Figure 1.--This enigmatic painting by Anguissola is a 9-year old scion of an Italian nobel family, Massimiliano Stampa. It was painting in the mid-16th Century when boys and men still wore bloomer like breeches and long, tight-like stockings. Notice how in this 16th century image that the breeches or ?? were well above the knee while in the 17th century image the breeches extended below the knee.

These artists are primarily important because of the portraits they have left us contemporaty children. Some information is alsoavailable on how they or their children were dressed. Some of the most important artists providing information on boys' fashions in different countries include the following:

Aigens, Anders Peter Christian (Denmark, 1870-1940): Anders Peter Christian Aigens was a listed Danish artist, wll known for charming portraits of children. He lived for long period in both Switzerland and the Faroe Islands. He exhibited at Charlottenborg in Copenhagen during 1908-1940 and at several other Danish exhibitions.

Allingham, Helen (England, 1848-1926): Helen Allingham (nee Paterson) was born near Burton on Trent, the family settling in Birmingham after the death of her father in 1862. She studied at the Birmingham School of Design. She is recognized as an important English watercolor painter in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Most of her work is exteriors, but a few are of her children, often in formal clothes. This provides a rare insight into play clothes in the late 19th Century as most of the available portraits and photographs show the children in their dress party clothes.

Anguissola, Sofonisba - (Italy, 1535-1625): Anguissola is one of the few know Renaissance women painters. Unlike most girls of her era, shev was encouraged by her unusually enlightened father. She was trained as a painter when most well-born young women of Renaissance Italy were expectedf to sit closed up in their palazzos and pursue needle work. Her accomplishments led to a life of drama and romance on a grand scale. She became a celebrated portrait painter at the court of Spanish King Philip II. She lived to a hearty old age, an became an international celebrity who was praised by no less an artist than Michelangelo and lauded by artists throughout Europe.

Armstrong Elizabeth - (Canada/England, 1859-1912): Armstrong painted many wonderful scenes of children and women in a Cornish seaside village. She also taught art, wrote poetry, and wrote and illustrated a children's book. This painting is entitled "School is Out" and it was painted in 1889. It is in the holdings of the Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance. Here we have a fascinating scene from a one room rural school. There are two school mistresses. Many of the children were wearing tams, both boys and girls. A lot of the children also wear pinafores.

Aumont, Ludwig (Germany, early 19th century): HBC has been unable to find any information on this minor German artist. We know he painted in the early 19th century as we had a portriat done in 1838. Germany of course did not exist in the early 19th century. We do not know what German state he was from. His art rather stadles the chasm between primitive/naive art and a great portratist. He is of interest because he is German, and we have realtively few German artists. In addition, his portrit gives us insight not only in Germany, but into the 1830s, which is the decade before photography, and for which HBC still has only limited information.

Baker, George Jr. (United States, 1821-80): We have little information about American artist George Baker Jr., other than his life span. We do note a beautiful portrait done of four American children done in 1853. We do not yet know which the childrn are. The children look go be four boys, but we are not positive about the younger child wearing a white dress.

Beechey, William (England, 1753-1839): Sir William Beechey was the foremost portraitist in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th century. He started his career painting portraits of the landed gentry around Norfolk. He was appointed as the court painter to Quenn Charlotte. He painited the cream of Regency society, including Lord Nelson. His charming portaits of families provide wonderful glimses into Regency society, including children's clothes.

Blake, E.W. (United States, mid-19th Century): This American primitive artist painted many New England portraits, providing valuable information on individual fashion in a period in which photography was just beginning to provide images.

Boileau, Philip (United states, 1864-1917): Philip Boileau was an American artist/illustrator. He was best known for painting beautiful. Perhaps oothr American artist is better known for painting wlomen than Gibson. The resiulting images known as the "Boileau Girls" are perhaps know as the most dignified rendering of young women done by any early 20th century artist. We know of one painting of a boy. Theremay have been more. Boileau was a commercial artist and his work appeared in a wide range of formats, including postcards, magazine covers, book covers, art prints, and many commercial items such as beer serving trays. He died in 1917 before commercial art was more fully appreciated in America.

Boilly, Louis Leopold (France, 1761-1845): French genre and portrait painter, born at La Russee. He was much influenced by the Dutch genre painters. Notable among the incredible 5,000 paintaings and drawing credited to him is The Arrival of the Diligence (Louvre, 1803). Some of his paintings and real life scenes provide interesting glimpses of French boys' fashions of his time.

Boldini, Giovanni (Italy, 1845-1931): Italian genre and portrait painter. He was born in Ferrara and educated at the Academy of Florence. He achieved success at a young age painting portraits in London, but he moved to Paris in 1872. He was a good friend of the American painter Whistler.

Bosse, Abraham (France, 1702-72): Bosse is the most noted French engraver of the 17th century. His body of work is astonishing, more than 1,500 prints, mostly genre pieces. They offer wonderful glimpses into 17th century life. Many children are depicted in the family scenes providing a great deal of detail on the clothinbg of 17th century French children. Quite a number of his prints are Biblical pieces, but Bosse has depicted them in contemprary 17th cenbtury dress. Bosse was a noted figure in the French artistic community. He was a leading figure at the Académie Royale beginning with its foundation in 1648. Bosse taught perspective. He was eventually expelled in a controversy with Le Brun in 1661. He wrote many books on engraving, painting, perspective, and architecture. He painted a few pieces, but is primarily known for his engravings.

Brewster, John (American, 1766-1854): John Brewster was born in Hampton, Connecticut. He was a deaf-mute who was able to work with some success as an itinerant portraitist. He was especially noted for children's portraits. He was active in coatal areas of New England. One 1804 portrait shows a todler boy in an Empire dress.

Bromely, William (English, 18??-??): William Bromely was actived during 1835-88. Bromley exhibited extensively in London at the Royal Society of British Artists, the British Institute and the Royal Academy. Even so, little is known about Bromley, except that he was the grandson of the the engraver William Bromley. He is best know for his hostorical and literary paintings. He also painted some wonderful vignittes of English life in the mid-19th century. He began painting just as photography was establishing itself. Even so the technology involved was still limited to static scenes ant fascinating images like "Ready to Fight".

Brown, John G. (United States, 1831-1913): John G. Brown panitings showed an optimistic, more pleasant aspects of growing up in 19th-century America. He rather reminds us of a 19th century Norman Rockwell. While we have little biographical information about him, we note wonderful vignettes of 19th century life. Some of his favorite subjects were children, from boys shining shoes to having snowball fights.

Buck, Adam (Ireland, 1758-1833): This Irish watercolorist was known as miniaturist Hence there is painstaking details in his paintings. While he was an Irish artist, his pictures were not necessarily painted in Ireland.

Canon, Jean Louis (France, 1809-92): HBC has never heard of this French artist. An e-Bay seller tells us that he is listed: Benezet Thieme-Becker. We can not find any internet sites which mention him. We note one portrait of a boy in period clothing. We know of no similar portraits in contemporaty clothing.

Cassatt, Mary (America, 1844-1926): Perhaps the artist most associated with wonderful images of childhood is the American impressionist artist Mary Cassatt. Mary was the daughter of an affluent Pittsburgh businessman, whose French ancestry had inspired him with a passion for his ancestrial home. It was natural therefore that Mary, with her interest in art, would be drawn to France. As much as we admire Cassatt's work, we have not given her great attention in HBC. This is primarily because she primarily focused on very young children in non descript clothing or infants being bathed. As a result, they often do not include depictions of period clothing in which we are primarily interested. There are, however, a few interesting images of older children in period clothes.

Catlin, George (America, 1796-1872): Italian genre and portrait painter. He was born in Ferrara and educated at the Academy of Florence. He achieved success at a young age painting portraits in London, but he moved to Paris in 1872. He was a good friend of the American painter Whistler.

Chardin, Jean Simeon (France, 1699-1779): Chardin was born into a humble Paris family. His farher encouraged him to pursue painting. He was eventually awarded a pension by King Louis XV. He is perhaps best known for his still lifes, but painted some wonderful, if sentimental, studies of children and families.

Childe, James Warren (England, 1778-1862): We have not yet been able to acquire much information on English artist James Warren Childe. He appears to have been primarily a portratist. A painting by Childe shows child prodigy Sir William Sterndale Bennett in 1832 at age 16 in the uniform of the Royal College of Music, London.

Figure 2.--We note a figurative painting by E. Collier done in 1939. It is in a post expressionist or post modernist style of a boy playing with g with a mah-jong set, a popular game of the time. The tiles are scattered on the floor at his feet. There is a red lacquered workbox at his side.

Collier, E (England, 1930s): We note a figurative painting by E. Collier done in 1939. It is in a post expressionist or post modernist style of a boy playing with g with a mah-jong set, a popular game of the time. The tiles are scattered on the floor at his feet. There is a red lacquered workbox at his side. The boy is sitting on the floor wearing a white shirt and green shorts, having blonde hair and looking towards the artist. The painting has been executed with a number of techniques. For the background, the paint has been applied in a textured, almost cubist fashion, in horizontal strokes and then in stroked parallel with the textures of the carpet. We know nothing about the artist at this time.

Conant, Alban Jasper (Uniteds States, 1821-1915): Alban Jasper Conant was born in Chelsea, Vermonta. He was a resepcted portraitist , but his life was not restricted to arrt. He was a writer, and archaeologist. He also lived in New York City, and Troy, New York as well as St. Louis, Missouri. He was co-founder of the Western Academy of Art in St Louis which led to his interest in Archeology. He worked in Springfield, Illinois and Washington DC, where he painted portraits of leading citizens including Abraham Lincoln. One portrait painted in Springfield was of Linclon just before the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He also painted a portrait of Major Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumter. Conant was an essentially self-taught artist, but did take some classes at Madison University in Hamilton, New York. We note an excellent portrat of the Kellogg children.

Constable, John (England, 1776-1837): John Constable is perhaps the most acclaimed English landscape artist. He expalined his goal, "to increase the interest for and study of the Rural Scenery of England with all its endearing associations, its amenities, and even in its most simple locations; abounding as it does in grandeur, and every description of Pastoral Beauty." He also, however, did a number of brilliant portraits. A few of these included children, providing some insights into how wealthy English children dressed in the early 19th century.

Copley, John Singleton (America, 1738-1815): Most art historians consider Copley to be the most accomplished painter in colonial America. He did both portarits and historical scenes. Copley was born in Boston, but his parents had recently arrived from Ireland. His stepfather was an engraver. He left many wonderful portraits of colonial America. His success in New England, however, did not satisfy him. One the basis of the success of his portrait "Boy with a Squirrel", CVopley moved to England, but achieved only moderate success there.

Cranach, Lucas the Elder (Germany, 1472-1553): German painter Lucas Cranach (the Elder) takes his name from the small town of Kronach in South Germany, where he was born. Very before the turn of the 16th century. He settled in Vienna and began working in the intelectual circles associated with the newly founded university. Cranach went to Wittenberg as court painter to Frederick III (the Wise), Elector of Saxony. It was there he painted matching portraits of a Saxon Prince and Princess.

Dalberg, O. (Denmark, ??): We have no information about the artist at this time. We do have one signed portrait by Dalberg done in 1935. We believe the portrait is of a Danish boy. He wears a suit looking rather like an Eton suit with small jacket and a wide white collar.

Dali, Salvador (Spain, 1904-19??): Spanish painter Salvador Dali was born near Barcelona in 1904. He was a spoiled, imperious but shy boy. He studied at the Academia of Fine Arts in Madrid and later Paris where he became a leader of the surealist movement. His paintings excited storms of controversy when they were first displayed. He came to the United States in 1934.

Danhauser, Josef Franz (Austria, 1805-45): Josef Franz Danhauser is one of the few Austrians in our data base. His father taight him drawing and he studied at the presyigious Vienna Akademie. He was torn between his painting and familt furniture business. He is known to have done portraits and religious works as well as some genre painting, although our knowledge about him and his work is quite limited. He painted in the clasical realist style.

David, Jacques-Louis (France, 1748-1825): Noted neoclassicist artist who painted huge, heroic historical sunjects. His sibjects were both classical as well as contemprary Revolutionary and Naopelonic themes. He was propent of the Revolution and voted for the execultion of Louis XVI. One of his masterpieces is the "Death of Marat". He almost lost his head in the Terror. The clasical theme, "The Sabine Women" was done in honor of his wife who saved him. He caught the eye of Napoleon and masterpieces of Napoleon crossing the Alps and the Emperor's coromation are further masterpieves of French neoclassicism. After the fall of Napoleon he lived in exile in France, He did few portraits, but his rendeing of Louis XVII is perhaps the best image of the boy--although we are unsure about the accuracy.

Degas, Edgar (France, 1834-1917): Edgar Degas was acknowledged as the master of drawing the human figure in motion. His work is characterized by innovative composition, skillful drawing, and perceptive analysis of movement made him one of the masters of modern art in the late 19th century. He was profoundly influenced by Japanese art. Degas worked in many mediums, preferring pastel to all others. He is perhaps best known for his paintings, drawings, and bronzes of ballerinas and race horses-both of which required a mastery of handling motion.

Di Credi, Lorenzo (Italy, 1459-1537): Lorenzo di Credi was a Florantine painter of the Florentine school. A gifted, but unspectacular Renaissance style. He painted many nativity scenes or other scenes with the Madonna and Child as well as other religious works. More interesting were his deeply personal portraits, including some children showing hair styles and fashions. A long-haired youth painted in 1490 could have come out of any American junior high school in the 1970s. His early work are considered to be somewhat similar to Leonardo's youthful style. He reportedly came to regret doing these secular portraits for which he was undoubtedly well paid. The artist in his later years attemopted to destroy all of his secular paintings which are the ones of greatest interest to HBC.

Durer, Albrecht (Germany, 1471-1528): Albrecht Dürer was born at Nuremberg in 1471. He was first a goldsmith, travelled around the country and to Italy. He married Agnes Frey. They had no children. He is regarded as one of the famous painters between MiddleAges and the Renaissance. He is noted most for religious works, but he also did landscape and portraits as well of studies about proportions of the human body. Perhaps his most famous drawing is "Praying hands". He did a self portrait of himself as a youth. He did it while looking into the mirror at the age of 13 or 14. Notice the interesting clothing.

(The) Dwarf (France, 17th century): "The Dwarf" or Le Nain is the name used by thre French brothers. For dtails see "(Le) Nain".

Eckersberg, Christoffer Vilhelm (Denmark, 1783-1853): Eckersberg studied with J.L. David in Paris and while in Rome became a friend of another Danish artist, Thorvaldsen. Eckersberg erurned to Denmark in 1816 and taught at the Copenhagen Academy, eventually becoming the director. He painted a range of subjects, including both portraits and seascapes, often drawn in great detail. His portraits are thus a wonderful source of information on early 19th century costuming. Among his best know works are a series of historical paintings in the Christiansborg palace.

Fairchild, May (American, 1872-1959): We know little about May Fairchild except that she was American and her dates. The only thing else we know about her is that she produced some charming portraits of children.

Firsov, Ivan (Russia, 1733-85?): Catherine the Great sent Ivan Ivanovich Firsov to study in Paris at the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. His life and art are shrouded in mystery, and this painting. We note one, interesting painting, "In the Studio of a Young Painter," was actually signed later by the professor of the Academy of Arts, Losenko. This is his best known painting. Many of his ealy paintings because of his training in France

Fisher, Mark (United States/England, 1841-1923): Mark Fisher is listed as a British artist, although he was born in Boston and studied there at the Lowell Institute. He went to Paris in 1872 and studied under Gleyre and Corot. He came to England in 1872 and became a member of such societies as N.E.A.... A.R.A.....R.A.....R.I....and R.O.I. He exhibited at many well know galleries in England and has had several paintings bought by the Royal Academy under the 'Chantrey Bequest' which now hang in the Tate Gallery in London. Although primarily a landscape artist he was also known for his portrait.

Flatter, Joseph Otto (England, 1894-??): Joseph Otto Flatter , was born in Vienna in 1894, he was a student at the Vienna Academy of Fine Art. In 1934 he married the concert pianist Hilda Lorwa and settled with her in London. His career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II and he was in fact, briefly, and quite incorrectly, interned as an "enemy alien". He was soon released and returned to London, when it was realized that he had long standing anti-Nazi convictions. Shortly thereafter, Flatter began producing propaganda material for the British and Allied Governments. At the end of the war, he was invited to attended the Nuremberg Trials as an official British War Artist, sketching the accused and later painting a scene of the trial. Some fvhis portrits show bogs clothing during the first half og the 20th century.

Fontana, Lavinia (Italy, 1552-1614): Lavinia Fontana is the most noted and prolific woman artist of the Renaissance. Lavinia was born in Bologna, a city that was noted for encouraging the academic and artistic abilities of women--unusual at the time. Women were educated at the University of Bologna when they were not allowed at other European universities. Bolognese painters chose Caterina dei Vigri (Saint Catherine of Bologna). Fontana is not only the most important woman artist of the Renaissance. She is believed to be the first woman painter known to history to hve had a successful career. As so often is the case in such instances, her father was a paiter. When he died. Fontana supported the family with her poainting. She painted in many genre, but among her religious and secular works showing the clothes worn by the children of Bologna. Many but not all are portraits of the children of wealthy families.

Frith, William Powell (England, 1819-1909): William Powell Frith was the son of domestic servants. he became renowned for his large-scale portraits of modern life subjects such as the railroad station. His renown was so great that he was awarded a commission to paint the Prince of Wales' group wedding portrait. He had some difficulty with the future Edward VII's German nephew Wilhelm. His work commaned high prices in the 1870s.

Fuller, Arthur (U.S., 1889-1966): Arthur Fuller is perhaps best known as an illustrator. He was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, and educated at Harvard University. His art eduaction was at the Fenway School of Illustration in Boston, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. His work is perhaps mort assocaited with Connecticut. We note some portraits he executed, including an unidentified boy in a grey sweater.

Fuller, Marjoria (England, 1893-1939): Marjorie Fuller (née Mostyn) was a 20th century English artist born Bushey. Daughter of Tom Mostyn, the painter. She tudied at St John's Wood Art School and Royal Academy Schools. Awarded the British Institute Scolarship and silver and bronze medals in 1915. Painter of portraits and still-life. Ran St Ives School of Painting with her husband.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main art page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [French glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: February 29, 1999
Last updated: October 20, 2003