Figure 1.-- Here we see four brothers in the family parlor during the 1920s. Te two middle brothers wear identical sailor suits. The younger and older brothers wear other outfits. This wa the most common use of sailor suits, brothers close in age. The younger boy may not have been dressed in a sailor suit because the others two boys may have begun to see it as too juvenile for them.

There were a variety of conventions associated with dressing a family or much of a family in similar or coordinated outfits. The most common here was the sailor suit. The number of childre along with the age and gender makeup of the children affected this. We see many family portraits and snapshots of all the children in a family wearing sailor suits, both the brothers and sisters wearing sailor suits--the entire family. Here we aew talking about all of the children at theapproprite age. This was most common for small families when the children were about the same age. This was rather like the Trapp family in the 'Sound of Music'. While we see a few such actual examples, more commonly it was just the boys wearing matching sailor suits. We see huge numbers of such portraits in the photographic record. Somewhat less commonly we see all the girls wearing matching sailor suits. Here age was a factor. In some cases the younger children were exempted. In other families it was the older children once beyond their early teens. The conventions and combinations varied from family to family.

All the Children

We see many family portraits and snapshots of all the children in a family wearing sailor suits, both the brothers and sisters wearing sailor suits--the entire family. Here we are talking about all the children of an approprite age. The sailor suit was seen as suitable for boys nd girls so it could be used to dress the ebtire family. This was most common of course for small families when the children were about the same age. With larger families this was more complicated with greater age and gender diversity. But even so, we do see some large families with all the children wearing sailor suits as well. This was rather like the Trapp family in the "Sound of Music". This was not very common, but it was not rare either.

Some of the Children

While we see a few actual examples of all the children wearing sailor suits, more commonly we see age or gender differentiation. Sometimes both were factors, depending on the size of the family. Several families had all the children of an appropriate age wearing sailor suits. The age seen as appropriate varied somewhat. In other families it was only the boys or only the girls wearing sailor sits. There was also some groups affected by both age and gender. Very often it was just the boys wearing matching sailor suits. We see huge numbers of such portraits in the photographic record. Less commonly we see all the girls wearing matching sailor suits. Not nearly as common as for the boys, but it certainly was not unknown. In some cases the very youngest children were exempted. In other families it was the older children once beyond their early teens that were exempted. The closer the children were in age, the more likely they were to dressed in idential or corrdinate saikor outffits. The conventions and combinations varied from family to family.

Mothers

The sailor suit was a particularly popular style in Germany. As we discuss, many German families dressed their boys in sailor suits. And also many girls wore sailor oufits, both sailor dresses and sailor blouses and skirts. We see both identical and caried sailor outfits. What w so not see very commonly is mothers wearing sailor outfits along with the children. We see women with some sailor touches to their dresses, but actual sailor dresses were rather unusual even in Germany where the sailor suit was so popular. We have found few images with the mother wearing sailor outfits. While not nearalynas common, we have found a few such images. While it is possible that the woman might be an older sister, more likely it was the mother wearing the sailor suit and in at least one case it was a matching sailor suit. And one fashion style is mother-daughter dresses which may be at play here.

Individuals

Sometime we see just one of the children wearing sailor suits. Here we suspect that all the children may have had sailor suits at least when they were younger. It seems unlikely that mothers would have just bought a sailor suit for one child in the family. We are guessing that some children, especially the older children, were give somne disgression about how to dress. This was presumably more likely in snapshots than studio portraits. Of course there were variation from family to family with some parents more likely than others to allow the children some choice in such matters. When only one child in a family weas a sailor suit, he or she is likely to be a younger often school-age child with very uoung or older siblings and substantial ae differences.

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Created: 2:25 AM 6/14/2009
Last updated: 12:07 PM 4/5/2018