Figure 1.--Here we a portrait drawn by their mother showing Léopoldine and François-Victor wearing similar looking smocks. It was probably done about 1832 when Léopoldine was about 11 and François-Victor about 4 years old. There hair is done similarly except Léopoldine has pigtails. |
We have few details about the children's clothes at this time. Unfortunately photograph was not available when the children were toung, leaving is with few images. When they were married, Hugo was still struggling, byt by the 1830s he had achieved some success and the familt could lead a prosperous life style. The girls appeared to have worn pinafores or smocks over their dresses. The boys also appear to have worn smocks. One portrait drawn by their mother shows Léopoldine and François-Victor wearing similar looking smocks. It was probably done about 1832 when Léopoldine was about 11 and François-Victor about 4 years old. (figure 1). Their hair is done similarly except Léopoldine has pigtails. The fact that their mother did this drawing is quite interesting. While she apparently was not an intelectual and did not appreciate her husband's poetry, she also seemed to have been very skilled at sketching. This is a charming image. It is especially interesting as it is an intimate family drawing. Thus it probably shows how the children were dressed at home for every day. For a more formal painting, mother would have probably dressed the children up in thdeir best clothes. We also note a formal portrait of Hugo with his third son François-Victor. The boy is wearing a tunic with a huge leather belt and a small white collar. He wears long trousers under the tunic. The portrait was done about 1835. The tunic is dark blue and the trousers brown. He looks to be about 7 years old .
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