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The outer clothing of the childre, unlike their underwear, could be quite destinctive. Some parents like to dress the children all the same. Other parents believed in strict age grading. They believed that the clothes should be quite different and affected by their ages. Here we are going to illustrate the second option so as to show a variety of outfits. Tom might have worn a tunic suit, Carl a sailor suit, and John a Norfolk suit. There were a variety of other options. Some mothers might have dressed all three boys in sailor suits. Tom mught have also worn a kilt suit in 1900 (but not later in the decade). Another option was a Fauntleroy suit and Carl might alsi have worn a Fauntleroy suit. We have chosen the outer clothing here as most representative of what three middle-class boys might have worn. For more informal clothes informal clothes Carl and John might have worn a blouse (also called a waist sometimes) and knee pants.
We have chosen three representative outfits for the boys, but there was a range of other possible styles. We have chosen the outer clothing here as most representative of what three middle-class boys might have worn.
There were a variety of options for a 4-year old boy like Tom age. Tom would not yet have begun schol and would have been called Tommy. Younger boys Tom's age might still wear dresses. This was common in the 19th century, but by the turn-of-the-20th century was beginning to go out of style. Tom might have also worn a kilt suit in 1900 (but not later in the decade). Many boy's Tom age by age 4 were already breeched in 1900. Thus another option was a Fauntleroy suit. Tom might also have worn a blouse. Blouses were white as well as colored or with patterns. Some were quite fancy. They were worn with kneepants, although a boy Tom's age might have worn a kilt skirt. Boys in rural areas might have gone barefoot, especially when waring kneepants. He might also have worn a sailor suit, because many manufacturers were making sailor suits beginning in size 3 or 4. One very popular garment for younger boys at the time was the Tunic suit. Even Teddy Roosevelt's younger son Kermit wore won. (Kermit was killed in France during World War I.) Thus we have chosen a white tunic suit for Tom. They were different styles. We have chosen the saior style. Tom wears a sailor cap with his tunic suit. They were done in various colors. A white one was a dressy outfits. The Tunic Tom wears here would have probably been his best summer suit. The colored ones were often for play. Tunics outfits were called tunic suits because they were made with bloomer knickers that matched. We have seen tunics with kneepants, especially in Europe. American boys mostly wore bloomer knickers with elasticised leg closures.
There were a variety of alternatives for a 7-year old boy like Carl. He would have been breached a few years earlier. Amercan children begin school at age 6 so Carl probably would have been a secongrader. . He might have worn a tunic suit, but probably not to school. He might also have had a Fauntleroy suit for church and special occassions. More common might have been a sack uit like a Norfolk suit, although it would have been more common perhaps next year. He would have probanly worn it with a ruffled collar and a large floppy bow. He probably had blouses (also called a waist) which he wore with kneepants. Some of these could be very fancy. When dressing up mother probably would have added a large floppy bow. We have chosen to oufit Carl in a light-weight Summer sailor suit. It is a white suit with blue stripes. He wears it with an embroiderd dickey. The dickey actually was a separate vest-like garment.Sailor suits came in a wide variety of styles and colors. Carl probably would have had a second sailor suit. It would have been a navy blue suit made in a heavy material like serge for Winter wear.
We have chosen a Norfolk suit for John. The Norfolk suit was one of the most popular suit styles for boys in the early 20th century. Often after wearing sailor suits, the Norfolk suit was a boy's first more adult looking suit. These suits were made in a range of materials. Many American boys wore corduroy. An American boy like Jojn in 1900 probably would have worn a kneepants rather than a knicker suit, although both were available. John also more than likely would have work black long stockings with his suit. Long stockings were very common in the early 20th century. There were different colors, but black were by far the most common. John here holds a flat cap. These flkat caps were very commonly worn by American boys John's age. John here wears his suit with a soft pointed collar and a necktie. The Eton collar was also very common. Here there were class factors. A boy from a well-to-do family might have been more likely to wear the Eton collar.
There were a variety of other options for the boys. Besides the garments pictures, on the different pages for the boys we have discussed some of the options. Another important option was dressing all three boys in the same outfit. The appropriate outfit was affected by the age of the boys. If they were all younger boys and outfit like a kiltsuit or tunic suit could be chosen. As the age range widebed, so sid the choice of garments. A style had to be selected that was not to mature for Tom or to juvenile for John. Here about the only appropriate grment for these rhree boys would have been the sailor suit.
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