French Mail Order Catalogs and Clothing Advertisements with Boys Clothings: The 1900s


Figure 1.--The Gallerie Lafayette department store in Paris during 1908 offered these suits, hats, and shoes for boys. Note that the sailor suit was the preferred outfit for the younger boy ('garçonet'").

French clothing catalogs and advertisements offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. While we have fewwer catalogs and advertuisemebnts from France and Ameruica, we have been able to find a numnber of these items. we have French mail order catalogs show a variety of popular styles in French boys' clothing during the 1900s. Little boys less commonly wore dresses, but fancy suits with bloused kneepants were popular for parents that could afford them. Paris department suits offered a wide range of suits and hats for boys. The most popular style for younger boys was the sailor suit which was made in sizes up to 14 years. Boys wore both long pants and kneepants for dress wear. Boys wore both sailor hats and caps as well as a range of more mature headwear. Clothing in real terms was less expensive than in the 19th century, but still more expensive than is the case today. I'm not sure precisely when mail order catalogs first appeared in France. The early 20th century up until World War I is often referred to as 'La belle époque'.

1900s

Mail order and store catalogs as well as advertisements are useful in studying fashiion history for several reasons. In addition to information about sizes, colors, fabrics, detailing, and other elements, catalogs anf advertisements, unlike many photographs or vintage clothing, are often dated. We have, however, found some catalogs and advertisements that are undated. We can generally date them to the decade, but niot a specific year. Here we are archiving French ads and catalogs that we believe date to the the 1900s. This can be confirmed with the dated items we have found. Perhaps we will eventually be able to date them more precuisely as HBC expands is archives.

1900

Department stores offered a wide range of sailor suits for boys, often in sizes up to about 12 years. Blouced knicker suits called "culottes" were the most common. Sailor caps were also very popular. An sailor suit syle was also available for older boys attending colleges (secondary schools). These look like military school uniforms.

1901

Here we see an illudstration for a blouse and kneepants outfit in 1901. We do not yet know the company offering the pattern. The blouse was worn with a floppy bow.

1902


1903

We note an ad in a French newspaper for a child's dress (robe) suitable for a boy or girl. It came with large combined bloomers (pantaloon combinés).

1904


1905

We note a catalog offering boys' suits in 1905. There were a variety of different styles, including sailor suits. The pants were both kneepants and knickers.

1906


1907

Fancy tunic suits for younger boys that earlier might have worn dresses were fashionable and popular with the affluent parents that could afford them.

1908

Paris department suits offered a wide range of suits and hats for boys. The most popular style for younger boys was the sailor suit which was made in sizes up to 14 years. Boys wore both sailor hats and caps as well as a range of more mature headwear. Shoes were mostly still hightops.

1909

We note a Paris store which appeared to be called West End. This is not a store we know anything about. The use of an English names presumably indicates a fashionable high-end store. We have an ads from the store offering both Summer and Winter sailor suits and different styles of caps and hats. There were both kneepants and long pants suits.






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Created: August 28, 2001
Last updated: 5:28 PM 1/29/2014