Figure 1.---the article had no images -- hardly any of the Parents' Review articles had images. Modern lithography was just beginning to have a real impact at the time.

The Parents Review was published from 1890 to well into the 1900s. It was the publishing arm of the P.N.E.U., an educational organization founded by Charlotte Mason aimed at training governesses/tutors and parents. The articles were aimed primarily at mothers to inspire them to expose their children to nature, the arts, and literature as well as provide them with practical information, such as health matters. This sometimes included suggestions about clothing. One such article was by Dr. Helen M. Wilson from 1893-94 "The Food and Clothing of Children Beyond Infancy, in Volume 4, pp. 913-919. The article is coming from a health perspective rather than fashion and deals with such subjects as the necessity of keeping children warm enough and wearing clothing that is not too tight. The article contains some interesting historical details that apply to both genders and that reveal certain prevailing attitudes about the way to dress boys and girls in the final decade of the 19th century. [Laurio]

The Parents Review

The Parents Review was published from 1890 to well into the 1900s. It was the publishing arm of the P.N.E.U., an educational organization founded by Charlotte Mason aimed at training governesses/tutors and parents. The articles were aimed primarily at mothers to inspire them to expose their children to nature, the arts, and literature as well as provide them with practical information, such as health matters. This sometimes included suggestions about clothing. One such article was by Dr. Helen M. Wilson from 1893-94 "The Food and Clothing of Children Beyond Infancy, in Volume 4, pp. 913-919. The article is coming from a health perspective rather than fashion and deals with such subjects as the necessity of keeping children warm enough and wearing clothing that is not too tight. The article contains some interesting historical details that apply to both genders and that reveal certain prevailing attitudes about the way to dress boys and girls in the final decade of the 19th century. [Laurio] We thought at first the magazine was American, but it was British. Our reader writes, "I think it was an American journal, but I'm not certain. The author of this article, however, uses British terminology for clothing items suspenders=supporters, braces=suspenders, bodice/underwaist, knickerbockers/bloomers). I suppose it is possible that she may have been recruited from Britain to write for an American magazine. Or perhaps she just thought it was more impressive to use British terminology." Of course the current distinctions between American and British English were not the same as they were in the 1890s.

Author

A readers reports on an interesting article on children's clothing written by Helen M. Wilson, M.B. Miss Helen Mary Wilson, 1864-1951, received her Bachelor of Medicine at the London School of Medicine and became House Physician at London's Temperance Hospital in 1891, then worked in private practice in Scheffield from 1893-1906. As far as I can tell, this is the only article she ever wrote for The Parents' Review. It's a two-part article, the first part is about diet. This second part is mostly about clothing. [Laurio]

The Article

The title of the article was "The Food and Clothing of Children Beyond Infancy". It was published in volume 4, pp. 913-919. The year was 1893-94.

Summary

Much of the article is quite general and deals with such subjects as the necessity of keeping children warm enough and wearing clothing that is not too tight. There is more emphasis on girls than on boys because of girls' greater concern with fashion, but the article contains some interesting historical details that apply to both genders and that reveal certain prevailing attitudes about the way to dress boys and girls in the final decade of the 19th century. Our reader has extracted the major points of the article above and quoted the most relevant points.

Covering the Body

Wilson stresses "the importance of covering all parts of the body" even during the warmer seasons of the year. She devotes a good deal of attention to children's legs and to the need to wear long-sleeved shirts and dresses, even in summer. She writes, "as to the legs: of course drawers should always be worn, and flannel ones in winter. But why that bare piece of skin below, from the knee half way to the ankle? You have only to think how very uncomfortable an adult would be going about the house with bare calves, and you will wonder how anyone can inflict this on a child. Just think, which is the coldest and draftiest part of a room? is it not the floor? Well, that is where a child sits, plays, creeps, and runs for hours together. Surely, that is a reason for warm clothing in a little frame and especially the legs. Long stockings should be worn throughout the year. Socks may seem prettier,-- but have we not Ruskin's authority for stating that nothing can be really beautiful which is not adapted to its purpose? [N.B. John Ruskin was a famous Victorian authority (British) on the arts and especially on architecture in Italy and other parts of Europe.] [HBC note: Modesty was a factor in the wearing of long stockings during the Victorian era. Wilson only obliquely mentions modesty, presumably reflecting changing attitudes by the end of the century.

Underwear

Discussing children's underwear, Wilson urges girls to wear "knickerbockers" (= bloomers) in addition to petticoats, because the latter, "however thick," "only come to the knee, and let in any amount of cold air underneath." By the same token, boys should wear drawers or combinations that fit the upper leg closely. Such undergarments "are much more seemly and comfortable for the merry romping which is natural and healthy at [an early] age."

Muffling

Wilson however protests against "undue muffling, especially the throat," which "predisposes" the boy or girl "to delicacy of the throat." She writes, "I believe the best rule to be, while the child is well, leave the throat almost or quite uncovered. But never neglect even a slight cold: keep the child indoors or in bed at once. . . ."

Material

Wilson thinks that, for "the material of clothing" for children, "there is no doubt at all that wool makes the best clothing in summer as well as winter" because wool insulates against both cold and heat and "is the best preservative against sudden changes of temperature." Wilson, of course, was writing when central heating in American and British homes was not very usual. She also points out that "silk comes next to wool, and then cotton" as the preferred material for children's clothing: "But I should like again to emphasize that woolen, thicker or thinner, should be worn next to the skin throughout the year by all children."

Restriction and Posture

Again, she protests against clothing, especially underwear, that is too tight and restricts a child's movement. She also spends a great deal of time on the evil of round shoulders and bad posture in boys and girls. [This emphasis explains why advertisements for garter waists in the period from 1900 to 1940 puts such a stress on the need for keeping the shoulders back and for preventing a child from slouching.] Wilson is concerned that the clothing children wear not contribute to "roundness of shoulders, and hollowness of chest, leading on to lung weakness, or spinal curvature." Children's clothing should give a child the maximum freedom of movement as they are growing up. She writes, "The present style of loose smocks and sailor suits, admirable as it is, is apt to conceal round shoulders and flat chests. Hence every mother should make a point of seeing her children in their baths occasionally, when she will be able to detect these tendencies. If then, or at other times, any stooping is noticed, the clothes should be systematically examined in this fashion:--Unfasten all, make the child stand with head, back and heels touching the floor, and the shoulders well pressed back. . . " She advises making sure that the child has not outgrown his clothes or is wearing anything too tight or restrictive of movement. Boys' "starched collars": These "need great care and watchfulness to see that they do not pull the head down. Then, I never see why boys' jackets and overcoats are so made, that when on a cold day they are buttoned up, they are so very tight across the chest: there is really no advantage in pinching the chest even in the coldest weather. Braces [i.e., suspenders for trousers] may sometimes exert a good deal of pull and pressure when once the stooping tendency has begun. Some form of brace that distributes the weight evenly should be used." [N.B. the later advertisements for the Kazoo suspender waists addressed this very point--that is the claim that the Kazoo garment correctly distributed the weight of the clothing so that boys would have the maximum of bodily freedom and could avoid too much pressure on the shoulders from a single source.]

Children's Bodices (Underwaists)

Wilson advises against "the quilted jean bodice that is usually worn" because it is too heavy and restrictive: "A much lighter and softer bodice of swansdown or flannelette, strengthened by tapes sewn on the inside, is sufficient to hold up the knickerbockers [i.e., bloomers] and stocking suspenders [i.e. hose supporters]. When stays are necessary [for girls only], nothing is better than the larger knitted woolen ones, which being perfectly elastic, cannot possibly exert too much pressure, while at the same time the bones give enough stiffness to keep the dress neat." "The abolition of stays involves the abolition of waistbands, but that is not be be regretted. Nothing ought to be hung from the waist. It is bad enough for women, and for girls with narrow hips it must mean injurious compression if a band is worn tight enough to support any weight. But it is also a mistake to suppose that all clothes ought to hang from the shoulders .... The best plan is to have garments in one piece--combination or Princess shape." [Here Ms. Wilson seems to be advocating the American "union suit" (one-piece underwear), referred to sometimes, especially in England and Canada, as a "combination suit" (top and bottom or shirt and pants combined in a single garment).]

Garters

Wilson writes, "Garters are still a vexed question, but there is no doubt that for children, at any rate, suspenders [i.e., hose supporters] are much better [than round garters]. But they should not be so tight as many children love to pull them, or they will exert an injurious drag on the shoulders." [Again, some of the American garter waists such as the Dr. Parker garter waist were scientifically designed to avoid the problem that Wilson addresses here.]

Sources

Laurio, Leslie Noelani. E-mail message (May 15, 2021). Laurio maintains a website which includes a range of books and articles on education. She tells is that Charlotte Mason and her method of education made a comeback in the U.S. homeschooling community in the 1980s. My website's primary purpose is to provide free curriculum for families designed around her principles. We maintain her books and articles so that parents can read first-hand source material for their own research.

Wilson, Helen M. "The Food and Clothing of Children Beyond Infancy", The Parents Review Vol. 4 (1893-94), pp. 913-919.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores]

Created: 5:54 PM 1/13/2006
Last updated: 5:54 PM 1/13/2006