Figure 1.--This Russian boy wears a costume based on the clothing of the Russian nobility of the 15th-17th century before Tsar Peter the Great launched his westernization campaign. This may be for some sort of school program. The photograph was taken about 2010.

"We note a lot of Russian boys wearing costumes. The pattern seems somewhat different than in the West, especially in the 19th century and early-20th century. Almost all of the examples we have found show boys wearing peasant tunics or cossock outfits, usually younger boys. Western costumes were much more varied. Many were for dress upn parties. And also in the West we see both boys and girls in costumes. We have never seen a Russian girl cossock costume portrait. These costume portraits rapidy go out of style after the Revolution, at least for costume portraits. We do see children wearing them for festivals, folk dancing or school events. This is similar to the West where costumes are sometimes worn for special occassions.

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Created: 9:38 AM 1/31/2011
Last updated: 9:38 AM 1/31/2011