tunic. I am, however, still not real certain if girls wore sailor tunics in America. Tunics seem to have been primarily a boy's garment in Europe. I'm not sure, however, to what extent this was the case in America. I'm tempted to say the child is a girl, but without any certainty. Also we think that the double hair bows were more common for girls. The clothing and basic nature of the photograph suggest that this was not a particularly well to do family. Hair bows for boys were probably more common with prosperous families, especially by the 1910s, but this does not mean that the child here could not have been a boy.
We do not know the name of this family, but it looks to be an immigrant family photographed about 1910. They are doing piece work in their tenament apartment. Most photographs in HBC are taken in studios or outside. This shows a view of how many immigrant families lived at the time. We are not sure where the photograph was taken. It could be New York Cityor any large northern city.
Douglas Spedden was an American boy who went everywhere with his parents. They were very wealthy and liked going on European tours. They travelled by ship to Europe and then travelled to lots of places by train. Douglas was then a boy of 7 years. On one occasion they travelled to Paris on a night train. Douglas found this exciting and enjoyed travelling in a sleeping compartment where he had a bed and slept throughout the journey. When the holiday was over they caught the Paris to Cherbourg Boat train and boarded a ship and
had an adventurous voyage back to America. The image here was taken in 1911.
Here we see the New York City 5th Avenue Easter Parade in 1911 with people showing off their new clothes. I think the children are probably brother and sister even though the parents are not walking tgether. The weather can still be quite chilly in New York at Easter hense the marchers are bundled up. (I don't tyhink it was all that common for father and son to march alone or for women to march without their husbands in the 1910s. Notice the girl's very elaborate outfit. The boy wears a wide-brimmed hat (notice the chin strap) with a sailor outfit and warm coat. Notice the gloves in hnis hand.
This photo was taken in Laurel, Mississippi during April 1911. It shows the Yelverton Family. Father, mother and eight children lived in a six-room house. They moved into thi house in 1909 from a farm 50 miles away. Presumably they were share croppers. Father and the four oldest boys worked in the Laurel Cotton Mills. None of the children attended the school. Schooling was not compulsory in Mississippi at the time. This was a general pattern in the South, but Mississippi in the Deep South
was one of the most reactinary states and most reluctant to adequayely fund public schools. The boys wear clothing of three style according with their age. The older boys wear trousers with suspenders, shirts, black long stockings and shoes. The middle age boys wear overalls and shirts and go barefoot. The younger boys wear knickers with suspenders and shirts. They also go barefoot.
The McKay began as penilles Irish imigrants in 1840 and became wealthy as a result of silver mining. Here we see the family about 1912. Mother has coordinated the children's outfits, all dressed in white. The middloe daughter Ellin married Irving Berlin. We are not sure what happened to her little brother John.
A HBC reader writes, "I get the impression that ready-made clothing was widely available in the United States earlier than in many other countries. This may have been because the United States had a large middle class earlier than some other countries." HBC is not sure about this, but it is an important question. Our informatioin on home sewing is very limited at this time. The develpment of sweing machine in America was clearly an important factor. Perhaps even more important factor was the development of consumer credit. The technology of manufacturing a sewing machine was relatively easy for countries like Britain and Germany to copy or develop. Developing a consumer credit system, especially one for low-income consumers was a greater challenge. This was no small matter. It was a factor in America outpacing European industry in the late-19th and early-20th century. And a sewing machine not only mean that a mother could sew better quality clothes more raspidly, but if she was skilled, she could lsaunch a small business. America in the area of consumer credit outpaced every other country in the wiorld. And it meant that most Americans, even those of very modest incomes could afford a sewing machine. American was also a leader in sewer friendly patterns. The Butterick graded paterns may be a factor here. Armed with a sewing machine and easy to use pattern, there was little a sewer of even modest skills could not achieve. We notice much more elaborate embroidery and decoration in many European countries than was the case of children's clothes made in America. Our information on sewing trends in various countries is still quite limited, but it is an important topic that needes to be developed.
Here we see James William Johnson and his family in 1913. They lived in Alabama. The photo was taken in front of the family home. We are not sure if he owned the fasrm or they were sharecroppers. The children have their wagon in the photograph. I imagine they got a lot of fun out of the waggon. The boys wear knickers, white shirts and ties. The girl wears a white dress, black long stocking and strap shoes. It sas very common for pre-teen children to go barefoot in the South. Poverty was a factor. Another factor was the summer heat. Girls also went barefoot, but it was more common for boys.
The photograph shows the Jo Veal and his family in April 1913. There were six children, there boys and three girls. They lived in Lindale, Georgia. The children are all barefoot. The boys wear knee pants suits. Knee pants were out of style at the time. The girls wear print dresses that seem to need a good wash. We do not know much about the family, but the father and the three sons worked in the local mill. The mill wages were very lowe, but probably worked out better than share cropping. The image raises a number of issues. It is likely thast Veal and his wife gave from farm families which is why he has a lsarge family even though he can not support them very well. Georgia and other states had both weak or no child labor laws and compulsdory school attendance law. The absence of school artendance laws in part reflected the reluctance for blacks to attend school. Jo himself presumably was uneducated and thus saw no real need for the boys to attend school. The South at the time was the poorest part of the country.
This family portrait comes from American Magazine (April, 1913, p. 35). It shows Madame Louise Homer, a famous Metropolitan Opera contralto, with her children. In private life she was Mrs. Sidney Homer. The photo shows her with her four children. The oldest is a boy of about 10 or 11 years of age, who wears a Norfolk style suit with an Eton collar, above-the-knee knickers, and black long stockings. He seems to be stylishly outfitted with a walking stick that he holds in his right hand. The two girls wear white pleated and belted dresses with long white stockings and high shoes with button closures. Madame Homer is seated. The identity of the two standing adults is not clear. The gentleman may be Mr. Sidney Homer, the famous singer's husband.
This postcard snapshot show the three children of a family in 1913. The children look to range from unfancy to about 6 years old. The baby is sitting in a beautiful antique wicker pram, a precious older sister with a hair bow, and big brother outfitted in a sailor suit. Their surroundings are so humble that they seem to be living in a junk yard. The environment is in sharp contrast to their attire. This rppc post card is postally unused. The date June 8, 1913 is written on the back.
Here we have a wonderful portrait of three generations of an America family taken in Bradley County, Arkansas. The grandparenrs were Thomas Henry and Sarah Voss Cox Stanfield. The parents were Lonnie and Katie McDougald. The children were Henry (oldest), Rufus (middle) and Beatrice (the baby). The boys wears blouses, kneepants, and were barefoot. It was very common for American boys, especially in the South, to go barefoot during the Summer. While wealthy children did not common go barefoot, it was common for poor children and many middle-class children to go barefoot. Age was another factor, younger children were more likely to go barefoot than older children. Here even for a formal portrait the boys are barefoot.
Here we have a portrait of the five Kane brothers, Harold, Jasper, Charles, Arthur, and Edward. The photo was taken in Bedford Styvesant, a section of Brooklyn, in 1914. Jasper Herbert Kane, the boy in the center of the back row (1903-2004), grew up to be a distinguished biochemist who was active in moving antibiotics (such as penicillin) from the laboratory to commercial production during World Ward II, and
is thus responsible for helping to save many lives. He lived to be 101 years old. Harold (top left) is about 10, Jasper (top center) is 11, and Charles (top right) is about 12 or 13. The younger boys (Arthur, bottom left) and Edward (bottom right) seem to be twins and are about 7 years of age. The Kanes were a large Catholic family. The older boys seem to be wearing above-the-knee knicker suits with black long stockings. We can see Charles's knickers and stockings. Their shirts have Eton collars, and they wear neat four-in-hand ties. The twins, dressed identically, wear black button-on velvet knee pants with white ornamental buttons above the hem and white blouses with matching black velvet collars and cuffs. They wear the new style beige long stockings held up by supporters. The twins seem to have slightly different hair styles. Arthur has bangs while Edward has a mop of curly hair. Note the string ties and the large white buttons. We can't see the shoes, but they are probably hightop leather shoes, a common style in 1914.
This family on their front porch (from about 1918 or 1919) is unidentified. It is a wonderful image because it shows the front porch. This was a very important part of America in the early 20th century.
I think it was probably taken somewhere in the American west (note the father's wide-brimmed hat). The child in white is, I think, a boy, although it is hard to tell whether he/she is wearing a white dress or knee pants with white stockings. The haircut makes me think that the child is a boy, but the fullness around the child's lap looks a bit more like a dress than trousers. While this is difficult tp assess, it is a wonderful period image. Particullarly impressive is mom. I am guessing that the children here toed the line.
A HBC reader tells us, "I was looking through some of mu old family pictures and found this one of my grand parents with my father sitting on my grandpa's lap. Father is wearing a dress and my grandmother and aunt are to the right. Gad is now in 2003 87 years old and he looks to be about 5 years old in the picture. I thought you should have it for HBC as pictures of boys in dresses are rare, especially after World War I."
The 1910s were a prosperous era for rural America. The War in Europe created a strong demand for farm products. As a result, prices were relatively high. This Arkansas farm looks quiteprosperous. They look to be on an family outing in a relatively new car. Notice the older brother wearing a fedora hat and a white shirt with bib-front overalls. His little brother wears a sailor suit with knickers and long stockings. Another brother at the right wears a flat cap. After the War the farm economy crashed in the 1920s well before The problems in rural America grew even woese when poor agricultural methods and drought created the Dust Bowl in the mid20s. Then things became even worse when the Wall Street crash set off the Great Depression (1929). Will Rogers was to say, "America was the only country ever to gp to the poor house in an automobile.
This is an interesting family image. Notice how proud the two women are of the boys all smartly dressed up. And dad is not absent. Notice the shadow, he is taing the photograph. A nice family image I think. The two boys, surely brothers, are wearing fashionable, identical white or light-colored Norfolk knicker suits with black long stockings. The boys are presumably brothers. They look about 9-11 years old. They are with two women, one of which must be their mother. They look to be waring shirts with sports collars, but with neck ties. Unfortunately the collars are a little indestinct. The portrait is undated, but we suspect was taken in the early 1920s. They look to be from an affluent family. Notice the black long stockings. Wearing them with white suits demonstrates just how popular these black long stockings were in the early 20th century. One helpful clue un dateing this snapshot is the women's long skirts. We know these skirts disappeared in the early 20th century, but we are not yet sure precisely when. Here the big mail order catalogs will provide some helpful clues. A HBC Canadia reader estimated the date as 1922-23. After some discussion, he writes, "Yes, I can see how you might think it could be the late 1910s--possibly 1918-19--and I might revise my opinion slightly since I notice these long skirts throughout the 1910s in the Eaton's catalogues.
Here we have a wonderful photograph of a Pittsburgh family in 1919. An interesting front porch scene in 1919 in Piitsburgh showing the Wymard family with their three children. The boy sitting on the railing wears a knee pants suit (or is it an above-the-knee-knicker suit?) with long black stockings. He seems to be about 10 or 11 years old. The younger brother sitting on the steps wears a knee pants suit with matching trousers and dark shirt and long white (or possibly beige) stockings. The younger boy seems to be about 6 years old. This is very much a lower-income middle-class family, apparently.
Here we have a studio portrait of two American brothers and a cousin taken in 1919. Unfortunatelywe do not know the famoly name. We don't know the location other than it was somewhere in the United States. The oldest brother, whose name is Clair, seems to be about 8 or 9 years old. Notice that he wears knickers that buckle rather loosely below his knees and dark long stockings. He wears a collar with rounded points almost like a small Eton collar with a necktie and tie clip. Interestingly he has his sleeves partly rolled up to just below his elbows. Clair's younger brother, about 5 years old, sits on the window sill of a half open casement window. We don't know his name, but he wears knee pants that button on to a white, short-sleeved shirtwaist with large collar.
Notice the exposed rubber button of his hose supporter, worn to hold up his white long stockings, and the double-strap black shoes. The boy in the center, who seems to be about 4 years old is called Roy and is a cousin of the other two boys. It is not very coomon for cousins to be dressed identically. Roy wears the same kind of button-on knee pants and shirtwaist as his cousin, but seems to have white long stockings and single-strap shoes.
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