Figure 1.--.

Here we are archiving accounts from French readers about their personal experiences concerning rompers. As boys normally wore rompers as pre-schoolers, often French readers do not recall wearing rompers as well as many other boyhood clothes. A few French readers, however, do recall wearing rompers. French mothers presumably recall more, but we do not yet have any accounts from mothers about rompers. Hopefully French readers will provide us more details hedre.

Charles

One reader has provides us a detaied account of his childhood. This account is about Charles and his brother during the late 1940s. Both boys wore rompers. In fact their parents ran a clothing manufacturuing plant.

Claude

Another French reader tells us, "There are quite a few HBC pages with detailed information on French rompers. I think that many French people are no longer aware that boys once commonly wore rompers. I often wore rompers as a little during the early 1950s. For some reason I remember my romper suits quite well. Actually I remember than beter than some of my other suits that I wore a little later. One day I recall being invited to a or a children's party in Paris. There were about eight of us. I remember that all of us boys were wearing white romper suits. The three little girls were all weaing similar little dresses. I was 4 years old. The other boys were about the same age 4-5 years old. For some reason my sister was jnot there. I also remember, when we were traveling, I had to stay clean. I sometimes had my clothes changed during the day if I got my romper dirt. Here in France the weather can be quite different in the south and Paris. Quite often it's warm in Nice and a bit chilly in Paris. For the first time, not long ago, my daughters askd me about my boyhood. My oldest daughter thought I looked very cute in a photograph of me wearing a romper suit. My other daughter bought a traditional romper suit for her son. They can still be found in Galerie Lafayette. My son also wore romper suits when he was a little boy, but no as much as I did and he was a little younger when he wore romprs.

Emil

A French reader writes, "I found my suits navy and white rather smart. I perfectly recall I never had objections to wearing rompers, I found that normal for a boy. Many boys at the time wore them. I don't recall having heard a boy teased because he was dressed in a romper suit."

Jacque

A French reader writes, "The barboteuse marked my boyhood . Llike some of the other French readers who have written to HBC I wore rompers as a little boy. I know from family photographs that as a little boy I was quite often dressed in rompers. Practically all boys in the 1940sand 50s wore rompesr when they were babies and todlers. Untill they were enter to the kindergarten this garment was very common. At this time 1950s, the children entered Kindergarten at 4 or 5 years of age. This some children were in Kindegarten for 1-2 years. I do not recall wearing them as a very little boy, but recall I had a kind of romper party ouytfit. I don't recall wearing rompers to school, but probably did when I was in nursery school. I do recall the romper suit I wore at 6 yeats of age for special occassions. On Sunday , Thirsday , specialy in summer they could be dressed in a an dressy romper suit for outings or visits. In the post 1940s the barboteuse were made in both casual and dressy styles. The people of the post-1970 generation only know this style by the family photographs of their father.