Figure 1.--There are six children in the portrait of the Ozment family in 1893, three boys and three girls. The boys all wear Fauntleroy blouses. The ruffled collars two of the boys wear are easy to see. The blouse the third boy is wearing is more difficult to see. The boys also wear floppy bows. We do not know what color the bows were. Two are dark colors, the thirs is a lihjter color done in two shades. All three boys wear kneepants. Only one boy wears an actual Fauntleroy suit with long stockings. Click on the image to see the full portrait.

Dr. Thomas Jefferson Ozment was the family patriarch. Dr. Ozment married twice and had 12 children. The portrait of the family here was taken in Tuscaloosa August 9, 1893. There are several children in the portrait. We do not know their identity. Most must be his children, but there may also be grandchildren as well. The City of Tuscaloosa is located in western Alabama along the Black Warrior River, 57 miles southwest of Birmingham--one of the major industrial centers in the South. There are six children in the portrait, three boys and three girls. The boys all wear Fauntleroy blouses (figure 1). The ruffled collars two of the boys wear are easy to see. The blouse the third boy is wearing is more difficult to see. The boys also wear floppy bows. We do not know what color the bows were. Two are dark colors, the thirs is a lihjter color done in two shades. All three boys wear kneepants. Only one boy wears an actual Fauntleroy suit with long stockings.

The Family

Dr. Thomas Jefferson Ozment was the family patriarch. Dr. Ozment was born March 12, 1838 in Anderson County, South Carolina. He died July 29, 1916, more than two decades after this portrait was taken, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was a medical doctor. Dr. Ozment married Elizabeth Murphy. They had two children. She died April 12, 1869. Dr. Ozment Than he married Mattie J. Bailey October 21, 1869, in Echola, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. They had 10 children. The portrait of the family here was taken in Tuscaloosa August 9, 1893. There are several children in the portrait. We do not know their identity. Most must be his children, but there may also be grandchildren as well.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The City of Tuscaloosa is located in western Alabama along the Black Warrior River, 57 miles southwest of Birmingham--one of the major industrial centers in the South. Tuscaloosa is the county seat of Tuscaloosa County. The site where Tuscaloosa is located is on the "Fall Line" of the Black Warrior River. It was a location used by the Native American tribes. The tribes moved into the area as a result of pressure by white settlers moving them west. Alabama was part of the territorial award of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War (1783). Alabama following Andrew Jackson's victory at Horse Shoe Bend broke the power of the Creek Nation (1814). Jackson went on to New Orleans where he defeated the British (1815). The defeat of the Creeks opened the interior of Alabama to white settlement. Alabama was organized as a territory soon after (1817). One of the first acts of the territorial legislature was to incorporated the town of Tuscaloosa. Alabama only 2 years later entered the Union as a slave state (1819). Tuscaloosa became the state capital of Alabama (1826-46). While the capital, the University of Alabama was founded in Tuscaloosa (1831). The population grew to 4,250 people as the economy in the area grew (1845). The state capital was moved to Montgomery (1846). As a result the population declined to only 1,950 in 1850. The Bryce State Hospital for the Insane was founded in Tuscaloosa (1850s). Alabama after the election of Abraham Lincon seceeded from the Union (1861). Alabama like most of the other slave states believed Lincoln and the Republican Party threatened the continuation of slavery in the United States. About 3,500 men from Tuscaloosa County volunteered to fight for the Confederacy during the ensuing Civil War (1861-65). A Union raiding party burned the campus of the University (1865). Tuscaloosa was adversely affected by the economic decline during and after the War. The economic recovery of the area began when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built locks and dams on the Black Warrior River (1890s). This opened up an inexpensive transportation to the Gulf of Mexico seaport Mobile and provided a great boon to the local economy, including mining and the iron and other metallurgical industries.

Clothing

There are six children in the portrait, three boys and three girls. The boys all wear Fauntleroy blouses (figure 1). The ruffled collars two of the boys wear are easy to see. The blouse the third boy is wearing is more difficult to see. The boys also wear floppy bows. We do not know what color the bows were. Two are dark colors, the thirs is a lihjter color done in two shades. All three boys wear kneepants. Only one boy wears an actual Fauntleroy suit with long stockings. I assume it was a black suit and black long stockings, although it is difficult to tell in these black and white photographs. It is the cut-away jacket styles which how off the fancy blouse. The other two slighly older boys were barefoot. The boys have short hair, the hair of the two older boys is cropped very closely. All three girls wear white dresses. It is difficult to make out much detail. One girl is barefoot. I think the other girl in the front is also barefoot, but it is hard to tell.

Conventions

A reader writes, "This is an interesting portrait. Why do you think one boy has bare legs and bare feet while the other one is fully dressed in long stockings and shoes? I should have thought that for a formal family portrait this wouldn't have been allowed. But maybe the picture isn't all that formal?" I wondered about that when I saw the portrait. I think it is a relatively formal portrait. The conventions of the day dictated that mean did not appear in shirtsleeves without their jackets. This was not the case for boys--hence the expression "shirtsleeve youngsters". That are several possibilities. I thought at first that they were grandkids with different parents. That could also explain the different hair cuts. It is quite possible, however, that the boys are all the yonger children. The younger boy may have been more obedient or perhaps cared more about his appearance. Some boys can be fastidious. Another possibility is the age difference. Note the boy in the Fauntleroy suit is the youngest. Fauntleroy blouses were more common than actual suits and genrerally worn up to an older age than the suits. Thus we suspect that it was easier for mum to sort out the younger boy. Also note that the portrait was taken in August. Having lived in Alabama, I can tell you that the temperature can be very hot. Thus boys probably preferred to wear just the blouses and go barefoot rather than wear a heavy coat and long stockings. With all those kids, mum probably didn't have the energy to fuss too much with the two barefoot boys. At any rate these are some possibilities, there is no real way of knowing.

Created: 1:39 AM 1/12/2006
Last updated: 2:01 PM 1/12/2006