Figure 1.--Children practice music both at home and at school. Practice clothes at home are a good reflection of ordinary boys' clothing. More recent images are much more common and reflect the increasingly casual clothing styles. This boy in 2002 practices the piano in informal clothes at home. Image from the Fergusson picture Library.

There was no costume of course for boys learning musical instruments. Boys simply wore their normal play or school clothes. Thus such images are a good relection of contemporary clothing styles. Mothers insisted, however, that there sons put on their best suits for any recitals or performances. Dress standards in recent years have become more casual, but mothers usually insist on something beyond "t" shirts and jeans. Many of the formal portraits of children with their instruments show the boys in their best suits that they would have worn for recitals and stifly posed. Some mothers wanted more artictically posed photographs of their children. In some cases they wore more informal clothes for these portraits, often charming glimpses of the children and their instruments. The more formal portraits we will archive under recitals as these are probably the clothes that the boys wore to their recitals. Children practice music both at home and at school. Practice clothes at home are a good reflection of ordinary boys' clothing. Images from the early 20th century tend to be informal and relatively uncommon because of the complications of indoor home photography. More recent images are mich more common and reflect the increasingly casual clothing styles. Children also practice their instruments at school, thus photographs there are a good reflection of school attire, including school uniforms. Recital and performance clothing is quite a different matter. Mothers would insist that boys wear there very best clothes for these events. In some cases new outfits would be purchased or at least a new bow. Even in today's more casual times, a boy will often wear a suit or at least a white shirt and tie for his recital. Here we will archive both photographs taken at recitals and formal portraits that HBC believe show the kind of clothes boys wouls have worn to their recitals. Until fairly recently it was difficult for partents to actually photograph their son's performance at a recital.

Informal Portraits

Many of the formal portraits of children with their instruments show the boys in their best suits that they would have worn for recitals and stifly posed. Some mothers wanted more artictically posed photographs of their children. In some cases they wore more informal clothes for these portraits, often charming glimpses of the children and their instruments. The more formal portraits we will archive under recitals as these are probably the clothes that the boys wore to their recitals.

Practice

Children practice music both at home and at school. Practice clothes at home are a good reflection of ordinary boys' clothing. Images from the early 20th century tend to be informal and relatively uncommon because of the complications of indoor home photography. More recent images are much more common and reflect the increasingly casual clothing styles. Children also practice their instruments at school, thus photographs there are a good reflection of school attire, including school uniforms.

Recital

Recital and performance clothing is quite a different matter. Mothers would insist that boys wear there very best clothes for these events. In some cases new outfits would be purchased or at least a new bow. Even in today's more casual times, a boy will often wear a suit or at least a white shirt and tie for his recital. Here we will archive both photographs taken at recitals and formal portraits that HBC believe show the kind of clothes boys wouls have worn to their recitals. Until fairly recently it was difficult for partents to actually photograph their son's performance at a recital.

HBC

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Created: December 31, 1998
Last updated: November 4, 2003