Figure 1.--I managed to find a copy of this old studio photo of my brothers and me, taken in 1938. We are left to right are Charles (11), Lee (8), and George (5). We are all wearing short trousers suits with either long stockings or knee socks. Of course I can't tell which from the photo which shows only shoulders and heads. The collars are interesting. George wears something like an Eton collar while Charles and Lee wear the American equivalent of a Schiller collar. The suits were dark blue and we wore either navy blue knee socks or beige long stockings, depending on the season. These were our dress-up clothes for church or other formal family occasions.

On occassion I wore shirts with Eton collars. I think my mother referred to these as "blouses" when I was a little boy. Up to about the age of 7 or 8, I think they did button onto short trousers. When I was about ten or so, I think they were regular tuck-in shirts without waist buttons. Button-on shorts weren't worn much beyond the first and second grade. I wore regular shirts with ties by at least the age of 11 and 12 years, not Eton collars. I think I sometimes wore Eton collared shirts with sweaters and without a tie for casual wear and for school. I think other boys wore them too, but, like the long stockings, they were not all that common for boys in the upper primary grades. Of course, part of the time I went to a private rather than a public school, and although no uniforms were required, the dress code was a bit more formal than in public schools. I'm really guessing here because my memory is very imperfect, but I think Eton collars were regarded as a rather upper-class style--perhaps a bit foreign or "English". I did wear an Eton collar sometimes for dress-up occasions with suits, but not much after the age of 10 or 11. I think my shirts were always white, not patterned. I can't recall colored shirts until my teenage years. I hope this helps at bit, but I'm pretty vague on the details of my early blouses and shirts.

Charles

Created: 8:43 PM 5/10/2010
Last updated: 6:51 PM 5/11/2010