*** biographical details on boys clothing: ordinary people alphabetical page G








Biographical Details on Boys' Clothing Styles: Ordinary People Alphabetical Page (G)

cadet S.S. Guen
Figure 1.--Here we have a CDV portait of S.S. Guen. The portrait is undated, but was probably taken in the 1880s. He looks to be about 12-13 yeats old. One might think that he is a soldier in the Britih Army. He seems to be wearing a tropical uniform, perhaps the uniform of the British Army in India. Both the Army and Royal Navy at the time accepted boys this age. We re not positive, however, that he was actually in the Army. We note that the potrait was taken by Runicles of Eton. We wonder if the boy is not an Eton College boy drssed up in the uniform either for fun or as part of the school cadet program.

The HBC biography section is for people or families that have achieved some degree of notariety or fame. HBC readers in many cases have submitted family portraits. HBC has until now not added them to the biography section. We believe now that this is a mistake. Many of the HBC readers contributing family portraits can also provide details about the boy and him family. This background information help us to assess social trends and put the fashions involved in perspective. This is just why the biographical section is an important part of HBC. As a result, HBC has decided to create pages for these relatively unknown people, when some basic family data is available. Incidentally if you find a relative here, please do tell us somehing about him. Here we are listing these biographies alpahabetically to facilitate looking up individual names. The alphabdetical list is the primary data base in this section. While we have not persued geneolgical resreach on these individual, having the names and in many cases the loaction provide the potential to acquire more back ground information in the future which may provide additonal insights into the fashion and life style trends.


G?????, Otto (Germany, about 1905)

We have a portrait of a German boy from Eberswalde. We are not sure just where in Germany that is. The portrait was probably taken about 1905. On the back it reads, "Onkel Otto, Bruder von Hans G?????". This means in English: "Uncle Otto, brother of Hans G?????". Unfortunately the handwritting is not very clear and we cannot make out what this surname might be. Perhaps our readers can make out the family name. Hans wears a front buttoning smock. I'm not sure about the color. He also has a small bow. His collar has stripe detailing. We have not noted German boys wearing smocks very commonly. Otto is pictured with a book. We wonder if he wore this smock to school or if it was just for homewear. This is, however, a formal portrait, suggesting he commonly wore it.

Gallez, Pierrot and Mimie (Belgian Congo, 1947)

The Belgian children here are siblings Pierrot and Mimie Gallez in 1947. They were living in the Belian Congo. You can see their school in the background. Pierrot was a first grader and presumably about 6 years old. For some reason only Pierrot has a book satchel. The small sweater the boy is wearing is a gilet. Apparently it was a little cool in the morning. Probably they lived somewhere in the eastern highlands. A French reader tells us, "Pierrot and Mimie are nicknames nice nicknames used only within the families. Pierrot is a boy's name, diminutive for Pierre. Mimie is girl's name diminutive for Michèle. The full name of the little boy is Pierre Gallez. His older sister is Michèle Gallez. Gallez is a typical French family name. These children are Belgians Walloon and they probably did not speak Dutch (Flemish). Belgium is divided into two antagoniostes regions; Wallonia where French is spoken and Flanders in the north where Flemish is spoken. During 2,100 years of its history, the Belgium territory was often a French ptovince. Fashion comes mainly from France, with French magazines and catalogues of French department stores. In French and Belgian over-sea territories at this time, young boys worn short pants or could be dressed in rompers, even to go to school. As in France and Belgium. Barefoot children was seen with a bad eye, suggesting a neglectful mother. This boy is wearing a vichy (ginghan) romper suit. The cotton fabric is of of excelent quality, coming from a important textile manufacturing area of central France. Vichy was a spa towm and the war-time capital of occupied France. This photograph was taken only 2 yeats the War. The textile mill continued to function during the War asing as cotton could be found. Most of the product was exported to Germany because of the occupation regimw which allowed Germany to exploit France. The exchange rate was set at absurd levels. The cotton came from t he over-sea French colonies, but was eventually cut by the Allies. There was both a French anf much lrger Belgian Congo. The official and school languages were French. Educated people in both coutries today speak excellent French."

Gagnon, Gustave (Canada, 1901)

Here we have a photograph of a 16-year-old boy with (probably) his older sister taken in the city of Quebec in 1901. We know almost nothing about the family except that the father was Gustave Gagnon and seems to have been a prosperous figure in the capital city of Quebec at the turn of the 20th century. We are told that the boy is 16 years old but not told his Christian name, only that he is a son of Gustave Gagnon. The older girl standing next to him appears to be his older sister. Notice the boy's Eton collar which covers the collar of his suit jacket. He wears a single breasted knee-pants grey suit (it seems to be grey flannel) the trousers of which lack the usual ornamental buttons near the hem. He wears the standard long black stockings and high-top boots with metal hooks for the upper laces. The somewhat casual haircut looks rather modern for 1901.

Gard, Lawrence Ray (United States, 1904)

This cabinet portrait shows aan American boy wearing a Faunrleroy blouse and floppy bow with long ringlet curls. The ringlets are not as well defibed as was often the case, but he has a large curl t the top of his hed. He wears white pants that look go be knickers, but this is not ebtirely sure. Even though he wears a white outfit (blouse and pants), he wears black long stockings. He also has high-top shoes which were common at the time. Written on the verso is: "Lawrence Ray Gard, Age 5, Taken 1904." The photographer was Burnham with no location indicated. The green-grey cabinet mount is one of the new styles that became popular at the turn-of-the 20th century. The white whicker furniture is another indicator of the early-20th century.

Gardner, Carlton R. (United States, 1880s?)

This cabint card shows a little boy wearing a white dress. The dress has lace trim and he has a collar brooch. He has a velvet hat and coat with large buttons and wears button up boots. He is pictured holding on to the the ropes on a swing, a popular posing device. The studio was N.B. Strong, Instantaneous Photographs, Cooper Building, Cr. 4th and F Sts, Eureka California. The reverse has been etched with what looks to be Carlton R Gardner, aged 3 years 4 months. The portrait is undated, but we would guess the 1880s. The card mount is a dark bluish green with gold letters. We believe thsat dark-colored mounts with gold letters were popular in the 1880s.

Gardner, Edwin and John (England, 1888-89)

The portrait shows two English boys in matching sailor suits. Studios at the time had a ship crows nest set for boys wearing sailor suits. It was a popular set for boys. On the back there ia a note that the portri twas taken about 1888-89. One boy is is John Leslie Gardner (b. 1881? - died Penang 1911). The writing on the back looks like 1881, but we are not entirely sure. Penang was an island along the coast of Malaya. The other is Edwin Courtney Gardner (b. 1882). That would make the boys about 6-7 yeras old. We are not sure because John's dates are a little unclear. The boys wear identical sailor suits. The blouses have double collars and a double column of buttons to suggest a double-breasted blouse. There are two difference, altough not with the sailor suit. The younger boy has long hair, although not done in ringlets as was common in America. He also seems to be wearing a beret-style cap rather than the unform styled hat that his older brother is wearing. Both wear long pants suits.

Garlick, Charles S. (United States, 1840s)

This boy is Charles S. Garlick which we know thanks to a note pinned to the inside padding of a cased Daguerreotype. Unfortunately it is not dated, but we believe was taken in the 1840s. We have no idea where he lived. Charles looks to be about 8-9 years of age. Charles wears a black jacket with velvet lapels, a contrasting red vest with white dots, a bold white detachable Eton collar and bow. The Bow has a small head and wide tails. Notice the great straw hat. It looks rather like the hats worn by some modern Amish.

Garrison Children (United States, 1886)

We note two New York siblings in 1886. They were the Garrison children who look to be about 5-14 years old. The boy wears alain rounded crown hat, a small bow, a white shirt and Eton collar, striped knee pants, and long stockings. His high top shoes are lace ups. Button shoes were more common. His big sister wears a fancy straw hat, whote blose with a scalloped collar and what might be called a peasant dress with long stockings and button high-top shoes.

Garth, Don and Dorothy (United States, 1910s)

Here we see a portrait of siblings Don and Dorothy Garth. They look to be about 6-10 years old. All we know for sure is that is their names. The boy wears a tunic suit with knee pants. There is a very wide belr/waistband. The striped stockings and what look like sandals are unusual. His sister wears a white dress with a huge hair bow along with white knee soicks. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1910s to us. These shorter cut tunics are mostly associated with the 1910s. The same is true of these really large hair bows and knee socks. The early-20s ispossible, but 1910s seems more likely. It is not a very good print, but looks to be a studio portrait.

Gasser, Gene and Eugenia (United States, 1945)

This snapshot shows a young mother with her two children, Gene and Eugenia Gasser. We are not entirely sure about the last name. It could be Sasser. The children look to be about 3-6 years old. We know the snapshot was taken in August 1945 at the end of World War II, but we do not know where. The buildings in the background looks like a northeastern city like Phiadelphia or New York. Gene wears a classic short pants Eton suit comolete with a matching peaked cap and Eton collar. Eugenia wears a coat which seems a little strange for August.

Gaston, Rubie and Raymond (United States, about 1900)

This portrait is of brother and sister Rubie and Raymond Gaston. They lived on a farm located about 7 miles northwest of Cranfills Gap, Texas. The photo is undated, but it could have been taken in the late-1890s or early-1900s. The white whicker furniture was very popular at the turn of the 20th century, especially in the 1900s. Rubie is wearing a white dress and Raymond a sailor suit. Notioce how the dickey matches the collar. We are not sure about the color. At the time footwear was not an essential item for a formal portrait as many pre-teen children went barefoot iun the South and rural areas. The children here look about 1-3 years old.

Geiger, John (United States, about 1870)

We have found this CDV portrait of an American boy named John Geiger. He looks to be about 5 years old. The portrait is not dated, but looks to us to have been taken about 1870. It could have beeb taken in the late-1860s, but the early 70s is probably more likely. It is interesting because it is one of the earlier American sailor suit images we have found. The sailor detailing comes from the stripes and rounded collar, although it does not yet have the front "V" collar. The studio was Thos. Taylor in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The card is finished in pink.

Gelder, Ethelwyn and Lillian (United States, 1880s)

The children here are Ethelwyn and Lillian Gelder. They were 9-11 years old. We think Ethelwyn isthe older chils, but we are not sure. Ethelwyn wears a bold checked Norfolk knee pants suit with an Eton collar and small bow. Lillian wears a long-sleeved white dress with a huge back bow. Both childrn wear dark lond-stockings and high-top shoes. We do not know much about the childre, but Ethelwyn appears to be associated with the Howe family. He married Isabelle (Belle) A. Bradbury (1879-19??) also from Colorado. The portarit is unated, but was probably taken in the late-1880s. The studo was A.E. Rineheart in Denver, Colorado.

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George, Abram (United States, 1926)

Abram George was a Native American boy who know for his healing powers. A Rochester newspaper reported, "Healed by boy, scores say. Photo shows Abram George, the 11 year old Indian lad and his father. Scores who have undergone his 'laying on of hands' claim he has miraculous power to heal diseased and sick. At one time, the press was so great for his aid that he collapsed from exhaustion."

Gersich Family (Germany, 1917)

Here we have the children of the Gersich family. The portrait is not dated, but as we know the birt dates of the children, we would guess that it was taken during World War I, probably about 1917. We do not where in Germany that the children lived. The children are: Heinz (born 01/1912), Franz (born 01/1907), and Hanna (born 05/1909). The portrait is notable for several reasons. One is the severity of the boys' hair cuts. Also notice the touching way the two older children are holding hand. The body language in these old photographs is often very telling. The portrait certainly suggests that they were a very close family. The importance of the sailor suit can also be noted. Both the younger brither and sister wear sailor-styled outfits. Notice how a lave trim has been added to the boy's sailor collar. Note the older boy's open collar. It is rather like a Schiller collar, although most Schiller collars we have noted had ponted tips. It is a good example of the trenbd toward informality during the war.

Gibson Childen (England, 1871)

This CDV portrait is not a very good image, but we tend to use dated and nmed images, even wshn the image qulity is poor. CDVs coninue to be widely used in England and the major European countris lolng ftr they dclined in America. The portrait shows a family of the four Gibson children: George, Mary, Fred, and Ann. They look to be about 3-12 years old. The girls wear decoratd dresses. The boys wear identical cut-away jacket suits with vests and knickers long with white stockings. The suits are interesting bcause of the heavily emnbroidred decorations. This was an popular style in th 1860s and 70s. We note embroidered Fautleriy uits in the 1880s and 90s, but they wre almost alwayd dark mbridery in dark suits abd rrky show up in the photographic record.

Giles, William (United States, about 1910)

This photo postcard shows a boy named William Giles in an emaculate white sailor suit. It is a long pants sailor suit done with traditional styling. The sailor scarfe is a little different than what we usually see and worn with a white wstring tie. This was more common in Germany than America. There is an anchor dickey. William's hair is done in short ringlets, a style becoming less common at the time. The AZO post stamp box dates the postcard to 1904-18. The back indicate that William was 4 years old. The studio was Bussa in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Gill, Harry (United States, 1890s)

This boy is Harry Gill and had his portrait taken in Petersburgh, Virginia. We know nothing about the boy or his family. The elegant way he is dressed suggests to us that he came from an affluent family. He looks dresses up in his best suit, It is a rather elegant kneepants suit which she wears with an Eton collar and floppy bow. Because of the banjo it is not possible to see much of the jacket. Perhaps this is the outfit he wore for a recital with his banjo. One observer suggests that the Piedmont of Virginia was an important area in the development of the modern banjo The portrait is undated, but was probably taken in the 1890s. Notice the black long stockings.

Gilman, James and Helen (United States, 1890s)

This cabinet card portrait shows James and Helen Gilman. They look to be about 1-4 years old. It is well poised as one might expect with a ain Street studio. James is leaning toward his baby sister. We are not sure how to date the portrait, but would guess about 1890. Helen wears a white baby dress. James wears a kilt suit with an Eton collar and floppy bow. The kilt suit top was a blouse with sailor styling. It has stripe and buttom trim, but not a 'V' front. The blouse stripes and buttons are conyinued on to the kilt suit. He has black long stockings and high-top shoes. The studio was C. Isaacs on Main Steet in Madison, Wisconsin.

Gilparicn, Nathaniel and Bertha (United States, 1892)

One example of siblings wearing matching dresses is a cabinet card studio portatit of Nathaniel and Bertha Gilpatricn in 1892. Gilpatrick would have been more common, but the incription on the card is definitely Gilpatricn. They were from Richmond, Maine and look to be about 3 years old. The children are the same height, but Bertha looks a little older. The dresses are identical, very plain long sleeved with a decormnative bow on the nodice. Even the fancy white collars are identical. We are unsure avbout the color of the dresses. The dresses are verl long, but they seem to be wearing black long stockings. The long length probably was a to make the dresses so the children could wer them for at least a couple years. The studio was Anserson in Richmond.

Gleguim Children (United States, 1890s)

Here we have thevfamily name, although it is difficult to make out. As best we can tell is something like Gleguim. We see Jessie, Carrie, Wm, Pearl, and Conrad. Therevare two boys and three girksm about 2-15 years old. The girls erat stylish dark dresses. Notice the large balppn sleeves. The boys wear suits with Fauntleroy touches. The older boy wears a dark, collar-buttoming suit. The youngedr boys wears a classic cut-away jacket. The younger boy a few years earlier would not yet have been breeched. The porttait is not dated, but the mount style and clothing styles, especially the girls' dresses place it in the 1890s. The mount is a light color with impressed silver printing. The studio name is a little difficult to read, something like R.D. Ryerson in Detroit, Minnesota.

Gloss, Frances (United States, about 1915)

This AZO postcard portrait is undated. The flag tells us that is was taken during or most probanly after 1913 when Arizona entered the union. The boy is identified as Francis Gloss. Frances wears an Uncle Sam costume which mother has surely sewed for him. Frances holds what would have been at the time a new 48-star American flag. We see quite a number of boys wearing these Uncle Sam coistumes n the early 20th century. They seem especially common in the 1910s, both before and duing World War I.

Goldstein, Barney (United States, 1910)

This photograph shows a newspaper boy in Wilmington Delaware. The archival record reads, "Barney Goldstein, 83 W. 5th St. Newsboy, 10 years of age. Selling newspapers 1 year. Average earnings 50 cents per week. Selling papers own choice. Don't smoke. Visits saloons. Works 5 hours per day. Investigator, Edward F. Brown. Location: Wilmington, Delaware / Photo by Lewis W. Hine., May, 1910"

Gorchakov Boys (Russia, 1848)

Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, later Duke Gorchakov. The Gorchakov family were aristocrats, descended from the first tsars and related to all the important aritocratic families of Russia. Prince Gorchakov was chancellor of the Russian Empire (1863-83). Prince Gorchakov devoted himself primarily to foreign affairs, but took some part in the great internal reforms of Alexander II. istorians rate him as a highly competent diplomat and credit him with some of Tsarist Russia's diplomatic succeses. He helped Russia recpver from the Crimean War diplomatically. His relationship with German Chancellor Bismarck deterioratd, leding to a break when Kaiser Wilhelm refused to renew the Reinsurance Treary that Gorchakov and Mismarck had crafted. Art was Gorchakov great passion. He collected contemporary 19th century painting from Belgium and the Netherlands. As a result, the Hermitage Amsterdam has imprtant paintings by these often unknown Belgian artists (Eurgene de Block, Theodore Fourmois, Nicaise de Keyser, Joseph Stevens, Louis Gallait and Florent Willems). Here is a portrait of the Duke's sons in 1848 by Nicaise de Keyser. The boys wear what look like tunics. Notice the short open sleeves.

Grand, Alex and Elsa (France, about 1899)

Here is an engraving of Alex and Elsa Grand. I believe they were French siblings. The portrait is undated, but was probably painted in the late 1890s. Alex wears a suit with fancy cuffs. He has a large white collar and floppy bow. He looks about 11-12 years old. He has longish hair. I don;t think that wa very common for school age boys at the time. This suggests a wealthy family which is almost surely the case because only a wealthy family could afford a quality protrait like this. Elss was the older sister. She wears an elaborate dress with a very long back bow. We believed the engraving is based on a painting by F. Hunert. We know nothing about the artist. The print was exhibited at the Salon 1900 and Decennial Exhibition.

Grange/Smith Boys (England, 1860s)

Here we see a CDV portrait of a redoubtable English mother wearing a voluminous dress with her two sons. It is possible that the lady is their grandmother. There is some disagreement over who they are. The name written at the bottom of the CDV is Mrs. [Lusile?] Wildon Grange and her 'two youngest sons'. The dealer, however, reports that she is actually Elizabeth Smith née Fawcett (1816-1900) with her two sons. They are Thomas Fawcett Smith and Robert Alfred Smith. They look to be about 6-11 years of age. The boys wear matching cut-away jackets vested suits with bloomer knicker pants. The cut-away jackets are plain without any decoration, probably flannel. The boys also have the same small white collars and bows. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1860s to us, both the CDV format and the clothing. The early-70s is possible. The studio was Wilson in Slingsby. This is a village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire.

Grant, Nat and Dabuey (United States, 1890s)

This cabinet card shows two smartly dressed brothers. They wear striped blazers and matching caps. We are not sure about the stripe colors, but tghe boys wear white long pants. Outfits like this among the well-to-do in Britain were probably not uncommon. We rarely see boys wearing blazers like this in America. The The boys are identified as Nat an Dabuey (writing indestinct). They are further identified as the sons of Wilton D. Grant and the grandsons of Nath. B.K. Grant. We are not sure if the boys are dressed in outfits they wore or costumes. The striped blazers and caps might be Englisgh school uniforms, but the boys are Americans. And they are wearing wide cumberbunds. This suggests that the blazers are not school uniform. The pose it also interesting. I have never seen brothers posed like this before. It looks to us like the wear dancers might pose. It is, for ecample, how Irish dancers pose before beginning to dance. Grant is not an Irish name, it is an English nanme. The studio was the W.T. Dole studio in Kansas City, Missouri. The portrait is undated, but the mount suggests the 1890s.

Greely, Robert (United States, 1910s)

This studio portait shows Robert Greely and his two younger siblings. the portrait is undated, but the grey paper frame looks like the 1910s to us. There are three children in the portit which helps us estimate the children's age. It is rare for children to be separated less than a year and a half. The baby looks to be less tan a year old whivh wuold mean that the middle child wearing a plain white dress, white long stockings, and bkack strap shoes is about 3 years old. We are not sure about gender, but suspect the child is a girl. Robert looks to be a good bit older than the middle child. We would guess about 6-7 years old. We are not sure at all as to what he is wearing. It does not look like a button-on two pice sailor outfit, although the image is not very detailed. It looks like he is wearing a sailor dress. But the way the hem hangs, we suapect is may be a one-piece knee pants sailor outfit. This would be, however, rare withour a waist band or belt of some kind. Sonyour guess here is as good as ours. It is rare for an older boys of school age to still be wearing a dress in the 1910s, but not unknon. He is also wearing white long stockings. We also do not know what Robert is holding.

Green, ??? (United States, 1919)

This boy's last name was Green. Unfortunately we do not tave his first name or know where he was from. We do know that the portrait was taken in 1919. He wears a knickers suit and long stockings, but it is covered by a heavy belted winter jacket. He has a winter cap and wears glasses. Note the glasses are not round as was common at the time. Usually mother insisted on boys taking off winter jackets for portraits, but for some reason the boy here was photographed in his winter gear. He looks to be about 13 years old.

Griffin Children (United States, 1936)

The Griffin children lived near Greensboro, Alabama. The photo of the four, a boy and three girls, was taken in June 1936. We do not know their first names. They had an African ancestor (three or four generations removed). Although they considered themselves white, they fell under Alabama's race laws. Generally in the South, people who were 1/16th black were classified as blacks. And before the Civil War could have been enslaved. Thus the children would have had to attend segregated black schools. This probably discouraged school attendancde. A lot of families or individuals in similar circumstances moved north. We do not know much about the family, but they may be sharecroper children. We have been unable to find any further information bout the family.

Griffith Children (United States, about 1844)

This lovely oil on canvas painting shows the six 'Children of Mr. and Mrs. Israel Griffith'. It was painted about 1844, by Oliver T. Eddy who lived and worked in Baltimore for a time. The cjilfren's father, Israel Griffith (1799-1875), was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore at the time was a very important Amrrican port city. And by the time this portrait was painted, raul lines from the ciyy were beginning to be built west abnd would eventually cross the Appalachians. Griffith became a successful dry goods merchant in the city. He initially went into business with his brother Henry Berry Griffith (1788-1832) under the name "Israel & Henry Berry." Photography appeared in the 1840s, but group prtraits like this were rare, especially portraits set in thev family home. The children look to be about 8-18 years old, not counting the baby. Four of the children were girls. We are not sure about the baby. We could make a guess if we knew what the child is playing with. As the girls look to be mostly teenagers, they have longish skirts. The girl at the right in a pink dress has a skirt above her ankles has them covered with pantalettes. The boy wears a jacket with a small frilled collar and three columns of buttons. Yhere is still some resenlance to the skeleton suit. His tight cut pants expose white socks.

Griffith, John (United States, 1885

The inscription on the back reads "Mrs. E. Griffith, 1885, John", So presumably the boy is John Griffith. The photographer was F. Jay Haynes at Fargo in the Dakota Territory. Notice that John is dressed as fashionably as a New York boy. Hohn wears a fashionable kilt suit with mock double-breasted styling.

Grimsley Family (United States, 1900?)

Here we have a photo of a little boy and I think his baby brother. This was from a set of photographs from the Grimsley family album. The prominent Grimsley family was from Greensboro North Carolina. So all are most likely related in some way. The album and other information, i.e.newpaper clippings & letters, contain the family names of Lyon, Strode, Warren and Grimsley. I'm not sure quite how to dte the photograph, but would guess about 1900.

Grisen, E.V. (United States, 1850s)

Many daguerreotypes are unidentified and undated. Unlike CDVs and cabinent cards, the name of the photographer is usually unknown. Here we have a sixth plate daguerreotype which is identified. Written inside the case is "E.V. (Grisen) 11 years of age. Honey Brook, Pa (Pennsylvania). Sister Elizabeth." The boy appears to be wearing a small bowtie and a jacket with lapels and closes with quite a row of buttons. The portrait is undated, but almost certainly was made in the 1850s.

Griswold, Norman (United States, 1887)

This is Norman Griswold. The portrait was taken by Flaglor in San Francisco in 1887. Some studios had bike for props. The uniform suggests that this boy belonged to a bike club and actually rode the bike. He looks about 12 years old. Knee pants were a child's garment, but adult bikers also wore them. Unfortunately we do not know what the "FW" meant, but assume it was a San Francisco biking club.

Guadango, Marie and Michael (United States, 1925)

This is a portrait of Marie and Michael Guadango taken in Staten Island, New York during 1925. Note that Michael is wearing a dress, which was the traditional garment for young children both boys and girls in this family. Both my grandmother and grandfather were immigrants from Italy. Grandfather was a mudsic arranger and worked for the big bands in the late 1930s and era;y 40s. My grandmother was a seamstress. The clothes worn by my mother were hand made by grandmother. Both of my grandparents were from Naples and their marrigae was prearranged by the families. They were married here in the United States after grandmother arrived in 1912. Mother was born April 22, 1918. She would have been 6-7 years old in this portrait. My Uncle Michael was born February 22, 1922. He would have been about 2 years old. Mother passed away December 12,2000. Uncle Michael is still living and resides in New Jersey. -- Wesley Harrison

Guen, S.S. (England, 1880s)

Here we have a CDV portait of S.S. Guen. The portrait is undated, but was probably taken in the 1880s. He looks to be about 12-13 yeats old. One might think that he is a soldier in the British Army. He seems to be wearing a trpoical uniform, perhps the uniform of the British Army in India. Both the Army and Royal Navy at the time accepted boys this age. We re not positive, however, that he was actually in the Army. We note that the potrait was taken by Runicles of Eton. We wonder if the boy is not an Eton College boy dressed up in the uniform either for fun or as part of the school cadet program.

Guertin Boys (Canada, 1932)

Here is a portrit of the Guertin brothers in 1932, information on the back of the card. We do not know the firt names of the boys. They are the youngest sons of Aimé Guertin and his wife, Aline Tremblay. The Guertins had a large family and lived in Hull, Quebec, just across the border from Ottawa, Ontario. The French name for Hull is Gatineau. Aimé Guertin was a prominent conservationist and political figure in Canada, taking particular interest in the forests, streams, and wildlife of the country, especially in the province of Quebec. He was also active in the public affairs of Hull and was instrumental during the 1930s in modernizing the city. The two youngest boys, photographed in 1932 (the photo is obviously a detail taken from a larger image), were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo.

Guignet, Emile and Yvonne Morel (Switzerland, 1919)

Geneva in the French speaking area of Switzerland was chosen to locate the League of Nations. Switzerland was located in the center of wetern Europe between many of the major poers. and the country had a long history of neutrality. It as to be situated in the Genthod village outside the city center. The Swiss children muse as to what it would mean for their quiet village. The press caption read, "Will the diplomats wall the place in?: Emile Guignet and Yvonne Morel, who admit they are sweethearts want to know whether the League of Nations is going to drive everybody away from the little village of Genthod, and whether the diplomats are going to wall the League Park in so they can't go cicyling any more on the smooth shady roads. This snapshot was taken on the roads thru the League of Nations Capital near the homes Emile and Yvonne at Genthod." The photograph was taken in 1919. Both children are wearing smocks. They may be school smocks, but the photgraph was taken after school or on a week day, suggesting that smocks were not just for school.

Gulick, Carl and Fritz (United States, 1880s?)

Here we have two twin boys from Lincoln, Nebraska. The boys had their portrait taken when they were 7 years old. Unfortunately the portrait is not dates. We would guess that the portrait was taken in the 1880s. Nebraska is a farm state, but it is the capital and thus these are probably city boys. It is of course possible that the boys were brought to the city for the portrait, but we believe it is more likely that they actually lived in the city. Both boys have identical hair styles and clothes. Their hair is long, but not curled. The boys wear bib-front garments that might be called pinafores over dresses with lace collars.

Gunkle, George and Mabel (United States, 1890s)

Here we have the children's names, George and Mabel Gunkle. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1890s. In this summer portrait they look to be about 5-8 years old. Mabel wears a rather plain white dress with a modest collar and some some lacy hem trim. George wears a classic Fauntleroy blouse. Earlier he pronably would have worn a suit jacket, but by the 1890s it was considered appropriate for boys to just wear fabcy blouses when dressing up. He has a rather modest floppy bow for the 90s, leading us to think the portrait may have been taken in the late-1890s. He wears knee pants with long stockings which were standard for American boys at the time. The studio was Hamlin in Casselton, North Dakota. The population was only a little over 1,000 people at the time the portrait was taken which shows the extent to which photograohic studios had spread acrioss the ciuntry. This is interesting because it is a good example of how these fancy styles were not just big city styles for the well-to-do, but reach into every nook and cranny of America, including very rural areas dominated by small farmd like North Dakota which had only just become a state (1889). This was possible because of the offerings of the big mail order catalog companies.

Gunther Childrern (United States, 1892)

This cabinet card portrait shows sister and brother Frieda and Max Gunther. They are the two children of brick manufacturer Samuel Gunther, and his wife Minnie. The chiildren are posed, holding hands, and shown with their wonfrerful yellow Labrador, 'Duke' at their feet. We suspect that the kids were big on having Duke in their porttait. Frieda wears an unusual high-neck dress with unusual stkling. We wionder id mother made thedress. Max wears a blouse kilt suit with a sailor backflap, but no sailor detaling. He has a very modest cross bow, unusual in the 1890s when huge floppy bows were the standard. We know that Frieda was born in 1886 and Max was born in 1888 and since they appear to be about ages 6 and 4 years, the portait was probably taken about 1892. The photographer was Huelschen of Port Washington, Wisconsin. The portrait was done with Superior Finish.

Gustavson, Russell (United States, 1940s?)

We see Sidney Franks with his schoolmate and buddy Russell Gustavson. They are pictured in the school yard. The photograph is undated. The dealer suggested the 1930s, but the Denver, Colorado school in the background looks rather modern. We might guess the photograph was taken in the 40s. Strangey the photograph was printed in New York City. The boys wear the casual clothes common in Americam schools at the time.








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Created: 4:36 PM 3/9/2005
Last updated: 5:01 AM 3/1/2024