Figure 1.--This is a French-produced post card. It was, however, used postally in Belgium. We are also unsure when it was made, but we suspect the late-1920s. The card has a relatively modern look to it (note the realistic background), the oxford shoes, and the shortness of the rompers suggests that the card was made in the 1920s after World War I. The Belgian post mark is 1930. Click on this image for more information about the boy's romper outfit.

Rompers were widely worn in both Europe and America. I have so far, however, collected little information on rompers in different countries. Some limited information can be deduced by available photographic images. Significant differences appear between America and Europe. European boys continued to wear rompers into the 1950s for both play and casual wear and dressy outfits. They were often worn with white socks and strap shoes. I know Italian boys wore them and French boys might have also wore them. I'm not sure about the age deemed apporopriate, but I would think they were worn much as American boys wore shortalls in the 1960s. After the 1930s American boys except the vary youngest no longer wore rompers. Other styles tend to replace them for most boys. An American boy in the 1950s and 60s, for example, might wear shortalls instead of rompers. Boys in other countries continued wearing rompers longer than in America. Little French boys seemed to have continued wearing rompers through the 1950s and even in the 1960s.

Algeria

We notice boys wearing rompers in the 1950s before indepandence. Presumably they were the French children living in Algeria. The clothes French boys wore in Algeria before independence seem comparable to the clothes worn in southern France. We have little information on Algerian boys, but as far as we know they did not wear rompers.

America

Rompers appeared in America during the 1890s as dresses became less common for younger children. I assumed they were an imported European fashion, but can not yet confirm this. Rompers in America were most common in the 1910s and 20s. They were rarely worn as dressy outfits. After the 1920s rompers became a garment mostly worn by very young boys although older gorls might wear them. They were never in the 1930s-50s by 4-7 year old boys as was the case in France. Instead American boys of this age wore shortalls.

Australia

HBC is unsure how common rompers ere in Australia. An Australian reader tells us, "I don't recall myself, but my mum tells me that I wore rompers till about age 4 and pilches (plastic pants) underneath with a woollen nappy at 2 and a half years and just pilches with underwear just in case of accidents. The rompers were blue and I had one pair that had the sailor suit top and was white. I had a blue sailor suit version and later wore the top part with white shorts over the bottoms with white kneesocks. Gosh what was it with me and my mum and aunties dressing me in sailor suits fashions most of the time. I wore other rompers."

Austria

A HBC reader reports that in Austria the traditional French romper were unkown. There was no local translation used for rompers. It seems this suit were unknown except a sort of bloomer for baby. All the little garment-like pants with buttons, bib, very short pants for baby the mothers call "Bloomer" or "Spielhöschen". These two words are still used in Austria today. A reader reports, "I lived in Austria for a few years as a boy during 1952-54, but rarely saw boys wearing rompers." "Spielanzug" were apparently not very popular in Austria.

Belgium

HBC notes younger Belgian boys wearing rompers in the 1920s, although we have not yet developed a complete time-line for these garments. They were a very popular fashion for boys through the 1950s, but began to be seen as somewhat old fashioned. They were initially a garment for play and an enormous change from the more restrictive, formals garments in which boys were once dressed. More dressy, formal rompers appeared, but like the play garments were comfortable non-restrictive garments. We believe that rompers in Belgium were primarily adopted from the French fashion. We know of no important difference between French and Belgian rompers. As in France, we assumed rompers were called "barboteuse" in Belgium. Theywere made in several different styles. A variety of materials were used. There may have been differences in the popularity of rompers between French speaking Walonia and Dutch speaking Flanders.

Canada

HBC does not yet have much information on rompers in Canada. One might have thought that French Canadian boys would have worn them because rompers or barboteuse were so popular in France. This does not seem to have been the case and the word barboteuse do not seem to have been commonly used in French Canada. One French Canadian boy does report wearing rompers, but we do not know how common this was. We have no information at all about Englidh-speaking Canadians.

Denmark

We note very young Danish boys wearing rompers in the 1950s. An example is the Bohr family in 1955.

England

Rompers in England were mostly worn as play clothes. HBC has little information about English rompers and in fact was not even sure if these outfits are also called rompers in England. We are not sure when they first appeared in England, but we do note then after World war I in the 1920s. A HBC reader remembers during the post-World War II period that he has dim memories of children (younger than 4 years) wearing a combination garment of blouse and knickers, waistless, these were usually smocked across the upper chest, and with elasticated legs, the seat was wide enough to accomodate a nappy.

France

Rompers were a popular style in France. We are beginning to acquire the information needed to develop atime line for rompers or barboteuse in France. They appear to have appeared in the early 1900s, but do not appear to have been very commonl until after World War I. They became increasingly popular in the 1930s. They were mostly worn by pre-school age boys, althogh boys as old as 6 or 7 might alsdo have worn them for formal dress occasions. They were still being worn by pre-school boys in the 1950s. By about the 1960s, however, they became increasingly less common, except for infants anf toddlers.

Germany

I have no historical information on rompers in Germany. Clothing catalogs did carry rompers for little boys' play clothes during the 1960s. I have not noted rompers in the photographs of boys clothes before World War II (1939-45), but this may be due to HBC's still limited information on Germany. They were widely worn in France and Italy. Rompers did appear as little boys' wear after World War II. Clothing catalogs did carry rompers for little boys' play clothes during the 1960s. Shown here is summer romper suit which might be called a sunsuit in America. We note that two terms are used in German, "Spielhöschen" and "Spielanzug". These terms, however are not words exclusively used for rompers, but for other outfits for small boys like sunsuits without the puffed pants.

Italy

The Italian term for rompers is "pagliaccetto". Rompers may have been more popular in Italy than any other country with the possible exception of France. Unlike some countries, romers were not hust play wear in Italy. Some Italian boys wore quite dressy romper outfits. We have not yet, however, been able to collect information on Itlaian rompers. We note them in the Italian film "LIfe is Beautiful", but we are uncertain about the accuracy of te film costuming.

Japan

No information available at this time. Rompers do not appear to have been extensively worn by Japanese boys.

Mexico

Rompers do not appear to have been widely worn by Mexican boys. They are referred to as "mameluco". That term in Mexico means a baby or very young child that is still nursing. The name is used for rompers in Mexico because they are worn by young children--although in fact not necesarily children that are so young that they are still nursing. Rompers in Mexico appear to have been worn by boys and girls, but our information is very limited.

Morocco

We note images from Casablanca and other Moroccan cities with boys wearing rompers. These appear to be French people living in Morocco before and just after World War II when there was still a French protecorate. The individuls involve seem to be mostly French and the boys are wearing French-styled rompers. The French presence in Morocco included the period while rompers were especially popular in France.

(The) Netherlands

Although not a common style, some Dutch boys, likeboys in other European countries did wrar romers. It was a style for younger boys and appears to have been most common during the 1940s and 50s. They could have been worn earlier, but HBC at this time had little information on the 1930s. The 1950s romper outfits were generally the sun suit style.

Netherlands (Dutch) East Indies

Children in the Dutch East Indies, now Indodesia, wore "tjelana monjet" or rompers. "Tjelana" is Indonesian Malay for trousers. "Monjet" means monkey. The Portuguese term for rompers (fato macaco) also means monkey suit. I don’t know if this is a coincidence, but the Portuguese were in the East Indies before the Dutch seized control and there is, as a result, a Portuguese linguistic heritage. Much the same garment was called "hansop" in Holland where was predominantly a childrens’ sleeping suit. In the Indies, Dutch children, both white and Eurasian, as well as Chinese used to wear it at daytime as it was a very convenient garment in the hot climate. This was consistent with the use by their fathers of a ‘slaapbroek’/sleeping trousers as part of their informal home dress.

Portugal

One reader translates rompers as "Fato-macaco". A similar term is used in Spain. The Portuguese meaning used for rompers is probably mono used in the sence of "monkey" or "little monkey suit". Presumably the derivation of the word is that a little boy in a comfortable romper suit is free of restrictive clothing and can romp and swing like a monkey. We are unsure how common rompers were in Portugal.

Spain

We believe that Spanish boys did wear rompers, but they were much less common than in France and there is no widely recohnized Spanish-language term as "barboteuse" in French. One French reader tells us that rompers were no widely worn in Spain. He recalls that his Spanish nanny ("ninara") used the French word "barboteuse" when speaking of the rompers. When speaking of other garments ("blusa," "trajecito," ect) she would invariably use the Spanish term. Rompers in Spain were more likely to be worn by boys from affluent families. HBC has encountered considerable difference of opinion as to whay rompers are called in Spain as well as the derivation of those words. One reader in Spain translates rompers as "mono", which has many other meanings and is not used exclusively for rompers in Spain. Bib oberalls, for example might be called "mono". Rompers might also be called "pichi". He take it as a presumption that rompers were not very popular in Spain as no specific word was set for this garment. The Spanish meaning used for rompers is probably mono used in the sence of "monkey" and thus appears to relate to the Portuguese "fato-macaco" or "little monkey suit". Presumably the derivation of the word is that a little boy in a comfortable romper suit is free of restrictive clothing and can romp and swing like a monkey. A reader in Spain comments, "This makes sense. If Spain would not be just next to Portugal with identical relation to "monkey", I would have linked word mono to notion of one, single, unique outfit." A Spanish-speaking French reader contends, "I don't agree with the use of "momo" for rompers in the sence of the word meaning monkey. I believe that more likely it is used concerning the boy garment in the sence of a one-piece outfit--"un momo". This includes a variety of outfits like bib-front shorts, snow-suits, and other outfits as well as rompers. The word "mono" and the word "trajecito" are a bit similar. In the Spanish language the word trajecito means a small for a small boy, done in a juvenile style. It's true that "mono" also means monkey, but I think it has nothing in common with garments. In Spanish people used to use "mono" in the sense of sweet, adorable for a child. For instance, "Es un nino muy mono"--It is a very sweet child!" Que nene mas mono!"--What a beautifull baby! Such expressions are now less common. To day "mono" is used when speaking of a older man and is a bit peorative." HBC remembers mono being used as a term of endearment for a girl friend.

Sweden

We do not yet have much information on Swedish casual clothing. We have no idea how popular they were. We note pre-school Swedish boys wearing rompers. Some were done with Swedish ethnic detailing. We have no details as to chronological or age trends.