Figure 1.--Here we have a charming portrait of Karel Chech III at the age of 4 years in Czechoslovakia during 1947. Note the zippered sweater with a diamond pattern and the white shirt collar showing over it. Karel wears extremely well pressed short shorts with neat creases and ribbed beige long stockings.

The HBC biography section is for people or families that have achieved some degree of notariety or fame. HBC readers in many cases have submitted family portraits. HBC has until now not added them to the biography section. We believe now that this is a mistake. Many of the HBC readers contributing family portraits can also provide details about the boy and him family. This background information help us to assess social trends and put the fashions involved in perspective. This is just why the biographical section is an important part of HBC. As a result, HBC has decided to create pages for these relatively unknown people, when some basic family data is available. Incidentally if you find a relative here, please do tell us somehing about him. Here we are listing these biographies alpahabetically to facilitate looking up individual names. The alphabdetical list is the primary data base in this section. While we have not persued geneolgical resreach on these individual, having the names and in many cases the loaction provide the potential to acquire more back ground information in the future which may provide additonal insights into the fashion and life style trends.

Cain, Russell Emerson (United States, 1892- )

A portrait Russell Emerson Cain show him at the age of 5 in 1897 wearing a fancy Fauntleroy blouse with a kilt skirt kilt. He also had long uncurled hair. He did not come from a wealthy family. He later described his protrait, as "... when I was a little girl growing up ..." We are not sure when he was breeched, but another photograph at age 9 shows him playing baseball with his friends.

Calvo Boys (Italy/United States, about 1910)

Here we have the Calvo brothers. The photograph is from the George S. Bain collection in the Library of Congress. It is labeled "sons of Senor Calvo". The spelling leads us to believe that the boys are Italian rather than Spanish or Latin American. We do not think that they are from a prominent family although they are well dressed. The only prominent Calvo we know from the time is an Argentine diplomat. Rather we think that the boys are recent Italian immigrants. Unfofrtuntely the attached document card offers no further information. The image is undated, but we believe it was taken about 1910.

Campbell, Alexander (Scotland, 1855-1929)

The boy sculpted by Jackson is wearing highland dress. He wears a cut-away jacket wiith a Highland kilt and sporan. He is the honourable Alexander Campbell. Alexander was born in 1855. He was was the son of John Frederick Vaughan Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor (1817-98). His mother was Sarah Mary Compton-Cavendish (18??-81). He looks to be about 10-years old. The work was sculptured in London signed and dated 1872. That means that Alexander would have been about 16 years old, but he looks younger in the sculpture, perhaps it was begun several years earlier. We know nothing about Alexander's childhood and very little about his life. He married twic. First to Constance Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of Philip Pleydell-Bouverie and Jane Seymour (1879). He next secondly, Rose Rebecca Blyton (1888).

Caplain Brothers (France early 1870s)

Here we have the Caplain brothers, Henry and Jules who lived in Paris. The CDV is undated, but looks like it may have been taken in the late-60s or early 1870s. The boys are presumably related to two other Caplain brothers, Frédéric and his brother. We are unsure about the family connection, presumably brothers or cousins. The boys wear matching tunics with wide-cut knee pants and white long stockings. They look to be about 4-6 years old.

Caplain Brothers (France, 1860s)

We note the two Caplain brothers in Paris. The CDV portait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1860s. One brother is Frédéric. I can't make out the other boy's name, but it seems to begin with a P. The boys wearing identical knee pants velvet suits with white long stockings. The suits have collar-buttioning jackets with piped detailing. They have Eton-like coolars and small bows. I'm not sure what color the suits may have been. One of the boys holds what looks like a matching rounded-crown hat. We do not know anything about the family, except that they were obviously affluent. We think they may have been related to Louis Henri Jean Charlot (1898- 1979). He was a French painter whose father was a Russian-born émigré and his mother of Mexican ancestry. Frédéric may have been Charlot’s uncle and godfather.

Carjat, E'tiene (France, 1869)

This French boy, E'tiene Carjat, was photographed in 1869. He wears a stripped dress with extensive embroidery, including a flower device offset at the waistband. We know nothing about the boy, except that he looks to be about 4-5 years old. He wears patterned stockings with his dress.

Carpenter, William (England, 1767- )

American ex-patriot Ralph Earl painted William Carpeter, an English boy, in 1779. The painting is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum. Willian has a bright red suit. His hair in the front is done in bangs rather than combed back like some of the boys at mid-century. We note some other portraits showing this or a smililar style. We are not sure, however, just how common it was. Nor or we entirely sure if this was a juveile style. Willian's hair is done in loose curls at the back to shoulder length, but can not be seen well at the back. The most notable aspect of his clithing is the bright red suit. We have seen younger boys wearing red suits at the time, but William is an older boy, about 12 years old when his portrait was painted. We are not sure about the conventions. We do not think adult men commonly wore bright red suits. How common it was for school-age boys like William we are not sure. The suit is three-pieces and all (the jacket, vest-waistcoat, and knee breeches) are the same bright red material. He wears his suit with an open-collar blouse.

Carr, Michael Carmichael (United States, 1880)

This cabinent portrait of Michael Carmichael Carr was taken during Christmas 1880. It appears to have been taken in Califirnia, probably San Francisco. This and other portraits were from an album of a family that lived in San Francisco and San Mateo, California. It is notavle because it shows Michael wearing a traditionally styled sailor suit and soft cap in 1880. This is one of the first American portraits we have noted with such traditional styling.

Carrabio R., José and Issura (Peru, 1870s)

This portrait shows a Peruvian boy and a girl, persumably siblings, holding hands in fancy outfits with white long stockings. The portrait is not dated, but looks like the late 1870s to us. The outfits seem similar to what Spanish children might wear. These would be affluent children from an urban family, probably in Lima. This is not how most Peruvian children were dressed. The names of the children are written on the back, but they are hard to read. I think that they are José and Issura Carrabio R.

Carter, Charles J.J. (United States, 1860s)

This American CDV is a portrait of Charles J.J. Carter if I read the inscription on the back correctly. The card has no indication as to where or when it was taken. It most likely is a northern card taken after the Civil War in the late 1860s. (There is no Federal revenue stamp.) Charles looks to be about 7 years old. He wears a cut-away jacket with button-on pants. This was a fairly common outfit, his hair is done in a more unique style. Charles' hair is done with a top roll or peak with double parts.

Carter, Pete and Pearl (United States, 1920s)

Here we have brother and sister Pete and Pearl Carter. Pete is on the left. The snapshot is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1920s. The children wear fairly standard bathing suits for the time. What we are unsure about is the caps that they are wearing.

Caughey, Elford and Wolf (United States, 1918)

Here we have Elford Caughey in 1918. Elford is a name we no longer see. I'm not sure what kind of name Cauhey is, perhaps Irish. He looks to be about 13 years old. There are several interesting aspects to this photograph. First and foremost is "Wolf", Elford's wonderful German shepard. (Because of World War I, Americans began calling German shepards, Alsatians.) Because of Wolf we can't see exactly what Elford is wearing, but it surely was knickers. We can see the dark long stockings. Note the sport shirt. They were designed to be worn a a open collar shirt. Some mothers insisted that a tie be added as is the case with Elford here. There was no collar button. Some mothers insisted the tie be pulled tight. Here Elford wears it as more of a knotted scarfe. Note the short sleeves.

Chapman, Bertie (England, 1898)

A HBC reader has submitted a charming portrait of Bertie Chapman. We believe that he may be English and his portrait was taken in 1898. He wears long curls done in pig tails with a colored velvet hair bow. His outfit is all white, including his lace trimed dressm spcks, and shoes. Colored is added by a sash. He was nearly 3 years old when the portrait was taken. I am not sure if the portrait was taken at home or in a photographic studio.

Charles, William (United States, 1890)

This boy had a cabinent card portrait taken in September 1889. He is identified as William Charles. We assume Charles is his last (family) name and not a surname. William was from Hillsboro, Ohio. He was 5 yeas old when the portrait was taken. He wears a patterened blouse with a polka-dot floppy bow, knee pants, and long stockings. The knee pants have a very loud check-like pattern. He is holding a rounded-crown hat with a very wide hat band. Willim's hair is cut short. We notice some American boys with short hair, but it does not seem to have been a very common hair cut.

Chatterton, J.T. (United States, about 1870)

A portrait of J. T. Chatterton, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, shows him holding a CDV album. The portraiy dates from the late 1860s or early 1870s. He looks to be about 13 years old. He wears a suit and vest (waistcoat) which buttons like a jacket without a tie, but with a white collar. His long pants suits shows that in the 1860s and early 1870s that it was very common for boys to wear long pants. He wears his hair over his ears.

Chciuk Family (Poland, early 1920s)

Here we see the Chciuk family in Drohobycz (Drohobych) around 1921. Drohobych in Ukrainian (Drohobycz in Polish) is a city of about 80,000 inhabitants (2005) in Lviv region of Western Ukraine. This area is in the North Carpathian foothills, 60 km south of Lviv. Before World War II the population was about 40,000 people. They were about 30 percent Ukrainian, 30 percent Polish (Roman catholic) and 30 percent Jewish. The Chciuk family was Polish. The area had been part of the Russian Empire, but in a war between the Bolshevicks and new Polish Republic, the Poles succeeded in establishing their independence and securing large areas to the east of central Poland where Poles were a minority, this included areas of modern Lithuana, Bylorusia, and the Ukraine.

Chech, Karel III (Czechoslovakia, 1947)

Here we have a charming portrait of Karel Chech III at the age of 4 years in Czechoslovakia during 1947. Note the zippered sweater with a diamond pattern and the white shirt collar showing over it. Karel wears extremely well pressed short shorts with neat creases and ribbed beige long stockings that cover his entire legs almost like tights. The tip of the hose supporter clasp is just barely visible on his left leg. Long stockings for boys were very common in central Europe in the 1940s and 1950s. Notice the wooden horses the reins of which he is holding in his hand. This seems to be a studio portrait, perhaps taken in Prague. But we don't know the exact location, only the date.

Chifa, William (United States, 1840s?)

The image here is a mother and son, Sarah L. and William Chifa. Unfortunately we have no information about the family. There is, however, information associated with this Daguerreotype. We have no idea where it was taken. All we know for sxure is Sarah died in 1857. The boy's less than stylish clothes suggest that it was not in one of the developing large northeaster cities where people dressed more stylishly. We are also unsure about the date the portrait weas taken. The clothing suggests the 1840s to us, but the early 50s is possible. The boy looks to be about 11. years old. He has a shirt with a small collar and he wears a stock. He also wears a jacket unlike we have seen before. We see some influence of the frock coats worn by men as well as a hink of the smocks worn by laborors. Perhaps readers will know more about the style. Presumably it is a jacket that the boy's mother made at home. There were no readt maf=de clothes yet. This may have been a style worn in the 1840s. Or it may have been a more unique style. The mother wears a bonnet.We see quite a few women with bonnets in these early poertaits. We are not entirely sure why.

Christie, H. (United States, 1880s- )

We have no infornation about this boy other than he is an American and his name is H. Christie. From the image he looks to have been born about 1880. While we know little about him, there are several interesting aspects to his outfit which provide insights to 1880s outfits.

Clark Family (United States, 1887)

A fascinating portrait of three of the four sons of Alfred Corning Clark, the famous collector of art. Alfred had four sons, Edward, Ambrose, Sterling, and Stephen, the last three of whom appear in this photograph, taken at the family estate in Cooperstown, New York, in 1887. Ambrose is about 11, Sterling about 10, and Stephen about 6 years old. The boys' grandfather was the founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. and became immensely rich. The two young grandsons, Sterling and Stephen, shared a passion for art and institution-building inherited from their father. Sterling built the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. Stephen became a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and also of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He left important paintings to the Met and to Yale University.

Cochrane, Ray (United States, about 1912)

This postcard portrait is a little unusual. The portrait shows Ray Cochrane in a Scttish get up. He was apparently from Polk County Minnesota. We believe he was born in 1904. We would guess he was about 8 years old. What is unusual is that he is not wearing a kilt suit or a proper Highland outfit. He looks to be wearing a Glengary cap, but with a blouse and no jacket. He has a kilt or plaid skirt, we can't make out much detail. He also has a plaid or over the shoulder material. He does not, however, have kneesocks, but rather dark long stockings. While se see boys wearing kilt suits with long stockings, we almost never see boys wearing long stockings with other kilt outfits. We do not know, but this seems an outfit that might be worn for some kind of Scottish ethnic event.

Cocroft Family (United States, 1886)

HBC has obtained a photograph of the Cocroft family of Staten Island, New York. Mrs Cocroft has 10 children and has she looks rather young, more presumably followed. It is difficult figuring out who is who in her family. She describes the children as "born as close together as nature permits". Mrs. Cocroft appears to have been particularly parcial to white smocks, presunmably the laundry load was a factor here even if she had help. The family is a good example as to how large 19th century families could be.

Coether, Leonard (United States, about 1900)

Here we see Leonard Coether. He is an American boy, although we are not sure where in America that he was from. The portrait looks to have been taken about 1900-05. Leonard is on a classic hobby horse and wears a sailor-styked tunic with ringlet curls and a hair bow.

Colestock, Clarence (United States, about 1900)

Clarence Colestock was reportedly the favorite grandson of Mrs. Wesley Gray, a friend of the noted American poet James Whitcomb Riley. It was Riley who wrote the poem "Little Orphant Annie". Mrs. Gray was the Riley's inspiration for that film. The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" was loosely based on Riley's poem. It was for many years one of the most popular American comic strips. The comic strip in turn inspired the Broadway musical and film "Annie". Mrs. Gray's grandson, seems to have been about 6 years old when this portrait was taken, probably in Indianapolis. The photo is undated, but I would guess the 1900s. Clarence wears a sailor suit sith a huge wide-brimmed hat.

Collins, Colley (United States, 1886)

This is a cabinet card photo of a boy identified on the back as, “Coley Collins". The photo was taken on July 14, 1886 by Mowry in Elmira, New York. American boys by the 1880s were increasingly wearing kneepants, but many boys like Colley wore long trousers as well. Note the very high lapels on Colley's jacket.

Conant, Walter (United States, 1861)

Here we have a 1/6th plate ambrotype dated July 13, 1861. Identified and dated on back of image. It shows a boy holding a large American flag and perhaps the legs of the photographer's head rest stand behind him. He wears a hat, white shirt under an open front, bell sleeved cut-away jacket and long woolen pants. In pencil, on the paper behind the image is written, 'Taken At Camp Cameron July 13th 1861 Age 6 yrs 7 months Walter R. Conant'

Conway, John (United States, 1906)

This is a fun antique photo. A little barefoot boy sits inside an early pedal car. It reflects the style of early autmobiles. I am not sure if it was manufactured or home made. We welcome info from you experts. The boy is identified on the back in script as "John Conway, 1906". Unfortunately we do not know where he lived in America. John wears a white blouse and knee pants. It is clearly summer which is why he is barefoot. We note quite a number of American boys who were barefoot even when dressed up for church or other formal occassion.

Cowell, H. Harry Jr. (United States, 1890)

This cabinet card portrait is of H. Harry Cowell Jr. He was 6 ¾ yrs old when the portrait was taken February 1890. That means the boy was born about 1884. Harry wears a large white collar with lace trim and a huge floppy bow which covers up much of the collar. We are not sure about the color of the bow, but it may be red. He has a striped suit, but we can't see much detail. Harry's short hair is done in bangs. The portrait was taken by Harlow in Montpelier, Vermont.

Crawford, Tommy Lee (United States, 1930s)

Here we have a portrait of Tommy Lee Crawford. Unfortunately the only information about the portrair is Tommy's name. We believe that he is American. The portrait suggests that he is a farm boy, probably from the South. I'm not sure about the date. I would guess the 1930s would be the most likely, but we are not at all sure about this. It is a color photograph, but here I think it is probably colorized. Tommy wears a stripped "T"shirt and bib-front shorts. Notice how the bib bit divides.

Cromwell, James (United States, 1879)

The Mint Museum of Art In North Carolina displayed is a young boy's dress with a rosette "bustle" purchased in 1879 in Chicago for 4-year old James Cromwell. Such garments were worn over flounced petticoats with lace-trimmed or plain pantaletts beneath.

Cross, Ida and William (England, 1886)

This brother and sister, William and Ida Cross, were photographed in August 1886 at the Fleming Studio in Southsea, Hampshire. They are clearly from an affluent English family, although we have no details about them at this time. William wears a top hat and emaculate Eton suit. Ida wears a wide-brimmed hat and classic sailor outfit.

Crown Family (United States, 1899-1918)

The Brattleboo Historical Society has a wonderful collection of glass plate photos from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rural and small town American life is portrayed in a superb collection featuring images from New England. Photographs of the Crown family is part of this collection. The family has four boys and and at least two girls. The photos date from 1899-1918. The boys are Harold, Raymond, Richard, and Paul. I think this is the order of their ages. The photos are dated and in some cases mis-dated. The boys were breeched at different ages. The older boys I think were breeched at about 4-5. The other two boys were older when breeched. A photo of Richard, at I would guess 6-8 years of age, shows him in a lovely white dress with his rather large girl doll. Several other images taken at 3 or 4 years show him in dresses, curls, and always with a hair bow, playing with his dolly. Judging by the number of photographs of him, I would guess he was his Mother favorite. The dresses the boys wore before being breeched were not boy dresses. They all look like little girls in frilly dresses, curled hair, and hair bows. The boys always wore hair bows in their curls until their hair was cut, which was sometime after they were breeched. Several images show Richard and Paul in tunic suit outfits with ringlet curls and hair bows.

Cummings, Ralph Hunter (United States, 1883)

Outfits in the 1880s could vary substntially. Here we see a boy looking prim and proper wearing a nicely tailored, but rather plain kneepants suit. His name is Ralph Hunter Cummings. He was 7 years old when the photograph was taken on December 11, 1883". The portrait was taken by Brainerd in Rome, New York. He wears a modest white collar with a small bow.

Curtis, Wayne (United States, about 1905)

Here we see Wayne Curtis dressed in what looks like a sailor tunic in an early pedal car. The word “Moon” can be seen painted on the side. I'm not sure what that meant. On the back, the boy is identified as Wayne Curtis and there is a hand stamp that says “Nelson’s Studio, Brainerd, Minn.” So we know where Wayne was from. The postcard portrait is undated, but we would estimate was taken about 1905.

Cutsaw, John James (England, 1870s)

John James Cutsaw appears to be an English boy from an affluent family. A CDV portrait of him in a suit with bloomer knickers out for a ride was taken in the 1870s. We have no additional information about him.

Czechatowski, John (United States, 1928)

John Czechatowski had his first Communion portrait taken in 1928. The candle he holds was epecially common in German First Communion portraits. There are several interesting aspects to the portrait. The name is obviously Polish. American Catholics in the 1920s were primarily Irish or Eastern/Southern European ethnics. Poland was of course a predominantly Catholic country. His family would have migrated in the late-19th or early 20th century. We do not know where he was from, but probably a large mid-Western industrial city. He wears a greyish knickers suit with black long stockings. The suit easily could have been worn in the 1910s, but the lw-cut shoes are a good inicator of the 1920s. This colorized studio portrait was printed in post card format. The white border is another indicator of the 1920s although e see some from the late 1910s.

Created: November 4, 2002
Last updated: 11:25 PM 8/9/2008