Figure 1.-- We think this was a commercial advertisement in the 1960s. It depicts a grade (primary) school age boy wearing the standard American rain wear of the 1960s, a yellow rain slicker with contrasting black boots. These coats were made of rubber-coated cotton with large clasps and snaps that were easy for young hands to use. The helmet, raised collar, and long length provided excellent coverage, although they could be uncomfortably hot during the summer. Note that the bpy is carrying a metal lunch box, another standard American grade school acoutrament.

The first modern rainwear was the McIntosh or mac. Rain hats and coats are necessary items for children, especially if they walk to school. These were orginally black, but eventually yellow and other colors appeared. Raincoats have been done in many different styles. Some children may wear a simple anorak, nut in a real rainstorm that does not offer sufficent oprotection. An English HBC reader tells us that as a boy he did not like the gabardine overcoat he wore for school and preferred a rubberized raincoat. I certainly remember the black raincoat I wore to school as a little chap in the late-1940s and early-50s. It had a matching helmet like cap. Mom always insisted that I wear it with these huge galoshes with clasp like closures. Yellow raincoats in the same style appeared, I thought in the 1950s. I don't recall seeing them when I ws a boy in the 1940s. We have since found evidence ofvtghem earlier. A good example is a Uneeda Biscuit ad in 1930. A HBC reader rembers the to yellow rain coat he wore as a younger boy. Older boys would get teased for wearing them. More varied rainwear appeared in the 1970s.

Chronology

The first modern rainwear was the McIntosh or mac. Rain hats and coats are necessary items for children, especially if they walk to school.

Color

These were orginally black, but eventually yellow and other colors appeared. Yellow raincoats in the same style appeared, I thought in the 1950s. I don't recall seeing them when I ws a boy in the 1940s. We have since found evidence ofvtghem earlier. A good example is a Uneeda Biscuit ad in 1930. A HBC reader rembers the to yellow rain coat he wore as a younger boy. Older boys would get teased for wearing them.

Types

Raincoats have been done in many different styles. Some children may wear a simple anorak, nut in a real rainstorm that does not offer sufficent oprotection. An English HBC reader tells us that as a boy he did not like the gabardine overcoat he wore for school and preferred a rubberized raincoat. I certainly remember the black raincoat I wore to school as a little chap in the late-1940s and early-50s. It had a matching helmet like cap. Mom always insisted that I wear it with these huge galoshes with clasp like closures. More varied rainwear appeared in the 1970s. Another type of raincoat was light-weight grey plastic coat which could be folded up. We are not vsure when they first appeared, but we think the 1950s. While these rain coats seem to have been widely used in England, including by boys, I remember only seeing men wearing these in the United States. My dad had one in the 1950s. I never saw boys wearing them. It was probably bad enough in our little yellow rubberized raincoats, I cannot imagine what would have happened if any of us had shown up at school in one of these "nerd suits"!

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Created: 2:06 AM 7/7/2008
Last updated: 2:41 PM 2/12/2011