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Sailor suits were worn by both sailors and children. The blue and white uniforms worn by sailors became the standard worn by children. The children's sailor suits were, however, not limited to blue and white. We see many different colors, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The blue and white suits acquired a seasonal connotation.
Naval uniforms around the world are always blue and white, often worn alternatively
on a seasonal basis. It is not know with certaintly why blue was adopted
a suitable color for naval uniforms and classic sailor suits for boys. The
conection with blue water is obvious. Naval uniforms did not, however,
become standardized until the 18th Century. The British were not the
first to adopt a standard uniform. One account reports that
British naval officers meeting at their favorite watering hole, "Will's
Coffee House", Scotland Yard, decided in 1745 that they would petition
the Admiralty for an official uniform in order to
standardize as in other navies of the day. As a result, the Admiralty
asked certain officers to appear
in what they considered a good design. Some liked gray with red facings.
Captain Philip Saumerez is reported, by tradition, to have worn a blue
uniform with while facings. Blue and white was chosen by the Admiralty. The story goes that since George II had to make
the final decision, he selected the colors from the riding habit of the
First Lord's wife, the Duchess of Bedford, who was riding in the park.
But it is said that to gain his Majesty's consent, the Duchess wore the
colors already selected by her husband.
Boys sailor suits have always primarily followed the standard naval styles of blue and white. Mothers being mothers, however, many did not share the dedication to naval tradition. Suits appeared in many different colors, some quite a deaprture from naval tradition. Unfortunately the black and hite photography of the day often makes it difficult to determine what the colors were.
Most boys sailor suits were the classic blue and white. There were, however, many shades of these two basic colors, many of which were departures from actual uniform colors. The blue and white suits acquired a seasonal connotation. We see many examples of suits in these classic colors. A good example of a white summer suit is an unidentified American boy in the early 20th century. We had thought that the dark suits were navy blue. We note some black suits. A good example is an Austrian/German boy in 1911. We are not sure how common they were.
Sailor suits have been made in virtually every conceivable color. The brighter colors were, however, much less common than the classic blue and white. It was the summer suits that were most likely to depart from the classic colors.
HBC is not yet sure how color popularity varied by country.
HBC is not yet sure how color popularity varied over time.
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