Figure 1.--Pierre Joubert focused especially on the French Scout movement, bit there are also many drawings showing boys wearing other clothes, like these boys wearing sailor suits. One gets the idea that Jobert thought sailor suits were a bit old fshioned, although the boys here do not look unhappy with their outfits. |
Although Joubert is best known for his Scout drawings, many of his drawings also illustrated French boys that were not Scouts. These drawings provide n interesting view of French boys' clothing from the mis-1920s to the end of the 60s--primarily in the 50s and 60s. His drawings provide a view of the various outfits worn by French boys during this period. The drawings are usually idelized and like the drawings of Poulbot, another French illustrator, often incorporate humour. Sometimes the illustrations have suggestions as to what the boys thought about the various garments they are depicted as wearing. Boys are shown wearing smocks, other school clothing, suits, sailor suits, as well as other garments like berets. French boys at the time commonly wore short pants. Many of his drawings show French boys in shorts. Not all French boys at the time wore shorts and Joubert drew these boys as well. I am not sure in what publications these non-Scout drawings appeared. We have notely relatively few of his non-Scout images, but they do serve to show a variety of garments.
Joubert often drew French school boys in smocks. These drawings are wonderful nostalgic slices of French school life. The smock was still quite commonly worn when Joubert began his career, although by the 1960s they were no longer common at French schools.
The school smock is probably the school garment most associated with with French schoolboys, even though French boys do now not commonly wear them. Smocks were, however, worn by children in many other countries besides France. One garment was less commonly worn, but generally restricted to only France and Belgium. That was the school cape, worn by boys and girls. It was modst common at private schools. I'm not sure why capes were worn rather than jackets. We notice Jobert draws a character mamed Peleine wearing both a beret and cape.
Joubert did not always depict French school boys in smocks. Normally school boys were drawn in short pants with or without smocks. Berets were common. Some drawongs so the military style cap that was also worn, but perhaps more at a private than a state school. Some boys wear suits. One charming drawing shows a boys starting out wearing a smock and being neatly groomed but in the next years coming to school much less carefully dressed. He pictures the transition over 3 years in a rather accelerated transition. It does depict a non uncommon process, although it may take place over more than 3 years.
Joubert often drew French boys wearing bertets. Many were Scout berets, but he also drew schoolboys and other boys wearing the black berets that were so common before World WarII.
A few Joubert drawings sho boys wearing sailor suits. One gets the idea that Jobert thought sailor suits were a bit old fashioned. The the boys seen here, however, do not look unhappy with their outfits (figure 1). French boys still wore sailor suits in the 1930s, but they were much less common after World War II--except as First Communion suits. We notice him drawing boys wearing sailor suits, almost always with short pants. He shows them wearing a wide variety of headwear, soft caps with poms, wide-brimmed hats with streamers, and even berets.
Joubert drew boys wearing both long and short pants suits.
French boys at the time commonly wore short pants. Many of his drawings show French boys in shorts. Not all French boys at the time wore shorts and Joubert drew these boys as well.
Joubert is of course best known for his Scouting drawings. He draw numerous pictures for Boy Scout literature. His drawings
show French Scouts happily hiking through the country, their banners proudly displayed. The boys commonly wear the berets
and short pants that characterized French Scouts at the time.
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