Figure 1--These boys, probably during the late 1940s, in this French park all wear short pants. Two boys still wear suits, but this became less common in the 1950s. Notice the one boy wearing a beret with high-top shoes and another waring sandals.

The 1940s was a transition period. Little attention could be given to fashion during the World War II years (1939-45) and economic conditions were still very poor immediately after the War (1945-49). Clothing styles from the inter-war period are still seen, but new styles are emerging. Boys mostly wore short pants. Suits were still common as were berets. Some boys were wearing shorter cut shorts. Shoe styles varied commonly. Popular actibvities included skating and marbles.

Park Usage

Nannies and governess taking their charges for park outings became a rare scene in French parks after the war. Increasing children were csene playing by themselves in the park after school.

I'm not sure what the boys are climbing on but notice the structure behind the boy skasting. This is a very common structure in a French park. I'm not sure what it was called, but all kinds of announcements were posted there. Play bills and upcoming events were advertised there as well as a variety of political and public notices.

Activities

Popular activities included skates and marbles. Notice the bag the boy skating is carrying. Could this be his marbles?

Figure 2--French boys still commonly wore berets in the 140s. Notice how this boy wears his suit for play in the park.

Chronology

HBC is not positive when this photograph was taken. The post-war period, probably the late 1940s is most likely. The fact that the trees have few leaves suggest the late Fall. It ptobably is not Winter yet as the boys appear yo be quite comfortable without wearing heavy coats.

Fashions

Some of the fashions observable in this 1940s scene include the following:

Headgear

Berets were still common in the 1940s, but not all boys wore them. There does not seem to have been any common alternative to the beret. Boys either wore berets or went capless. A few boys wore varied cap styles, but there was no commonly worn alternative to the beret.

Suits

Boys still commonly wore suits even for play. Large wardrobes were still not common in the strained war and post-war era. Boys might primarily have one good suit and one suit to be worn for school and casual wear after school. The suit and jacket would be commonly worn during the cooler fall and winter months. In many cases, boys did not have any alternative jacket to wear. Casual jackets were still not very common. Mothers would usually insist that boys ore their suits as long as possible as purchasing a new suit was a major expense. Thus the suits worn by boys were often outgrown. Notice how short the jacket sleeves are on the boy on the lamp post. The suits boys played in were quite often older suits that the had out grown. Notice that the boys wearing suits in this scence have jackets with patch pockets. This was a common style for boys' suits as it was a less expensive construction.

Figure 3.--Some French boys still worn the longer-cut shorts in the 1940s. High-top shoes were also still worn, but were becoming less common.

Sweaters

Sweaters were very common. They were commonly worn in the cooler months and added to suits when it got really cool. Styles varied widely. Sleeved sweaters were the most common. Many wsweaters were solid colors. Patterned sweaters were also worn, but were not as common. Almost all sweaters were made with wool.

Smocks

Boys still commonly wore smocks to school. They were no longer, however, universally worn. Generally speaking boys would take off their smocks immediately after school and not wear them for play after school. Some mothers insisted that their sons continue wearing their smocks to protect their clothes, but most did not insist. The fact that few boys wore them for play after school suggests that they were not very popular with French boys. Pergaps mothers wanted to save them for schoolwear, but this seems less likely than the boys' resistance to wearing them outside school.

Figure 4.--Some French boys in the 1940s were wearing the shorter-cut shorts in the 1940s. This boy also wears his suit for play. Also notice the Englisg-style school sandals.

Pants

Elementary boys almost all wore short pants as did many younger teenagers. Shorts were worn year roundmand were not considered casual summer wear. Rather it was a questionn ov afge. Short pants were considered suitable for boys--whatever the weather. Younger boys are rarely seen in long pants. Teenagers might wear knickers, especially during the winter, but younger boys mostly wore short pants. Even tennagers of 15 and 16 years of age might still wear shorts. Many boys still wore the longer cut shorts common in the 1930s, but the shorter-cut shorts were beging to become more popular, especially in the late 1940s.

Hosery

Kneesocks were still commonly worn by boys. Solid colored socks were the most common. Patterned kneesocks such as Argyles arecoccasinally scene in France, but they were not as common as the solid-color kneesocks. Especially during the cooler months, kneesocks were almost universally worn by French boys wearing short pants.. All three boys in this park scene wear short pants.

Figure 5.--Skating was still a popular activity in France during the 1940s. Notice the bag he has has tied to his belt.

Shoes

Shoes were quite varied. Noticed the varied shoe styles in this park cene. Hightop shoes were still worn. This sturdy shoe style was very common since the early 1900s, but by the end of the decade were becoming less stylish. Boys were increasingly wearing Oxford-style low cut shoes. Sports shoes such as sneakers (canvas shoes) wre no common. Boys did wear various types of sandals, which first appeared after World War I. English-style school sandals were common, but single-bar strap shoes were also worn. Sandals were especially popular during the warmer Spring and Summer months. I am not sure how popular sandals were with French boys.