*** biographical details on boys clothing: ordinary people alphabetical pages R








Biographical Details on Boys' Clothing Styles: Ordinary People Alphabetical Pages (R)

English sailor suit
Figure 1.-- This portrait was taken by Benedetti & Boccalini, located at Peckham, a London neighborhood in 1881. The boy is Carl Roos, which doesn't sound much like an English name. Carl looks to be 5-6 years old. Unfortunately we don't know anything about Carl and his family. We would say, however, that he came from a prosperous family. Both the long hair and the fancy sailor suit suggests this. Note that he wears three-quarter socks rather than long stockings which would have been more common in America. (This is a good clue that it is probably not an an American portrait. Note the sailor hat he is wearing is presumably a replica of a Royal Navy hat.

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.


Ramirez, Humberto (Argentina, 1944)

This Argentine boy in his First Communion suit is Humberto Ramirez. He wearsight-colored suit with whitevknee socks. Most First Communuin suits were either dark or white. Humbero wrote on the back, A mi Tio Julian le dedieo este umilde Recuerdo con todo el cari�o de mi corz�n. Humbero Ramierez, Rosario 8 de Deciembre 1944." That would translate, "To Uncle Julian I dedicate this humble rememberance with all the affection of my heart." Rosario is a city in northern Argentina. The flowery language would never be pinned by an amerixan boy, but even in argentin, nother mist hve dictated this.

Randall, Arthur and Julia (United States, about 1890)

This cabinet portrait shows Arthur Randall anf his little sister Julia. The childen look to be 3-5 years old. Arthur wears a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit with a large ruffeled collar nd white floppy bow. Julia is cradleing her precius doll like a baby. She sits in a stuffed and ornate chair. Her dress is white and ruffled. The portrait was taken by J. A. Brush of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is embossed at the lower front of the card. The portait is undated, but we have agood ideawhen it was taken. The back of the card cites a prize the photographer won in 1888. That means the portrait could not have bee taken earlier. But it suggest the oportrait was taken in 1889 or 1890. We beliece this to be the case because a photographer would not want to brag about an old prze. Customers might wonder why they haveny worn any prizes lately.

Rando, Arthur (United States, 1910s)

The boy pictured here is Arthur Rando. His name is written on the back of the portrait. He is dressed up in a white knickers suit for his First Communion. It is a little difficuklt to see, but he has a detchable collae and white bowtie. He also wears white long stockings and white high-top shoes. Dark blue suits were more common, but we see a few boys with these white suits. The portrait was taken in the Olan Mills Studio, but we do not know where it was located. It is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1910s. The dealer reports that it was with a group pf photographs belonging to a man born in 1906. This was probably Arthur himself.

Raoul, Férand (France, late 1870s

We do not know much about this French boy, but we do know his name--Férard Raoul. We are not sure about the date, but would guess the 1870s, perhaps the late 1870s. This boy was from Chateauroux. We are not sure where that is in France. We are not sure how to desribe this suit. The jacket is quite long. It seems to us longer than jackets we have noted in America. Note how it buttons only near the collar.

Rankin, ??? (Canada, 1898)

Here we see a Montreal boy who had his portrait taken in 1898. His name was Rankin. We don't know Master Rankin's Christian name, but it is obviously not a French family name. Master Rankin undoubtedly came from one of the affluent Anglophone families in turn-of-the-century Montreal. He wears an emaculare dark (presumably blue) saiolor suit. This sailor suit seems to have an unusually prominent starched white collar that is worn over the regular dark collar that is part of the suit.

Rathbone Boys (England, 1924)

Here we see four English boys in a postcard back portrait during 1924. We have names on the back and their ages, but the names are a bit of a jumble. We think that they are the Rathbone boys, but they could be the Brindley boys. The back reads, "Jan. 1924, Bernard 14 yrs, John 12 yrs 11 mnths, Walter Brindley 11 yrs 8 mnths, and Charles Rathbone 6 yrs 5 mnths." This has to be a family not a school portarit because Charles is so much younger than the other boys. But the older boys are so close in age that are surely not all brothers, probably one is a cousin. The older boys all wear identical dark suits with Eton collars. It shows that Eton collars were still woen in the 1920s, we think mostly at schools. This could be their school uniforms. If they were all brothers, they could have been identical regular suits. As they do not seem to be brothers, a school uniform seems more likely. The portarit may have been taken at home which would explain the younger brother.

Raymond, John M. (United States, about 1862)

Here we seen a youth who has volunteered for the Confederate Army, probably in 1862. I'm not sure how old he was, probably about 17 years old I would guess. Note the lack of any badges or insignia. The portrait was taken in Nashville, Tennessee which is probably where he was from. Guven his smart uniform, we would guess he was from a well to do Nashville family. We know nothing about his military service or his family at this time.

Redwine, George (United States, about 1905)

This cabinet card shows George Redwine in front of a wonderful turn-of-th 20th century quilt. The portrait is undated, but we think was taken by an intinerate photographer about 1905. This is one of the earliest examples of bib-front overalls as play garments on HBC. We do not see them in the 1890s. We are not yet sure about the socio-economic conventions associated with play overalls. George is wearing a printed calico blouse. These blouses with big collars were popular in the 1900s. Some were done with ruffles in the Fauntleroy style. His sturdy bib overalls and practical shoes complete the picture of a little boy ready for adventure. Bib overalls became popular for work clothes in the 1870s, but we begin to see them also being used as play clothes after the-turn-of-the 20th century. Some mothers sewed them. Important companies manufactured them as play clothes for younger children they could be purchased fo as little as $2.00

Reed Boys (United States, 1900-04)

We know nothing vuirtually nothing about the Reed family other than that they were from Pennsylvania, we're not sure yet about the city, perhaps Philidelphia. There were two boys about the same age. One was Eddie Lou Reed. I'm not sure about his brother's name. He was a 1-2 years older than Eddie. A HBC reader has set us two portraits. One is undaed, but was probably taken in 1900. It shows Eddie in a frilly white dress at about age 4. It has balloon half sleeves and a waist ribbon done in a pastel, perhaps light blue although we are not sure. Eddie also has ringlet curls and a very large hair bow, perhaps in the same color as his waist ribbon. With his whikte dress he has black long stockings and shoes with bows. A second portrait was taken in 1904 with the two boys. Eddie has been breeched, but he and his older brother both still have ringlet curls, although they are worn without hir bows. We are not sure just when the boys were breeched.

Reitz, Ada and Clayton (United States, about 1890)

This cabinet card portrait ws taken by Hayes in Sterling, Illinois. The chidren look to be about 3 and 5 years old. Their names are Ada & Clayton Reitz. They both wear skirted, but not identical outfits. Ada wears a dress with a locket, but we can't make out much detail. Clayton looks to be wearing a blouse and skirt rather than a dress, but we are not positive. The blouse seems to have sailor styling. He also looks to have a polka-dot bow. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1890.

Remington Children (United States, 1909)

This image came from the Frederic Sackrider Remington (1861-1909) family estate. This is not the firearms Remmingtin, alhough they were related. This Remington was the painter famous for his genre paintings of the Anmerican West. While still studying, he traveled widely inckuding areas west of the Mississippi River. He did many sketches and took photographs, some of which would become the basis for future paintings. He made a specialty of depicting Native Americans, cowboys, calvalry, horses, and other aspects of life on the plains. His despiction of horses were especially admired. He also did some now famous sculptures. His work was some of the best-loved images of the Ameruican Old West. here were also some works of Mexicans. Remmington married Eva Caten (1884). The family had two children, a boy and girl. We have a snapshot that we believe to be the two children which seems reasonable given the date of the marrage. They look to be about 6-16 years old. The boy has Dutch boy bangs. They are done up in fine summer clothes for an outing, presumanly on the family estate. Remington estate 'Endion' was in New Rochelle, New York. The boys wears a classic tunic suit, a style popular in the 1900s and 10s. His older sister wears a long dress and highly decorated hat. The long hen reflects that of ab older teen. Both wear black long stockings.

Rendall, Godfrey Arthur Harding (England, 1870s)

We note another Hills & Saunder studio CDV portrait. This one is of Godfrey Arthur Harding Rendall. It was taken in Harrow, probably in the 1870s. Godfrey looks to be 4 years old. He has long hir, but it has been combed back, away from his ears. He wears a dark-colored, short-sleeved dress. It has a low-neckline and looks to be a style that a girl might also have worn. He also wear dark-colored three-quareter socks.

Rendall, Hugh Davey (England, about 1880)

This CDV portrait was taken by Monsieur A. Bouche, a portrait studio in Brighton. The use of "Monsieur" was presumably to give a classy French image to the studio. The boy pictured is Hugh Davey Rendall. He is wearing a stylish velvet double-breasted suit. He wears his outfit with a boater. Hugh has longish hair down to his ears. The CDV is undated, but a 1879 medal award is mentioned on the back. We believe that this usually meant recently earned medals, so the portrait was presumably taken about 1880.

Rendall, Montague John (England, 1870s)

Montague John Rendall was a student at Harrow School in the 1870s. We have little information about him except that he came from an exytended, well to do family. We note a portrit of him in his Harrow School uniform which was a type of Eton suit.

Rendall, Seymour Henry (England, 1870s)

This is another Hills & Saunder CDV studio portrait. This one was taken at the Oxford studio. photo, photographer's address on reverse. It shows Seymour Henry Rendall. The Rebndall family was an affluent, lage family. We note several othr portraits of the Rendall boys. Seymour looks to be about 4 years old. He wears a dress that seems to be very similar to the one Godfrey Arthur Harding Rendall wore.

Repnine, Prince Igor Vadimovitch (Russia, 1892-1970)

Prince Igor Vadimovitch Repnine (1892-1970) was photographed at about the age of 5 or 6 about 1898. He wears a white sailor suit but with black long stockings. This boy was a Russian aristocrat. I am not entirely sure at this point as to just how he fits into the Russian royal family. Prince Igor survived the Revolution (1917), we assume by escaping to the West.

Reynolds, Harry (United States, 1914)

This oval format postcard back postcard shows an Amercan boy wearing a traditonal knickers sailor suit with three-stripe detailing. The collar detailing is repeated on the sleeve cuffs. There is also a rank badge on the sleeve. Harry has a loosely tied scarfe probably black and white dickie, but we can not make out the embroidered symbol. It looks to be a brand new suit which mom has bought in a slightly larger size than a good fit. This photo is dated and identified on both the front and back. This boy is 'Harry Reynolds, 1914' … 'May 1914, Son of Earl'. We are not sure how old he is, we would guess about 7-8 years old. Harry has a navy blue suit worn with black long stockings and high-top shoes, both fairly standard in the 1910s.

Rhoads, Bert and Gayle (United States, 1934)

These two brothers, Bert and Gayle Rhoads, 4 and 7 years old respectively. They were photographed by the Smith studio in Marshalltown, Iowa during 1934. Bert is wearing a button-on suit with white long stockings while his little brother, Gayle, seems to be wearing beige stockings with suspender shorts and a blouse with red or blue collar and cuffs, often called an Oliver Twist suit. Long stockings were still common for younger boys and girls in the United States during the 1930s, especially the younger children. The white stockings were less common in the 30s, mostly we see long stockings in various tan shades. Older boys wearing knickers often switched to knee socks with bold patterns. The portrait came in a classic art deco paper frame as well as the art deco background. Dated examples help us to date undated examples.

Rice Children (United States, early-1920s)

This family snapshot shows Norman Rice (right), June Rice Bem?ey (miidle), and an unidentified friend or cousin. The photograph was probabnly taken in Florida or mearby state. The palm-like plant is aalmmtto--the state plant of South Carolina. Florida is the most likely as the deler was in Florida. June wears a plain dress. Norman and the other boy white shirts, ties/bows, and above-the-knee knickers.with solid-colored knee socks. All three wear low=cut leather shoes. The children look to be about 6-9 years old.

Richards, Osborne (England, 1876)

Here we have a CDV with both the boy's name and date of the photograph, the two most imprtant facts for our HBC website. The boy is Osbore Richards. He looks to be about 8 years old. He wears a knee pants sailor suit with a small bow. Clearly the sailor suit was fashionable boys wear by the 1870s. Notice the three-stripe detailing. We are not sure about the color. Knee pants were bdecoming standard forf younger boys. Notice the the volunnius cut and how long they were. We notice striped long stockings which were popular in the 1870s. He seems to be holding a gun. And we know that the portrait was taken in 1876, helping to date the various garments. Older English boys wearing sailolr suits arev less common, because so many boys from affluent families wnt to boarding schools. Also written on the back is what looks like 'Y. Barrow Richards' and on another line 'Peck' alkong with 1876. This presumably is one of the parents. We are not sure if Peck as an extnsion of the first line. The studio was Webster Bros. in Baywater, a fashionble area within the City of Westminster in West London.

Richardson, Andrew (United States, 1875)

This CDV portrait was made about 1875 in Los Angeles, California. The boy is identified on the card as Andrew Richardson, age 3 years. We believe he is Andrew Mellor Richardson, son of Solomon Richardson, Jr., and wife, Agnes Mellor. Andrew was born in 1872 in California and lived in San Gabriel, Los Angles County, California, in 1880, and at the time he completed his draft registration for World War I he was still living in San Gabriel. In the 1880 census, Andrew's father was listed as an orange orchardist. It is not clear if he owned an orchard or was just employed by one. The CDV is a sandard size of cardstock: app. 2.5 in. by 4 in. It is on light colored cardstock; no border; round corners. He wears a plain little outfit whose shirt buttons on his trousers. His stockings have a wide stripe and his high-top shoes are tall and tightly laced. The Photographic studio was: Parker's Photographic Parlors, Downey Block, No. 65 Main Street, Los Angeles, California.

Richmond, Walter J. (United States, 1894)

This cabinet casrd portrait of an American boy swearing a Fauntleroy suit and ringlet curls was dated April 23, 1894. The name Walter J. Richmond is written at the top of the back of the card. And we assumed him to be the boy in the portrait. Curiously, Walter's name has a small line through it. Written below is "Percy Wainscott became a wrestler. We thus have no idea if the portrait is Walter or Percy. Perhaps some relatives will know. The boy wears an open but not cut-away jacket held together with an unusual conecting strip. He has a large white collar trimmed with eyelet lace and matching wrist cuffs worn with a plaid floppy boy. He looks gto be about 5-6 years old. As was stabndard in America he wears knee pants and black long stockings. Notice the bows at the knees. notice the which furtniture which we begin to see at mid-decade. The studio was Caldwell & Kent in Brockton, Massachuttes. The state is not added, unusual for American cabinet cards.

Ring, Francis (United States, 1920)

This portrait was done at the Westhall Studio by H. E. Loveland. An inscription reads, "A Merry Christmas Francis Ring, Dec. 24th 1920." Thus we know who the boy is and when his portrait was taken. Francis looks about 3-4 yeats old. We are not sure how to describe his outfit, possibly an Oliver Twistv suit. The photo is a 5" x 7" ptint. The paper fram has the mock ragged, heirloom look. This is a particularly severe ragged frame edge.

Ritchie Brothers (United States, about 1925)

Here we see the Ritchie boys in a wondeful family portrait. Sitting L-R: Joe, Paul and Merle Ritchie; Standing: Raymond Ritchie. We believe that the portrait was taken about 1925. We do not know where tghe photograph was taken, other than we are sure that the boys are American. The boys look to be about 4-14 years of age. They seem to wearing knicker suits, except for Paul who wears a short pants sailor suit.

Ristine, Albert Welles (United States, 1884)

Perhaps the style most associated with ringlet cirls is the Fauntleroy suit. Here we see Albert Welles Ristine who was photographed in Ft. Dodge, Iowa during April 1884 (figure 1). Like many boys at the time, he wears his Fauntleroy suit with ringlet curls. Note that this was before Mrs. Burnett wrote her famous book, "Little Lord Fauntleroy". It is a good example how Mrs. Burnett did mot create the style, but she certainly popularized it as the "Fauntleroy Craze" swept the country.

Ritter, Joseph C. (United States, 1897)

This cabinet card was taken in 1897 (date pencilled on back). It shows a young Josephy C. Ritter with his toy wagon. Joseph wears a plain blouse and kneepants and is barefoot. He holds a U.S, Army hat. (It looks like the style worn during the Spanish American War.) The wagon looks home made from packing boxes. Wood was commnly used instead of cardboard in the 19th century. (Which is where we get the term 'soap-box derby') Also notice the all-metal wheels. Rubber was still not being used. The portrait is also interesting because it shows how caninet cards began to change around the turn-od-the 20th century. The card measures approximately 4 x 5.5 inches. The mount was not only slightly smaller than the standard cabinet card, but it had a decorated frame around the actual photograph and did not have a studio name and location. In addition, it was not a studio portrait, but in the period before the Kodak Brownie, took his film to a studio to have it printed--at least the images he liked.

Rivard, Loyola (United States, 1909)

We have a portrait of Loyola Rivard, taken in 1909 when he was about 11 years old. We know the family was Catholic. He was dressed for his first communion at St. Clement's Church in the Detroit area. He is older than the current age most children do first communion. Here Loyola is wearing a knee trousers suit with black long stockings. We have another portrait showing the whole family in 1912.

Robartes Family (England, 1885)

The Robartes were a wealthy English aristocratic family. There were four childre, two boys and two girls. Anna Lea Merrit, a Victorian romantic artist influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, painted a charming portrait of the children in 1885. The eldest boy wears a velvet suit and lace collar and the younger boy has not yet been breached.

Robb, Frederick James (United States, 1900)

This child is dome up to look like a flower girl. One wonders if he had a role in a wedding. I'm not sure, but I think that is his hat on the chair. Also notice the hair bows. We know that the child is an American boy. His name is Fredrick James Robb and he is 3 yrs and 2 months old. He was born June 17, 1897. The portrait was taken in 1900.

Robert, John (England, 1880?)

Here we have a portrait of John Robert. Unfortunately we have no information about his family. we know that it was taken at Idington's Block, Market Square in Stratford. The problem is that there are Stratford's scattered all around the English speaking world. We think it is England, but we are not at all sure. John wears a Norfolk kneepants suit with a narrow bow, ribbed long stockings, and button shoes. There are several interesting aspects of John's suit. Notice how he keeps a handkerchief in the folds of his Norfolk suit. And his knee pants have two rather than one button. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1880.

Robinson Children (United States, 1880s)

This cabinet card portrait shows the five children of Georege Robinson. The name is written on the back. The children look to be about 2-12 years of age. There are three boys and 2 girls. The younger boys wear knee pants suits. The youngest boy seems to have a vested suit with a sailor style back flap. The other youngr boy wears his jacket opened. One boy wears a plaid shirt. Both younger boys have collar-buttoning suits worn with floppy bows. The older boy wear a lapel, vested suit with neck tie. The boys have short, croppd hair, something that was not all that common in America. The girls wear stylish dresses. The portrait is not dated, bit looks lik the 1880s to us. The studio was Sackett & Carlson, Sycamore Illinois.

Rogers Children (United States, 1910s)

This studio cabinet card portrait shows the J.H. Rogers children, two girls and two boys. They are identified as Wilmer (8 years), Thelma (5 years), Leonard (3 years), and Ruth (1 year). The mount was a dark green color we note with early-20th century cards. It has embossed framing. We are not entirely sure how to date it, but suspect it was in the 1910s. Wilmer wears a heavy knit cardigan sweater with dark coloring around the collar and front buttoning areas. The were popular in high dchools and colleges. We see a lot of these sweaters, we think mostly in the 1910s. He wears it with a tie rather than a suit jacket. Thelma wears a striped dress with a white hair bow. Leonard seems to be weaing a coat and bow. Ruth wears a white baby dress. As was common in 20th century cabinet cards, the studio and city was not indicated.

Rogers, Agnes and Clarence (United States, late 1900s)

Here we have a First Communion portrait of Agnes and Clarence Rogers. They did their First Communion at St. Mary's Church in Coon Creek, Kansas. We know nothing about the family. The portrait is undated. We would guess it was taken in the late 1900s or early 1910s. This is in part because knickers were more common in the 1910s than the 1900s, especially the early 1910s. And these plain, longish cut jackets declined in popularity during the 1910s. Agnes wears the white junior bridal dress that was common for the girls. Clarence wears a double breasted knickers suit with long stockings. These conservative suits were very commonly worn for First Communion. Note the stiff, rounded collar and white necktie.

Rogers, Earnest K. (United States, 1883)

Earnest K Rogers had his portrit taken in Charlestown, Massachusettes during April 1883. He looks to be about 4 years of age or maybe 5. I think children were smaller in the last century. He wears an elaborate dress with considerale lace trim. A few years before the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy, Earest haslong ringlet curls. It is an unusual cut, at first glance he look to have short hair. His curls are at the back of his head.

Rolf Boys (United States, about 1900s)

Here we see the Rolf boys from Toledo Ohio. It is a small print on a cabinet card 4 1/4" X 5 7/8 inch card. The boys are Willie and Theodore Rolf. They are both wearing fahionable clothing. The older brother weas a sailor suit. His younger brother wears a classic Fauntleroy suit. The headwear is a little unclear. Unfortunately we pnly have a small image to work with. The older boy seem to be earing a tam. His younger boy looks to be wearing a saucer sailor cap, but we are not sure. The boys look to be about 3-6 years old. The portait is indated. The cabinet card is a little unusual, making it diffiult to date, but we would guess it was taken in the 1900s decade. The studio was Hill in Toldeo, Ohio.

Ronda, Jaap and Arent (Netherlands, 1931)

Here we have two Dutch brothers, Jaap and Arent Ronda. The photograph was taken in Gronigen, the Netherlands, during 1931. The boys are identically dressed except that Jaap wears tan long stockings and Arent wears brown ones (obviously with bodices and supporters). Long stockings were at the time declining in popularity with Dutch mothers. Unlike neighboring Germamy, we non longer see them veryb much by the 1940s. The boys have matching jackets and short trousers on, which probably represents their school clothes. Jaap was 11 years old at the time. Arent was 9 years old. They were only about a year and a half apart (which is possible if one had a late and the other an early birth month). Arent born in 1922 became a well-known artist--chiefly a painter. His style developed over time. He began by painting in a style obviously derived from the French impressionists but ended by adopting much more daring and modern techniques.

Roos, Carl (England, 1881)

This portrait was taken by Benedetti & Boccalini, located at Peckham, a London neighborhood in 1881. The boy is Carl Roos, which doesn't sound much like an English name. Carl looks to be 5-6 years old. Unfortunately we don't know anything about Carl and his family. We would say, however, that he came from a prosperous family. Both the long hair and the fancy sailor suit suggests this. Note that he wears three-quarter socks rather than long stockings which would have been more common in America. Note the sailor hat he is wearing which is presumably a replica of a Royal Navy hat. There are several interesting aspect to Carl's sailor suit.

Rose, Julius (United States, 1903)

A variety of companies began to offer formula for mothers as an alternative to breast feeding. We are not sure when this began, but we note advertisements in the 1860s. One of these compnies was Mellin's Food. leading brand of infant milk formula. . We first notice Mellin ads in the 1880s and see them into the 1920s. Mellin's food jars have become collector items. Here we note a Mellin's Foods magazine ad, altyhough we do not know the name of the magazine in which it appeared. It shows a photograph of Julius Rose as an example of a baby raised on Mellin's Food. The ad copy read, "Julius Rose: This little son of Joseph M. Rose of Roxbury, Mass. has been raised entirely on Mellin's Food. He is now a sturdy, happy, and healthy boy, the result of having been fed a proper and nourishing food during all his babyhood days. Would you like a sample of Mellin's Food to try for ypur baby? You can have one free for the asking. Melin's Food Company, Bostion, Mass." Julius has long ringlet curls and is dressed in a tunic suit. It looks to be a corduroy tunic, but we are not positive.

Rosewater, Charley (United States, 1874- )

These two CDV portraits we think are the same Nebraska child. The first is marked on the back "Taken on his second birthday May 24th 1876". The second is marked on the back "Charley Rosewater age 7 - May 24th 1881". It is also marked "To Mr. & Mrs J?." The photo of the younger Charles is done by photographer E.L. Eaton, Omaha, Nebraska. The photo at age 7 is from the Grand Central Gallery also from Omaha, Nebraska. Charles at age 2 wears a white dress with a dark belt. We are not sure when he was breeched, but at age 7 he wears a plain collar buttoning kneepants suit.

Ross, L.D. (Canada, 1865)

This Canadian boy, Master L.D. Ross was photographed at the Notman studio about March-June 1865. This was a Canada's nest known photographer. The boy kooks to be about 4 years old. He wears a plaid dress, in keeping with a Scootis nsme. He also wears pantalettes and holds a rounded croewn hat that seems to have a large bow and white streamers. He has carefully done ringlet curls with a big curl on top his head.

Ross Children (United States, 1839)

Here we see the children of C. Ross in a portrait done by James Green in 1839. Unfortunastely we do not know where they were from. Both children wear low-cut dresses, but we think that they may be boys. Little boys and and girls commonly wore identical dresses in the early 19th century and here the hair styles and the bazll the yiounger boy is holding suggest boys.

Ross Brothers (Canada, 1899)

Another nice professional protrait from Montreal (taken June 30, 1899, at one of the photographic studios in the city). The photo is simply entitled "Mrs. Ross's sons, aged 12 and 15" so we unfortunately do not have their Christian names. Both boys are very beautifully dressed for a formal ortrait with elegantly cut three-piece suits with waistcoats, white shirts and ties. Notice the boutonieres in their lapels. The suits were age greaded with the younger brother wearing kneepants and the older brother long pants.

Ross, William Bradford (United States, 1918)

Here is a photograph of William Bradford Ross in 1918, the son of William B. Ross who later became governor of Wyoming, but died in office. He was succeeded by his wife Nellie Tayloe Ross as the first female governor in the United States. Governor William Ross was a Democrat and served in Chyenne as governor only briefly (1923-24). His youngest son, shown in the photograph at the age of 6 years, was born in 1912. He wears a dressy knee pants suit with large buttons on his coat and an Eton-style collar with an unusual floppy tie that looks as though it might be part of the collar. He wears white long stockings and hightop boots. Notice the white cuffs on the suit jacket, matching the white collar.

Rowe, Fred Arthur (United States, 1903)

Here we have a portrait of Fred Arthur Rowe taken in 1903. He looks to be about 10 years old which means that he was born about 1893. We know almost nothing about him, other than the portrait was taken in Spencer, Iowa. Ge wears a white shirt with what a double breasted knee pants suit. The portrait is unsual in that his jacket is worn open--unusual in formal portaits at the time. He has a bowtie, but it is difficult to make out the collar style. As was common at the time, he wears long black stockings.

Ruffato, James (United States, 1912)

We believe this is aportrait of Jim or James Ruffato. It was taken by the Wilson Studio in Lead, South Dakota. The back of the post card is enscribed, My brother Jim 11 years confirmed 1922 - Lead South Dakota" We think that Jim's last name was Rafutto becuse the address section read, "To Rose Gilson from James Ruffato". We are not sure what Church James attended. The AZO stamp box with two arrows up and two arrows down helps to confirm our stamp box assessment. James wears a drk knickers suit, which was a popular choice at the time. He wears black long stockings abd hight-top shoes with his suit. His flat cap does not match the suit.

Ruick, John and Joseph (United States, about 1910)

This cabinet card portrait shows two brothers sharing a religious ceremomy. The boys look to be about 8-13 years old. Thevclothing and mountvstyle suggests that the poretrit was taken in the 1910s, probanly the early 0s. They are dressed identically in bouble breasted knickers suit. The only difference we see is the youngest boy's sash and the older boy's medal. They are ethnic Germans, although their first names suggest the family has been in America for some time. There names as best we can make out the writing. We are not entirely sure just what is happening here. We think the younger boy is celebrating his First Communion. That is probably what the sash signifies, although we do not see that all that commonly. The tall candel is commonly associated with First Communion in Germany. We see that a lot in German First Communion portraits. His older brother may be celebrating his Confirmation, or perhaps he is just participating in his brother's celebration. Notice that he does not have a candel of of his own, but is holding a prayer book and rosary--also First Communion accesories. Confirmation is more associated with Protestants in Germany, but as it was so important, the Catholics began give more attention to it and there were some similarities beween Luthern (the main German Protestant denomination) and Catholic ritual.

Runge, Wilmer and Lucille (United States, 1910s)

The brother and sister here are Wilmer and Lucille Runge. They look to be about 7-9 years old. We do not know where they were from. The portrait is undated, but looks to be taken in the 1910s. Wilmer wears a dark (presumably navy blue) knickers suit and black long stockings. We think that in the 1910s, mothers usually bought black long stovkings w\even with blue suits. This was a standard for American boys at the time. His sister Lucille wears a white dress with large hair bow, ringle curls and white long stockings. Ringlets became very popular for girks in the 1910s and we no longer see manu boys wearing them.

Rupert, Chester and Ray (United States, about 1890)

Here we have a cabinet photo of two boys, identified on the back as Chester and Ray Rupert. The baby is in a dress and the older boy is wearing a classic Fauntleroy suit. His blouse has a very large collar , ruffle front, and deep cuffs. He also had a large bow. The knee pants have the classic three buttons.Unfortunately the portait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1890. We also do not know where the portrait was taken. The image is poor quality which normally we do not archive, but we do have the names which is helpful.

Russel Children (Canada, 1899)

This brother-sister photo was taken in Montreal at a professional studio on June 2, 1899. The sister looks as though she were about 12 years old. Her baby brother can't be much older than 6 years. The children (despite the age difference) are dressed coordinately--in white sailor outfits with dickeys. Both costumes seem to have blouses although we can't see the lower part of the girl's clothing. It surely would have been a matching skirt. The boy wears a white sailor suit with unusually large sailor collar. It buttons down the front. The white knee pants lack the customary ornamental buttons at the hem. In contrast to his white sailor suit, he wears black long stickings. His black leather shoes have ribbon ties. Notice the neat left part of his hair style. The girl wears long hair with a white ribbon and bow.

Russell, Charles and Harland (United States, 1860s)

These two boys had a CDV pprtrait made in the 1860s, probably the early 60s. We think that the brothers are American, although there is no printing on the mount. The lack of printing suggests the erly 60s. The boys wear matching Zouave outfits. Their caps, however, are unusual. They do not wear fezes or kepis. Rather they wear rounded military caps. This is not a style swe have commonly noted in America. It seems more of a British style. The Zouave outfits were more common in America because of the Civil War. As there is no printing, we do not know just where the portrait was taken. Hand written on the back is " Charles & Harland Russell - Children of Mr. Charles H. Russell - Grandma Rosin's brother"

Russel, S. (United States, 1910)

Here we have a very hard working boy in 1910. His name was S. Russell. He worked as a newsboy. He was 12 years old and had been selling newspapers for 2 years. His average earnings were 20 cents daily. Selling newspapers was his own choice. His father erarned $18 weekly. The boy deposited his earnings in the Du Pont Savings Bank. On Saturday night he worked for the Reynold's candy shop, delivering packages. He didn't smoke or visits saloons. He worked 5 hours daily, except Saturday, when he works 11 hours. He lived at 33 E. 22nd St., Wilmington, Delaware. He was photographed in front of a Wild West Show poster.

Rutledge, Clifford (Canada, 1922)

Here is a snapshot of Clifford Rutledge, a Canadian teenager, in 1922 with his horse. In relation to the horse the boy is quite tall, perhaps as old 15 or 16 years. Note that he still wears above-the-knee knickers, which is obvious because of the blousing that doesn't quite cover his knee caps. The cap with a visor is also interesting as showing the kind of headgear favored by teenagers in the 1920s. The boy wears typical hightop shoes with his long black stockings. He probably wears a suspender waist to hold them up, which is what older boys especially favored. The suspender straps, in this case, would be under his turtle-neck sweater. I wonder if this boy is posing on a farm or possibly at a stable where he could have been employed.







HBC






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Created: 10:16 PM 10/17/2005
Last updated: 5:15 PM 1/5/2024