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Very commonly the tunics were white or some other solid color. White tunics were often used for dressing. Some white tunics were plain while others were quite fancy with added lace and ruffles. The boy here wears a plain, but elegant white tunic. He looks to have an Eton collar with a matching white floppy bow (figure 1). We are not sure about the colors at this time. Many illustrations show Buster Brown tunics done in red. We are not sure how common this actually was. We also see tunics made in patterns, but they were not nearly as common. We have noted pokadot tunic suits. The portrait here shows an Indiana boy wearing a checked tunic outfit (figure 1). Many of these tunic suits were made at home. Thus mother could choose whatever pattern and material she desired. A famous portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt's family, shows their youngest son Quentin wearing a yellow tunic suit. As the published post card had the color added later, we are not sure if this was the actual color.
Very commonly the tunics were white or some other solid color. White tunics were often used for dressing up. Some white tunics were plain while others were quite fancy with added lace and ruffles. The boy here wears a plain, but elegant white tunic. He looks to have an Eton collar with a matching white floppy bow (figure 1). Another example of a white sailor suit is James Jones in 1913. We are not sure about the colors in which tunic suits were made at this time. Many illustrations show Buster Brown tunics done in red. We are not sure how common this actually was. A famous portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt's family, shows their youngest son Quentin wearing a yellow tunic suit. As the published post card had the color added later, we are not sure if this was the actual color.
We also see tunics made in a variety of patterns. The patterned tunics were not nearly as common as plain-colored outfits. We note one 19th century tunic worn by an unidentified American boy in the mid-19th century done in a plaid style. This presumably is relate to the growing popularity of the kilt as a boys' style. We are not sure how common this was, in part because of the limited number ofimags available from this period. We have also noted pokadot tunic suits, but this doesnot seem to have been very common. More common were checked tunic suits, perhaps done in gingham. The portrait on the previous page shows an Indiana boy wearing a checked tunic outfit. Many of these tunic suits were made at home. Thus mother could choose whatever pattern and material she desired. This caused considerable diversity. We are not sure about the colors used for these patterns. Conventions varied somewhat over time. Tunics at mid-century do not seem to have commonly matched the pants, but the patterened tunics worn in the early 20th century did have matching pants.
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