Figure 1.--This ad for camp shorts appeared in the 1970 Eatons catalog. It offered camp shorts in blue, green, and khaki for boys 6-16 years of age. The styling looks identical to the camp shorts worn by American boys.
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Figure 1.--This ad for camp shorts appeared in the 1970 Eatons catalog. It offered camp shorts in blue, green, and khaki for boys 6-16 years of age. The styling looks identical to the camp shorts worn by American boys. |
The important Canadian catalog company Eatons in 1970 offered camp shorts in blue, green, and khaki for boys 6-16 years of age. The styling looks identical to the camp shorts worn by American boys.
This Canadian retailer began publishing mailorder catalogs in 1881, at least that is we begin noticing them. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. The 1970s catalgs were full of clothes which look like American styles. Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian
department store chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marrys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small dry goods business in Toronto during 1869. He built a giant retail store in Ontario’s capital city along with a country-wide mail-order business and a big new branch store in Winnipeg, by the time of his death in 1907. The Winnipeg branch was the first of many branches. Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40
years. It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.
Camp shorts began to appear in America in the 1960s. They were one of the more popular styles in America at a time when American boys wre just beginning to more commonly wear casual short pants. For some boys it was the first pair of short pamts that they erver wore. I first remember seeing them in 1961, but they may have appeared
earlier. They continued to be worn through the 1980s. All the major mail order companies offered them, including Pennys, Sears, and Wards. They were so named because they were a handy style to wear at camp. The large pockets provide ample space for a boy to squirle away rocks, leaves, and even a spare frog he might come across. This was one factor in their popularity with boys.
The camp shorts had the standard characteristic features. Notice the right back pocket, half elasticized waist, belt loops, clasp, zip pocket, and snap pocket.
Eatons in 1970 offered camp shorts in blue, green, and khaki for boys 6-16 years of age. The styling looks identical to the camp shorts worn by American boys. The ad copy read, "2 for 4.98. No iron twill camp shorts; 5 pockets. Cotton, nylon; was. Green, Khaki, or Navy. Sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16. Chart 3, page 566. State size, color. (2 lbs.) 32 Z 7509 .... 2 for 4.98."
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