Figure 1.--Here we have a photo postcard from about 1910. All we know for sure about the image is that it was taken in New Brunswick. It shows a typical rural family. Image courtesy of the CS collection.

We have lmited information on the 1910s at this time. We have one rural New Brunswick family, but it is undated. We are not sure yet if it is the late 1900s or early 1910s. The boys wear sailor suits. Our HBC contributor writes, "This is a photo post card. The people are named on the back, however I'm not very good and distinguishing what is says. I can make out that it is addressed to a person with the surname of "Estabrooks" (a name found locally), so it's likely that it is a close friend or relative that gave this. It was not stamped or mailed. [HBC note: These post cards could be mailed, but were often included in envelopes with letters.] In this image I noted the boy on the left that one of his pant legs has come loose and fallen down, whereas the other is still in place above his knee. I'm not sure what the "AZO" printed letters stand for around the area allocated for a stamp, but it seems to be common to a lot of Canadian Post cards and I thought it may be the printers label."

Location

This family was photographed on New Brunswick. New Brunswick is one of the Canadian Atlantic maritime provinces and borders on Maine.

Chronology

The photo postcard it is undated. It was not postally uised so there is no date stamp. We were not sure if it is the late 1900s or early 1910s. The sailor suits the boys wore look like styles worn in both the 1900s and 1910s. The back of the post card helps us to date the image even though it is postally unused. We guessed that the photograph was taken about 1910 because most of the photo postcard we have noted date from after 1907 (although some were taken earlier). The AZO stamp box as explained below, confirms that the photograph was taken about 1908-11. Thus 1910 is a good approximation.

Identity

The family is unidentified. They could be Estabrooks or related to the Estabrooks. The names are on the back of the card (click on the image). The names, however, are difficukt to read. There are three chikldren, two boys and a girl. They look to be 3-7 years old. The family is a rural family, but we are not sure just what they farmed. I do not know what the structures on top the hill in the background are.

Clothing

The two boys here both wear sailor suits without caps. They look to have above the knee bloomer knickers. Cuyriously the older boy had allowed one leg of his knickes fall down. The older boy wears black long stockings. The younger boy wears socks. His knickers are worn short than was common at the time. The girl wears a simple, light-colored dress. Note the waistband that was crossed at front. This was also common on tunics. She wears white long stockings.

Hair Styles

Both boys have close cropped hair. The girl has hair with a center part and hair bows.

AZO Postcards

This is an AZO postcard. That means the company who manufactured the postcard paper. Because of differences in the design of the back of the cards, it is often possible to date these cards--especially the stamp boxes. The back of this card can be seen by clicking on the image. The AZO stamp boxes with circles at the corners are known to date from 1908-11. This was a mark used in Britain and Canada. These are the known dates, the actual year span could be wider. Thus we can safely say that this photograph was taken about 1910.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores]

Created: 4:36 PM 8/31/2004
Last updated: 1:34 PM 9/12/04