Figure 1.--Here we see some of the tunic suits offered by Wards in 1914. Wards called them "Russian blouses" which was a common term at the time. The illustration shows them as a boy's outfit. They were sized for children 2 1/2 to 7 years of age, |
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American mail order catalogs offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. American mail order catalogs in 1914 featured increasingly simple casual styles for younger children.
World War I began in Europe during 1914. The War would have a major impact on fashions. America did not enter the War until 1917. We do not yet have many catalog or advertising entries for 1914.
We still see boy dresses advertized in 1914, but such offerings are becoming increasingly rare. We have some information from a Ward's catalog. Styles for younger children were increasingly gender specific. Tunics were featured for younger boys. Ward's calls them Russian blouses which was a widely used term at the time. We also note rompers. There were also a variety of shoes and sandals offered. High-top shoes were still a standard for boys. Sandals were available, but they were mostly for girls and younger boys. We do note a 1914 page which has children's shoes and sandals. The styles were also increasingly gender specific.
Wards featured a variety of sailor caps and hats for younger boys and flat caps for older boys. Some headwear for younger boys is illustrated here with Ward's tunic suits (figure 1).
We do not yet have much information ion infant clothing. We have found a 1914 periodical advertisement for Kleinert's waterproof Baby Pants. The ad does not say how they are waterproofed, but we assume that there was a rubberized lining. Interestingly the waistline and leg hems are not elasticized, so presumably they could be leaks. We are not yet sure when elasticized waistlines and leg hems were introduced. Kleinert's was a manufacturer. They are still in business as a manufacture of incontinence garments.
Boys in the 19th century commonly wore dresses. This began to change in the late 19th century, especially the mid-1890s. By the 1910s it was much less common for boys to wear dresses, but not unknown. We still see boy dresses advertized in 1914, but such offerings are becoming increasingly rare. We note a 1914-15 Carson Pirie Scott & Co. wholesalers catalog offering boy dresses in sizes 2-4 years. They seem styles rather like tunics,
A variety of distinctive garments were available for toddlers and younger boys. Garments with simple casual styles were popular in the 1910s. This was in sharp contrast to the dressy, very fussy styles worn in the late-19th and very early-20th century. Styles for younger children were increasingly gender specific. The button-on style appears to have been very popular for boys. We note tunic suits which had various names. Wards calls them Russian blouses. They were also called Busters. Popular catalogs of the day offered a wide range of styles. Many were done with sailor styling, but there were many other styles as well. There were also rompers. And because some catalogs were beginning to use color, we have a good idea of the colors we used for these outfits.
Boys still wore sailor suits in the 1910s, although they had declined somewhat in popularity. Sears offered a variety of sailor suit outfits for school age boys. These were more or less comparable to the popular tunic suits, but they were done with middy blouses rather than tunics. They seem to have the same bloomer knickers. The age range was only slightly higher. We have one example of these sailor outfits.
Long stockings were still very common for children in 1914. Note that the younger boys here in summer outfits are all pictured wearing short socks. We have noted photographic portraits showing boys wearing these outfits with long stockings.
A Sears page for underwaists (Fall catalog, 1914) has some implications for gender. Many underwaists were unisex and could be worn by either boys or girls. But other waists were designed specifically for girls or for boys individually. We also notice a Ladies Home Journal (October 1914) offering H & W corset waists for children. Another of the several manufacturers of children's hose supporters--less well known than the famous Hickory and Velvet Grip brands that dominated the market during most of the 20th century was Kabo Garters. Another interesting trade catalog advertisement is for for Warner's waists dated 1914. There are some interesting new design details for waists. Warner offered two different kinds of waists 1) muslin waists--the ordinary sleeveless waist made like an underwear jacket, and 2) skeleton waists.
High-top shoes were still a standard for boys. Sandals were available, but they were mostly for girls and younger boys. We do note a 1914 page which has children's shoes and sandals.
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