Figure 1.--Here we see two brothers wearing identical white or light-colored knicker suits with black long stockings. The boys are presumably brothers. They are with two women, one of which must be their mother. They look to be waring shirts with sports collars, but with neck ties. The portrait is undated, but we suspect was taken in the early 1920s. They look to be from an affluent family.

This is an interesting family image. Notice how proud the two women are of the boys all smartly dressed up. And dad is not absent. Notice the shadow, he is taing the photograph. A nice family image I think. The two boys, surely brothers, are wearing fashionable, identical white or light-colored Norfolk knicker suits with black long stockings. The boys are presumably brothers. They look about 9-11 years old. They are with two women, one of which must be their mother. They look to be waring shirts with sports collars, but with neck ties. Unfortunately the collars are a little indestinct. The portrait is undated, but we suspect was taken in the early 1920s. They look to be from an affluent family. Notice the black long stockings. Wearing them with white suits demonstrates just how popular these black long stockings were in the early 20th century. One helpful clue un dateing this snapshot is the women's long skirts. We know these skirts disappeared in the early 20th century, but we are not yet sure precisely when. Here the big mail order catalogs will provide some helpful clues. A HBC Canadia reader estimated the date as 1922-23. After some discussion, he writes, "Yes, I can see how you might think it could be the late 1910s--possibly 1918-19--and I might revise my opinion slightly since I notice these long skirts throughout the 1910s in the Eaton's catalogues. [HBC note: Eatons is a Canadian catalog, but the istings with some exceptions tend to follow the same basic trends as the big American mailoorder catalogs.] Women's hems were still longish in the very early 1920s. I think, having looked at the Eaton's catalog a few minutes ago, that the date of this snapshot might be about 1919-20." HBC would give a wider time frame, about 1915-23 is we think possible, but hopefully we can tighten that range somewhay as we learn more about the timeline of sports collars and long skirts. We think that it might be the early 20s within that time frame in part because the boys are wearing low-cut oxford shoes. Note the boy on the left. He seems to be holding a folded up cap behind his back--presumably a flat cap. Notice that it is a dark cap and does not match his suit. His younger brother may also be holding a cap, although we can not see it.

Family Snapshot

This is an interesting family image. Notice how proud the two women are of the boys all smartly dressed up. And dad is not absent. Notice the shadow, he is taing the photograph. A nice family image I think. The boys are with two women, one of which must be their mother. They look to be an affluent family. The boys' summer suits in particular suggest the family is an affluent family.

The Boys

The two boys, surely brothers, are wearing fashionable, identical white or light-colored Norfolk knicker suits with black long stockings. The boys are presumably brothers. They look about 9-11 years old.

Clothing

Note the boy on the left. He seems to be holding a folded up cap behind his back--presumably a flat cap. Notice that it is a dark cap and does not match his suit. His younger brother may also be holding a cap, although we can not see it. The boys look to be waring shirts with sports collars, but with neck ties. Unfortunately the collars are a little indestinct. Notice the black long stockings. Wearing them with white suits demonstrates just how popular these black long stockings were in the early 20th century.

Chronology

The portrait is undated, but we suspect was taken in the early 1920s. A reader estimated about 1922-23. A HBC Canadia reader estimated the date as 1922-23. After some discussion, he writes, "Yes, I can see how you might think it could be the late 1910s--possibly 1918-19--and I might revise my opinion slightly since I notice these long skirts throughout the 1910s in the Eaton's catalogues. [HBC note: Eatons is a Canadian catalog, but the istings with some exceptions tend to follow the same basic trends as the big American mailoorder catalogs.] Women's hems were still longish in the very early 1920s. I think, having looked at the Eaton's catalog a few minutes ago, that the date of this snapshot might be about 1919-20." HBC would give a wider time frame, about 1915-23 is we think possible, but hopefully we can tighten that range somewhay as we learn more about the timeline of sports collars and long skirts. We thought about 1920 was more likely. We think that it might be the early 20s rather than the mid-19210s within that time frame in part because the boys are wearing low-cut oxford shoes. A reader's reserch on hem-length suggess it would noy have been later than about 1919-1920.

Women's Skirts

One helpful clue in dateing this snapshot is the women's long skirts. We know these skirts disappeared in the early 20th century, but we are not yet sure precisely when. Here the big mail order catalogs will provide some helpful clues. A HBC reader has persued this subject. "I've done some research on skirt length. I now see that, at least according to the Sears catalogs, the estimate the boys here with knickers is too late. The ladies have dresses to about ankle-length, and by 1921-22 the lengths had risen several inches. So I think that, based on the skirt length, the closest date is 1918-19. It had never occurred to me before but skirt length is a very useful way of dating photos. I suppose the one caveat is that not all women would be up-to-the-minute in dress length, and some women might have clung to a more conservative style. Still, these ladies seem rather fashionable and affluent, so I suspect they were very much in fashion. I think we should revise the date of the picture to 1918-19." Notice that we are taking about women's skirts. Girl's skirts were much shorter, eve in the 1910s.

Created: 1:44 PM 4/9/2008
Last updated: 8:29 PM 4/9/2008