Henry Willem Otto Voûte: Childhood Garments (1890s-1910s)


Figure 1.-- As a very little boy father wore dresses. A portrait shows father about 3 years old. It was probably taken in 1898 . He is wearing a dress with balloon sleeves. I am not sure when father was first breeched and began wearing pants.  

We have quite a few photographs of my father wearing many different outfits. We see him at many different ages showing what children wore at different ages at the turn of the 20th century. As a very little boy father wore dresses. A little older he wore a sailor-styled tunic with a saucer sailor cap. I note a smock outfit he is wearing in one portrait, but I think this may be more of a folk costume than an outfit he commonly wore. His sister wore pinafores and smocks, but other than this folk outfit I don't see father and his brothers wearing them. As a somewhat older boy in Germany he seems to have worn knee pants sailor suits with long stockings. We note a collar-buttoning knickers suit worn with a peaked cap and Eton collar. This seems to have been a very popular style at the time. He also wore knickers with dark blouses, often with a short tie.

Dresses

As a very little boy father wore dresses. A studio portrait shows father about 3 years old (figure 1). It was probably taken in 1898 . He is wearing a dress with balloon sleeves. The portrait was taken in Zürich. I am not sure when father was first breeched and began wearing pants.

Tunics

A little older father wore a sailor-styled tunic with a saucer sailor cap. These tunics suits were a very popular outfit for younger boys. They were commonly used as kind of a transition from dresses to pants. Nore that they are a skirted garment, yet worn with bloomer knickers. They were done in diffrent styles. The tunic suit father wears is a sailor tunic. He weasks black long stockings and strap shoes with the outfit. He is pictured holding a horse whip. I am not sure just why, but we note that boyss wearing dresses at the time were often posed with props to emphasize that they were boys. Perhaps that is why he was posed with a whip here.

Folk Outfits

I note a smock outfit father is wearing in one portrait, but I think this may be more of a folk costume than an outfit he commonly wore. His sister wore pinafores and smocks, but other than this folk outfit I don't see father and his brothers wearing them. He is with his sister here who has an enormous hair bow--one of the largest I have ever seen. While these outfits look rather like folk outfits to me, I do not actually know much about this. I do not even know if they are Swiss or German folk costumes. Actually there may be similarities between German and Swiss folk costumes, especially in border areas.

Sailor Suits

As a somewhat older boy in Germany Father he seems to have worn knee pants sailor suits with long stockings. Sailor suits at the time were very popular for boys ub Germany. I'm less sure about Switzerland. We only have one portrait of him in his sailor suit so he does not seem to have worn it as commonly as some middle-class boys at the time. Father's sailor suit was a standard blue one, but the detailed haf multiple stripes rather than the nore traditional three. I think it was his dressup outfit at the time because a family photograph shows him with his sister who is decked out in what must be one of her best dresses.

Collar-buttoning Suit

Here father in 1906 wears a collar-buttoning knickers suit worn with a peaked cap and Eton collar. This seems to have been a very popular style at the time. It was a juvenile style only worn by adults. Both adults and older bous wore sack suits with lapels. The suit here looks to be a Norfolk suit, although the image is not real clear. He looks to have a smll Eton ollar worn with a small tie. His Norfolk suit has knickers pants worn with dark long stockings. This os one of several poertaits wiyh his sister who in this portrait is weaering a pinafore and dress. Shee looks tp be wearing a tam, although again the image is not real clear.

Blouses

He also wore knickers with dark blouses, often with a short tie.

Coats


Sources

Voûte, Tom. E-mail message, June 13, 2006.






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Created: 11:19 PM 6/13/2006
Last updated: 3:56 AM 6/17/2006