Figure 1.--This French First Communion portrait is undated. We would guess it may have been taken in the 1910s. |
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HBC at this time has only limited chronolgical information on French First Communion suits. WE have no information on early First Communions. Some basic information becomes available beginninging in the 19th century. We have little information on the 19th century.
Dressing boys up in suits for their First Communion presumably may have predated
the 19th Century, but we have no information on this. Our knowledge on 19th century boys fashions in France is still limited so this inhibits our ability to assess the available First Communion images. Boys were having their photograph taken for First Communion as early as the 1870s. The few images we have show boys wearing uniforms. We have begun to acquire more information about the 20th century, especially after World War I. We have begun to collect information about French 20th century First Communion suits. We so far have very little information on early 20th Century French First Communion suits. The suit styles appear to have followed the fashion shifts from kneepants and stockings to short pants and kneesocks. Formal wear, however, sometimes is slow to accept modern trends.
Dressing boys up in suits for their First Communion presumably may have predated
the 19th Century, but we have no information on this. Our knowledge on 19th century boys fashions in France is still limited so this inhibits our ability to assess the available First Communion images. The subject does not seem to have elicited great interest on the part of the painters of the day. Once photography was developed this change and there are some late 19th Century photographs available on First Communion. (In America Catholics were generally from the lower income groups, so expensive suits and photographs were limited before the 20th Century.) This of course was not the case in France. Uniforms appear to have been a popular choice for a First Communion suit. Some appear to have been military style school uniforms. School uniforms could be worn without purchasing a new suit. We also note what appar to be outfits purchased especially for First Communion. Another appears to have been a sailor style uniform, but not the middy blouse style. Hopefully French HBC visitors will provide us more insights on boys' wear during this critical time in a boy's life.
We have begun to collect information about French 20th century First Communion suits. We so far have very little information on early 20th Century French First Communion suits. The suit styles appear to have followed the fashion shifts from kneepants and stockings to short pants and kneesocks. Formal wear, however, sometimes is slow to accept modern trends. Thus knee pants suits and long stockings continued to be worn by most boys for First Communion. I believe that many of the First Communion suits were dark suits worn with dark long stockings. White suits appear to be a trend which developed after World War I. Many boys wore short pants suits for First Communion during in the inter-war years. In fact, for many boys their First Communion suits were their first long pants, a kind od symolic coming of age, emerging from boyhood to adulthood. Many of the suits were white to match the white dresses worn by the girls. White kneesocks were sometimea worn with the suits. White knee socks were more commonly worn by French boys than English boys, but they were considered dressy, not every day wear.
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