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One particularly helpful source of information is articles in fashion and other publications where fashion experts discuss fashions. We have unfortunalely not been able to find many od these articles, bur we archive the examples that we are able to find. One interesting article fromn the 1900s was written by Henriette Rousseau in a Mid-western newspaper, "Clothes for boys: Appropriate winter costumes for the little men". She discusses clothes for small boys 3-7 years of age. The tunic suit became a popular style for younger boys in the 1900s. The weeee worn in both the summer and winter, although different weifgt material was used. Rousseau describes in some detail two different types of boys' tunic suits, the Buster Brown suit, and the Russian suit, both of which she recommends as a replacement for the Lord Faunterloy velvet suit, which she says boys hated to wear. The description of the parts of these suits is quite detailerd specific and rather valuable and shows what had become fashionable in 1903.
The author of this article was Henriette Rousseau. We know nothing about her at this time, but she was appoarently a fashion writer. We do know that she was not a local expert. We note her articles appearing in various American and Canadian newspapers during the 1890s and 1900s. We have been unable to find any biographical information on Ms, Rousseau. We suspect that Rousseau mau have been pen name, a French name to giver her more authority on fashion. She was a very prolific writer. We have found 42 different articles (some of them duplicates) by Henriette Rousseau that appear in various American and Canadian newspapers between 1893 and 1904. She was obviously a syndicated fashion writer with a fairly wide readership. We do not just how articles like this were syndicated at the time. Most of her fashion articles appear in mid-western small-town newspapers that could not have affoired to hore a fashion editor. Most of her articles dealt with ladies fashions.
The Logansport Pharos was the local newspaper in Logansport, Indiana. We believe the article appeared in numerous newspapers around the country. This article appeared in The paper on November 2, 1903, page 6.
Ms. Rousseau discusses both Fauntleroy suits and tunic suits. The tunic suit became a popular style for younger boys in the 1900s. They were worn in both the summer and winter, although different weifgt material was used. Rousseau describes in some detail two different types of boys' tunic suits, the Buster Brown suit, and the Russian suit, both of which she recommends as a replacement for theLittle Lord Faunterloy suit, which she says boys hated to wear. The description of the parts of these suits is quite detailerd specific and rather valuable and shows what had become fashionable in 1903.
The author seems to assume that many mothers would make the suits for their sons from the general
description given. The tunic would have been a relatively easy garment for home sewers, although the accompanying vloomer knoickers were a little nore complicated.
The text of the article read,
"It is rather pleasant to note that the sameness of very small boys’ costumes has been broken up a little, and, curiously enough, the latest fancy is the outcome of a set of funny adventures of a mythical little newspaper chap called Buster Brown. We had little Lord Fauntleroy pictures and book and play and boys dressed in that picturesque but exceedingly well hated fashion. I don’t think one single boy who had to wear the velvet suit, with its long sash and wide collar and frilled shirt, ever liked it, but the Buster Brown suit has the hearty endorsement of the children, for the original little fellow is so human and so full of the stuff that boys are made of that they even like the suits and don’t torment their mothers half so much for long pants.
This Buster Brown suit is really the easiest to make, to put on and off and the roomiest and most comfortable of all the things invented for small chaps of from three to seven years old. The trousers are much like those worn a year ago under the name of Russian, but I can remember them even further ago than that, and then they were called knickerbockers. Their principal point of difference from the usual trousers is that they are large at the knees and loose, and the hem has a strong elastic in it, which draws them up to the knee just below it. Thus there is absolute freedom of motion, a great thing for an active boy. When the weather grows cold a warm pair of leggings can be worn, so that the young man can still be comfortable and free.
There is a strong and warm waist under the blouse to which the trousers are fastened by buttons and over this the famous blouse. This may be of any preferred material, but something that will bear much hard usage is manifestly best. The blouse is simplicity itself, being made to pass over the head, without buttons or other opening except a placket-like space far enough down in front to allow the young head to pass through. This closes with a fly, and the opening is entirely hid by the Windsor tie. It has a plain band at the neck. The sleeves are in regulation shirt shape, only the bands are made all in one piece instead of having buttons. Indeed the greatest charm about this pretty suit is that there is so little to fix. The loose belt is fastened at the back and drawn through the slides all ready to buckle. The collar is arranged with the tie attached to it and needs but to be buttoned in front. Think of the comfort to the active boy!
Large, round hats are found everywhere that one can find others boys’ things, and this peculiar hat seems to belong to this suit. Any other hat might be as good, but probably a mother would find it difficult to convince her offspring of that fact.
A pretty Russian blouse suit for boys from three to seven years is made in almost the same style as the Buster, only the blouse opens diagonally down the entire front and is trimmed with handsome braid. The trousers are the same, but the sleeves are tucked and stitched into shape. Some of these suits intended for cold days have narrow bands of astrakhan down the front. This gives them a very warm and dressy effect. These blouses always have belts, sometimes of patent and sometimes of yellow leather. Felt hats in a wide brimmed shape are preferred. Cheviot, tweed cloth and fleece backed stuffs, of which there are many, expressly for children’s wear, are all used in these and the Buster suits, and the thick ribbed velutina is also very satisfactory, and so are the rough, woolly fabrics, used for women’s wear. Dark blue, brown, Russian green, dark red and some mixtures are oftenest seen.
For cold days there are now shown the nattiest of reefers and short box coats for the little men and some long ulsters for very bad weather. There are handsome all wool sweaters which will be proudly worn under a Buster or Russian suit to keep the active little bodies warm as toast when the boys would declare they did not need an overcoat.
There are pretty Tam golf caps, which seem to be well liked among the boys for every day and school, and probably they would be better liked for dress than any other kind of headgear.
I forgot to mention that the reefer coats and double breasted Russian overcoats for small boys have pockets, lots of them, but not the inner blouse, which seems a big mistake. This is somewhat rectified by the fine long, wide pockets in the knickerbockers. There are four of them, two in front and two at the rear."
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