Figure 1--Here we see a pond in New York's Central Park during 1920. Note no one is allowed in the pomd, but the children are indeed sailing their toy boats. The boys mostly wear kneepants, but one boy wears knickers. Notice the caps and collars. I would have guesed this image to be a few years earlier if it were not dated. Click on the image to see more of this scene.

A popular activity evolved around the ponds in many parks. I don't think the children were generally allowed to swim or paddle in the ponds. Here I am not positive, but the absence of images of children splashing in the ponds leads me to suspect that this was not common. I'm not sure why this was, perhaps to maintain amore tranquil environment. Children were often allowed, however to sail toy boats in the ponds and this seems to have been quite common. Many photographs do show children around park ponds sailing boats. The boys mostly wear kneepants. Notice the caps, bows, and collars. I would have guesed this image to be a few years earlier if it were not dated. The boys are playing with model sail ships at the Conservatory Pond in Central Park. Note no one is allowed in the pond, but the children are indeed sailing their toy boats. I was a little surprised not to see a boy wearing a sailor suit. They obviously come from relatively affluent families. They mostly wear knee pants with long black stockings although one boy at the right next to the water wears above-the-knee knickers. All are fashionably dressed. Note the variety of headgear. The boy on the left wears a large banded straw hat with a brim; the boy to his right with a large floppy tie and Eton style collar wears a small dark woolen cap. In this midtown neighborhood you can see Temple Beth-El, a fashionable synagogue at Fifth Avenune and East 76th Street, in the background.