Figure 1.--This drawing appeared in the 1903 issue of "New Idea Woman's Magazine". The boy models the popular tunic style (3195). The pink dress at the bottom is labeled a "child's dress" (3199).
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Figure 1.--This drawing appeared in the 1903 issue of "New Idea Woman's Magazine". The boy models the popular tunic style (3195). The pink dress at the bottom is labeled a "child's dress" (3199). |
No information available yet on the United States woman's magazine,
New Idea. I do know it was published
around the turn of the century and included extensive fashion information.
The 1903 illustration on this page is a good example of the fashion illustrations
available in New Idea.
The illustration here provides some interesting information about 1903
children's fashions. The number of each illustration is on the bottom of the page
which I have cropped out to reduce the image loading time.
Girls' Dresses: Note that the two dresses worn by the older girls have
no front buttons or other stylistic features at the front suggesting a front
opening.
Girl's Russian Blouse Suit (3187): Interestingly the yellow dress is
referred
to as a Russian blouse suit. I would have thought because of the collar it
would have been called a sailor style outfit. It is referred to as a
suit rather than a dress. There is a belt, but it does not have an
obvious front buckle like yje boy's syut. Note that unlike the boy's suit picture
below, no bloomer knickers appear.
Child's Dress (3199): The pink dress is referred to as a child's dress.
This means that it was suitable for both boys' and girls. (The other dresses are
all referred to as girls' dresses.) The younger child's dress is a frock-style
dress without any waist feature. There is a large front bow. At the time,
collar bows were commonly worn by boys, but were much less common for girls. (The bow had begun to decline as fashionable boy's wear after the turn of the
century.) Also notice the hair bows some of the girls are pictured with. The pink color suggests a girl's dress to modern viewers, but the modern gender color conotations were not yet established. The child wears three-quarter white stockings.
Boy's Russian Blouse Suit (3195): The boy's
outfit is also interesting. Again note that it is called a Russian blouse suit, even though it appears to
have sailor styling. HBC has generally referred to these garments as tunic suits. At the turn of the century they appeared in sailor, Russian, and
Buster Brown styling. The suit pictured here as the characteristic belt (in this case a contrasting color) and matching bloomer knickers. The sailor "v"
collar is trimed with un-sailor like white ruffles. Note the wide-brimmed sailor hats which were still stylish and the boy's long curly hair style. He is
shown with long white stockings and buckle shoes. (Notice the three older girls all have long black stockings.)
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