|
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.
This Englidsh CDV shows a member of the Wade-Gery family--Richard Wade-Gery. The portrait was taken in 1873 at the William Ball studio, Broad Bridge St, Peterboro. Ruchard looks to be about 6 yeras old/ His hair is done in ringlet curls at the back. He weaes a cut-away jacket suit with a vest and knee pants. We see his hsat on the floor. It might at the time been called a sailor hsat. It looks like a bosater, but with high sides. His long-stockings match the suit. Richard married Margaret Hogarth Morrison about 1894. He was listed in the census as a 'farmer' (1901). This would have meant that he was a landowner. He and Margasret had a 5-year old daughter, Hester, and they lived in Kensington. This suggests that they had a substantisal farm, proibably near Peterboro.
Here we see a German boy in 1917. His family name is Wagner, but we do not know his first name. He was photographed in Weimar, I think by the Handschriftlich studio. He was 3 years old. The CDV photograph was taken August 22, 1917. He wears a tunic suit done in an unusual style, similar in some respects to the Russian blouse style. Note in particular the trim often used with Russian blouses. The stripped front looks somewhat like a sailor dickey which is unusual on Russian blouses which normally had closed, circular collars. Also note that there is a string rope waist tie rather than a belt.
This portrait is of Maude Wallace of Detroit, Michigan. We are not sure who the boy is. One source suggests that he was possibly a brother as she had one son but not until 1934. The boy looks to be wearing an elegant white sailor tunic with wjite long stockings and white strap shoes. He looks to be about 7 years old. The photo is signed by E. Hill presumably the color tinting artist. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1915-20.
This serrated edge cabinet card shows the three Walgreen children: Laura Elektra, Anna Petronia, and Floyd Bernard Walgreen. The children look to be about 4-10 years old. The age 10 for the boy is only an estimate, but 9 or 10 years we think is a fairly good assessment. The girls wear identical white dresses with hair bows. The older girls has ringlet curls. The boy wears a black Fauntleroy cut-away jacket suit with with knee pants and matching black long stockings. He has a large white ruffled collars and modestly sized floppy bow. As almost universal in America he has high-top shoes. He ha short hair. The portrait was taken in 1898. The card is serrated with smooth corners, one of the features that can help date undated cards. Unusually there is no studio information at the bottom of the card. So we do not know where the portrait was taken.
Here a wondeful scene fron turn-of-the-20th century New York. They look to be a well established family. We see the father, the mother and their two two. The boys are Harold and Alfred Wallgren. The older boy looks to be around 5 years old. He wears a sailor tunic with white long stockings and button shoes. Both boys have lonish hair. One done in bangs the other in curls. The younger boy is about 3 years old. It is less clear what the younger boy wears. It could be a dress, bit looks to me like a differently styled tunic suit. The portrait was taken in a famous New York studio--the Scherer Studio. They had three studios including one in Brooklyn. We have two shots taken at the same time. The body language suggests the boys were very close.
The popular image of exploited child labor generally is seen in mines and factories. In fact some of the most brutal conditions were in rural areas. Many early laws restrivting child labor dod not cover agricultural workers. This photograph depicts 5-year-old Harold Walker picking cotton in Comanche County, Oklahoma. It was taken in October, 1916, by Lewis Hine who worked as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), documenting working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1921. Children this age by 1916 in America could not be hired for factory or mine work.
This boy is Llewellyn Walker. He w born in 1864 so we suspevt the portrait was taken about 1870. He looks to be about 6-7 years of age. He wears a fanct studio with elaporate tripe detailing. This was similar to many period sailor suits. In this case, however, the collar is not right. It looks to be more of an army outfit. Unfortunately we don't get to see what lind of headwear he wore with this suit. The studio was Brigham in Scarborough.
The boy here is Ted Walkley. We believe he is an altar boy rather than a chorister. The cabinent card portrait was made by Hellis & Son. This was a concern with stdios located throughout London. So we know Ted was from London, but we do not know where. Ted was born in 1886 and was 13 years old when the portrait was taken in 1899.
John Trueman Brooke Waller was an English boy. We have a portrait of him taken when he was 6 years old during September 1892. The portrait was taken at East Croydon, a suburb of London. The photo is a wonderful example of an English boy elegantly attired in a velvet Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit nd golden long curls.
This quarter plate daguerreotype portrait of three well-dressed brothers was taken in May 1852. Thgey wear identical suits. Note the collar buttoning jackets with a row of front buttons, perhaps brrass. They all have white shirt collars which show, but the collars are all different. This is a style we see commonly in these old portraits, although we are not yet positive how to date it. The boys are identified inside the case as "Martin William Wallis, Martin Samuel Wallis, Martin Howard Wallis". Interestingly, each boy holds a daguerreotype case in his hands. We wonder if that was for an individual portrait. The boys are poses with their arms interlocked and the two younger brothers on the outside leaning in slightly toward their older brother in the middle. We are guessing that they both really look up to him. The portrait is housed in a full case with a floral design.
This is for a Civil War Era hand-colored albumen photograph by well known Philadelphia Civil War and after photographers Wenderoth & Taylor showing a boy posing with an American flag. Despite the Civil War, images like this with a flagwere no common. There is written info. on the back "William J. Walsh Father of Kathryn M. Walsh Glenn. Taken when he was a Young boy. He was born in Phila,Penna". There is also label affixed on the back with photographers credit "Wenderoth & Taylor late Broadbend & Co. Nos. 912, 914, & 916 Chesnut Street Philadelphia". One interesting aspect of the portrait is the color of William's suit. There of course was no color photography. Thus we are not sure what color of clothese the boys are wearing in the old back-and-wite photography used in HBC. Here the boy's suit is grey. Gien the effort expended on the fl, we suspect that this was an accurate depiction.
This portrait is of Martin Allister Wambold. He was born on December 2, 1880. The portrait was taken in 1886 so Martin seems to have been 5 years old. Unfgortunately we know nothing about his family. Martin wears a boy�s dress with what looks like a lace collar and large colored floppy bow. The bow seems a different color than the dress. The dress looks rather like a suit, in particular a kilt suit, but it does seem to be a dress. We do not know what color the dress was. We suspect it was a muted shade, with the floppy bow adding a bit of color to his outfit. We do not know what kind of headwear he would have worn. In this case the hat or cap is not placed near by. He also wears long stockings and shiny high button shoes. He has long ringlet curls and is holding a book. The ringlets are quite long, falling over his sholders. The front of his hair style seem to be bangs. The portrait was taken by Draper. We do not know, however, in what city. We know the studio was at 1313 and 1315 Columbia Avenue.
Here we have a CDV portrait of an identified English boy. The problem is that the witing is difficult to read. Our best guess is Louis Strade Wanslae. Feel free to try to read the hand writen notation. He was 6 years old. We only have his torsol, but he looks to be wearing a cut-away jacket suit with a white collar and ribbon bow. The jacket has pipeing with an embroidered accented breast slash pocket. His hair is brushed back. The prortait is not dated , but we would iess was taken in the 1870s, probably theearly-70s. The studio was E. Swift & Son in Liverpool.
This CDV poortrait shows a black boy who looks to be about 8-9 yess old. The enccription on the front gives us his name--Jack Wasp. The encription on the back reads, "Fred (sp) Slave - became cabin boy?" From that we can infer that Jack was born some time before 1863-65. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the late-1860s or early-70s, most probably after the Civil War. The question mark on the incription suggests that it was written after the portrait was taken by someone who did not know Jack. He is wearing a sailor-style outfit, but one which was not commonly worn by boys at the time. So he may have well be or have become a cabin boy. It is possible that it was taken during the Civil War. Perhaps he was on one of the Confederate blockade runners seized by the U.S. Navy. Slavemasters were known to take boys with them as servants. Unfortunately we can only speculate as we have been unable to find any additional information about Jack. The photographer and location of the portrait is not indicated.
This is a portrait, but not a studio portrait. It looks like a snapshot. He looks to be posing on the stair of a reustic building, perhapos his home. The photograph is mounted on a cabinet card like a studio portrait. It is one of the new style cabinet cards that appeared at the turn-of-the 20th century. Apparently some people took their snapshots to studios to be mounted on card stock. This probably redlects that for three decades most photograps were studio portraits and mounted on cards. The mount along with the boy's clothing help us to date the portrai to the 1900s, probably some time around 1900-05. The card is 3 1/2" x 3" with an image 2" x 1 1/2". Many new stylkes og cabinet card mounts appeared at the turn-of-the century. small cards like thgis ws one of the new styles. The boy is namned on the back as Russell Waterbury. There are some letters before Russell, perhps 'Wm' for William, but we are not sure. There is no indication as to the studio. Willim looks to be about 13 years old, perhaps 14 years. He wears a peaked cap, double-breasted suit, knee pats, and long stockings. Note the high collar nbd what looks like a tie. The cap and knee pants help to date the photogrph to the early- or mid-1900s. (Flat caps and knickers wee standrd in the 1910s.)
This cabinet card portrait shows Newton Field Waters who on the back we learn was born February 11, 1867. He looks to be about 6 years old which would mean that that the portrait was taken about 1873. By this time the cabinet card was already replacing the CDV as the standard American photographic portrit type. Newton wears a standard knee pants sailot suit. The sailior suit was beginning to be a important style for boys. We can clearly see the V-front, but there is only minimal striping which is repeated on the knee pants. Notioce the bows, mom sems to have gone in for bow overkill, although they are not large like the ones we begin to see in the 80s, there are two prominant bows on the sailor blouse, plus akind of bow te at the neck. The bow are the thin ribbon ties, not the scarves that American boys would later begin to wear. Also notice the dark striped stockings whichbseem to match the suit. Striped stockings were very popular in the 1870s. We know that Newrton lived in New York. The studio was Howell with a prestigious location on Broadway.
This CDV portrait shiws Fred Watkins wearing a waistless pleated dress with stripe detailing and a huge lace collar, we would guess a crocheted collar. He looks to be about 3 years old. This stripe detailing was often associated with sailor outfits at the time. We know who this was and where Fred was from, but we are not sure about the date. CDVs dominsted the 1860s and much of the 70s, but were less common by the 1880s although we continue to see a few especially in New Englandd into the 1890s. The dress detailing looks to us like the 1870s, but the large collar and studio print font looks more like the 1880s. So we are not sure how to date this one. We suspect the early-1880s is the most likely, but are not at all sure. The studio was E E. Hubbard in Milford, New Hapshire.
This CDV came from a Sheffield family album. The boys seem to be from the Watson family reported in the 1861 Census. British Census. The 'Census reports the Land & House Owner' at Cliffe House, Sheffield Lane Top, Ecclesfield, Wortley, Yorkshire" was 50-year old William Watson. He had three sons, named William, John Clifford, and Henry Percy, aged 6, 5 and 4 respectively. The writing on the bck of the CDV is a prfect match. Their mother, Annie was 20 years William's junior which was not uncommon during the Vicorian era. Annie was from New York. The CDV was taken 2 years after the Census in June 1863 so the ages would be 6-9 years depending on the month that the Census was taken. The boys are dressed absolutely identically down to theclast detail with matching cut-away jackets and vests, both done with piping. The pants are bloomer knickers with buttons and stripes. They have small white collars and rubbon ties. One interesting aspect of their outfits is striped long stockings. This is interesting because in America we do not see striped stockings until the 1870s. The high-top shoes have an incredible number of yyelets and posts. We have also not seen this in America. One boy holds a boater hat, we suspect the other boys have similar hats. Their hair isone a little differently. We are unsure if mon was being creative or simly careless. This seems a little strange as they are so meticuoully dressed,
This cabinet portrait shows a young blond boy about 7 years old. He is identified on the verso as "John W. Watson". John is dressed in a large decorative floppy bow, blouse, knee pants, dark long stockings, and low-cut shoes. The image gives a detailed view of a period blouse as he is not wearing a jacket. He was photographed by Hanlon in Worcester, Massachusetts. The bow and stockings suggest that the portrait was taken in the 1880s. The pose and cloth-covered table seems more like the early 1870s. This might represent a very basic studio, but Worcester was hardly a frontier town. So we might guess the portrait was taken about 1880.
The Webb family lived for a time in Shanghai, China during the 1870s. They no doubt lived in the international section of the city. Shanghai then as it is today the most important commercial city in China. We have no doubt what their father's first name was or what he did in China. He could have been a missionary, but given that they lived in Shanghai it seems more likely that he was a businessman. There were three children: Herbert (1869- ), Leonard (1871- ), and Ernest (1873- ). The dates are a little hard to understand. We may not have Ernest's birth year right. Portraits taken in China show both boys wearing sailor suits probably in 1874 or 75. This may reflect European more than Americans fashions. The children were all born in China. And to care for them the parents hired a Chinese nanny (arma) who they for some reason called Mile. Most Americans and Europeans with children would have hired Chinese nannies. The children must have become very attached to her because she was brought with them when they returned to America in 1875. The Webbs lived in Brooklyn, New York and seem to have had an attachment to Harford, Connecticut. That would make sence if the father worked for a trading compsny. A portrait taken after their return shows the boys dressed very differently.
This cabinet card shows Raymond J.D. Webb. He was 7 years 4 months old. Raymond wears a Fauntleroy outfit. It was not the classic curtaway jacket suit, but rather a double-breasted knee pants suit. The classic cut-away jacket were most common with younger boys. It was a dark suit, but not black, something like a mid-grey. This might be the boy's summer suit. The Fauntleroy affect is achieved with a Fauntleroy blouse that had matching collar and wrist trim. There is also an elegantly tied colored floppy bow. We can not tell what color, but suspect it was blue. The studio was Kellogg in St Johnsbury, Vermont. The card was sent to Aunt Laura. The card is not dated, but the outfit, the card mount style, and the white whicker furniture help date the portrait to about 1900. The outfit coukd date to aboit 1895-1905. The mount looks like the 1890s. White whicj=ker furniture was popular in the 1900s, especially about 1900-05. Thus 1900 seems a good approximation for the portrait.
This curly haired boy was Robert Webb. He looks to be about 5 years old. Robert is smartly attired in a stylish sailor suit jacket with embroidery on a wide collar and dickey. Note that he does not wear the traditional 'V'-collar that was becomiong so popular. There is a suggestion of a 'V' collar but the sides of the collar are widely extended. Note that the fancy embroidery on the collar with a suggestiion of scalopping matches that on the dickey. It looks to be flower which was not very common for sailor suits. Usually se see anchors, stars, and other nautical devices. The portrait was taken at the Siegel Cocker studio located in Chicago, Illinois. This is an oval format photo mounted as a cabinet card. It is one of the new style mounts which helps us date the portrait to about 1900-05.
Carl P. Weber had his portait taken by Meynen & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl looks to be about 5 years old. The portrait is undated, but was probanly taken about 1895. Carl wears what looks like a Fauntleroy dress. It looks to be made in velvet, I'm not sure about the color. We don't have a good enough scan to know if the outfit is a dress or a jacket and matching skirt. He has an elaborate lace collar and matching wrist cuff trim. Carl also has long ringlet curls. One unusual aspect is a cone shaped hat at right. I have ot commonly seen that hat style. He holds a whip which would have helped identified him as a boy even if we had not known his name.
This portrait with a photoback was sent in aetter as a Chtistmas greeting. Written on the back in period ink is "WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS - FRANKLIN C. WEBER, JR. - FOUR YEARS OLD - 12/25/09". Franklin looks to be wearing a sailor dress, but he probanly was wearing a sailor tunic. He also wears white long stockings and white high top button shoes. It was a AZO postcard with two triangles up and two down in the stamp box.
This is a cabinet portrait of 4-year old Leon Weeks. He wears a jacket dress with a vest and large lace collar. It is a little unclear if the jacket and vest were separate garments or actually part if the dress. Except for the skirt, the boy seems cto be wearing a standard cut-away jacket and vest. We tend to notice boys more commonly wearing these large lace and ruffled collars in dresses than girls. The cabinet card is undated, but looks like the 1880s. It could be from the early-90s, but the 80s seem more likely to us. He is wearing a petticoat with eyelet lace trim with black long stockings. Unlike most cabinet cards, there is no information about the studio and where the portrait was taken.
We have archived rwo CDV portraits of "Cuthbert John Wigan. He is identified as 4th son of Alfred & Emilie [Leuddesdown ?] Sept 1887". we know nothing more about the family, except that they seem to be a well established family. One of the portraits show John as an Anglian chorister. We believe John attends a public (elite private bording school), although we do not know which one. Another portrait shows him in what looks to be his school uniform. It is a single-breasted vested suit, worn with an Eton collar. John looks to be about 14 years old. The studio was J.J. Eastmead in Rochester located in Kent.
This large format cabinet cards shows te Wegner chilkdren, four siblings, 3 girls and 1 boy done of in dressy outits. They look to be anout 5-13 years old. The portrait is not dated, but the hair bows suggest the 1910s. The children are identufiedv as 'Harold, Leona, Helen, and Mildred Wenger'. The girl all mwear large hair bows. The volerv girls seem to have double hair bows. It is had to tell bout the younger girl becsuse the bows and dresses are all white. It looks like the girls are all wearing identical white dresses. The boy has Dutch boy bangs. He has a large Peter Pan collar and relatively small floppy bow. His suit has some Norfolk styling aand long, white short pants. The two youngest children wear white long stockings. It is likely that their older sisters do so as well. The boy has black ankle strap shoes. Th girl probably wears white strap shoes, but this is difficult to tell with the white stockings. There is no studio information as was common wih the new style cabinet card appearing after the turn-of-the-20th century.
This portrit shows Julius Weise. It is undated, but was probably taken in the 1900s. We do know that Julius was photographed in Dresden, a city in eastern Germany close to Czecheslovkia. I'm not sure which Landen that is. The portrait shows him in a folk costume with an Alpine jacket and lederhosen. I would have thought it was a Bavarian outfit.
This appears to be a CDV portrait. We would be unsure how to date it. By the 1890s, the larger cabinet cards domiated American photography, but on the back it reads 'In Fall of 92". And identifies the boys as 'Andress and Fillio Wimer'. The boys wear rather plain button-on blouse and knee pants outfits, perhaps home sewn. Thery look to be about 5-8 years old. Even though 1892 was sqyuare in the middle if the Fauntleroy era, we di not see a hint of Fauntleroy styling. The boys have floppy bows, but they are very small in contrast to the huge bows many boys were wearing at the time. The knee pants were well over thev knees, butb in the 90s we begin to see knee pants cut at knee length. Of course 1892 was just at the beginning of the decade. Unfortunarely we know nothing about the family. Only that the studio was E.R. Burnham in Barry, Illinois. The fctv thatvsmall towns like Barry had ahotograohic studio shiow how extebnsively thev photigraphic industry had spread througout the country. Barry is located in farm country, part of Pike County on the Mississippi River. Mos of the stufio's customers would have been farmers. Across the River was northern Missiuri, the northerrn most slave territory before the Civil War. To the south is St. Louis. The rail road rached Barry just aftr the Civil War (1869).
Here we see cousins Alys L. Wellington Mason and Clinton C. Wellington. The portrait is undated. but the AZO stamp box helps date it to 1918-30. We would have guessed a little earlier. So the stamp shot was probably taken in the late-1910s or early 20s. Alys is wearing a plain white dress with a huge hair bow. She also wears strap shoes and white three-quarter socks. Clinton has long curly hair. Some of it was done in ringlets. But because his hair was so curly, that was probably a problem. Note how selender the ringlets were. Ringlet curls for boys were much less common by the 1920s than they had been in the 1900s. He is wearing an Oliver Twist suit with bug white collar and button-on short pants. He also wears a large bow. The children look to be about 4-8 years of age.
Herewe have a caninet portrait of Vladimir Graneisek Adolf Werych and Vera Vlasta Josefa Werychova. I think they were brother and sister, but am unsure why their last mames are different. These children photographed in 1914 were ethnic Germans living in Bulgaria. They are 2-4 years old. Vladimir wears wht looks like a soft sailor cap. He wears a black velvet tunic suit with double-breasted styling and a white belt. Mother has added a sailor-styled lace collar. His hair looks liked molded bangs. His little sister wears a baby bonnet and white dress.
We have a postcard back portrait of the West boys from Portsmouth, fittingly the major Royal Navy port on the Englih Channel. The younger brother is Martyn. We do not know the older brother's name. The boys look to be about 3-6 years old. The brothers were outfitted in sailor suits. They are identical sailor suits with light-colored blouses and dark short pants. The only difference is that Martyn has a dark bow and his older brother a mnore standard scarfe. Martyn has white socks and his older brother dark knee socks. The portrait is undated. We would guess it was taken avout 1920, wuither in the lare 1910s or early 20s. The photographer was the Novelty Studio.
William J. Wetheral was a student at the Chester Springs Orphan School. This was part of the Pennsulvania Orphan School System set up after the Civil War. Many fathers were killed in the War. At the time father's were the main bread winners. Thus these schools were set up to help care for their children. The portrait is not dated, but William looks to be about 14 years of age. The boys wore Civil-War style uniforms in honor of their fathers. He has the rank of seargeant and clearly very proud of it. While William wears a military-style school uniform. The School was not an actul military school as there were girls at the school as well.
This is a portrait of the Wettack boys, Elmer, Frank, and John Wettack. It is a rather unusual cabinet card. The image takes up the entire card without the studio information at the bottom of the card. The portrait is udated. We suspect it was taken in the 1870s. The boys wear ear flp caps. The two older boys wear early lapel jasckets. Motice the very small, high set lapels and the cut-way jacket influence. The younger boys wears an Eton collar and collar-buttoning jacket. The two older boys wear long pants. The younger boys seems to be wearing knee pants, but it is difficult to tell.
This is a CDV portrait of Charlie Wheeler. We do not know where he was from. We do know the portrait was taken in June 1866. The CDV has a 2cent revenue stamp on the back. Charlie has long hair over his ears. He looks to be about 5 years old. We are not sure if he is wearing a tunic or a dress. It is styled rather like a tunic with a diagonal stripe, but cutmore like a dress. It is done in plaid material.
This cabinet portrait shows a boy posed on an old-fashioned tricycle or velocipede. The trike would have been a studio prop. The photographer, O. B. Frisbie in Ottawa, Illinois. The boy is identified on the back as "Johnny Wheeler 6 years old". The portrait is undated, but looks to nhave been taken in the 1880s. The Fauntleroy-style collar and cuffs suggest the late-80s. We cannot make out much detail of the knee pants suit, but it seems to have a sailor-style back flap. He also wears a stylish broad-brimmed straw hat.
Here we see a 4-year Sammuel Stacy Whidden boy wearing a kilt suit. We might have gussed he was 3 uears old, but "Sammie 4 years old" is written on the back. We suspect he just turned 4 years. The skirt has no kilt features except box pleats. He was known as Sammie. He wears a vest ed kilt suit done in a flat colred material, although we do not know the actual color. Notice the large Eton collar and medium sized floppy bow. The Eton collar of course was a detachable collar, but the wrist cuffs suggest he was wearing a white shirt waist. We see plain wrist cuffs. The mount style suggests the portrait was taken in the 1890s. As Sammie was born in 1889, we believe the portrai ws taken in 1893. The studio looks to be E.O Nickerson in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Whidden family has a long association with Portsmouth. Sammie was born in Portsmouth. Sometime before 1650, Samuel, James and John Whidden came from Portsmouth England to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There is some evidence that their father, Ichabod (1621-62) also came to Portsmouth. Sammie parents seem to have been the son of Horace D. Whidden (1852) and Mary Hare. They married in 1886. Horace died in 1894 at only 42 years of age. This is about the time that this portrait was taken, perhaps a little later. We know that Sammie registred for the draft in World War I (1917). We do not know if he served.
Here we see an English boy with wire-framed glasses. HJ looksto be about 9 years old anf=d has a very pensive look. He has printed his name. It looks to be H.J. Whillocktol, but we are not sure. He has a habit of putting capital letters in the middle of his sirds. His letters are fairly clear, but that does not sound like an English name we are familiar with. He does add that he was from South London. He wears a kind of knitted sweater shirt with a Rugby collar. He has buttoned the collar, but does not wear a tie. The portrait is not dated, but we would guess about 1930.
Goddard White was photpgraphed in the A. Marshall Boston studio in March, 1897. He was 8 year, 9 months old. He wears a classic summer light-colored sailor suit, probably light blue. The suit was a kneepants sailor suit with which he wears dark stockings and what lookmlike patent strap shoes. He is pictured with his violon. Perhaps he was about to play in a reciatal.
This cabinet card id a portrait of Harry White. The back of the card indicated he was from Inwood, Iowa, but that was not where the portrait was taken. He looks to be about 9 years old. Harry wears a basic double-brested knee pants suit with dark long stockings. Mother has added a decorative ruffled collar. it looks like a pin-on collar rather than a Fauntleroy blouse. Mother has not added a floppy bow, a style thast was very popular at the time. This and other aspects of the portrait leads us to believe that the very early-1900s is more likely than the late-1890s. The portrait is undated, but would have been taken about 1900. We see elements in the portrait that looks like the late-1890s and others that look like the early-1900s. The studio was the A.J. Segrud Studio in Canton, South Dakota.
Here we see Harris Whittemore, Jr. wearing a three piece black velveteen kilt suit (1898). It includes the coordinated kilt jacket, kilt skirt, and vest. The three pieces all have the same dark grey decorarive piping, a little difficult to see because it is so dark. We have images of the different garment, showing in detail was a kilt suit consisted of at gthe time. It was worn with a large plaid floppy bow and large lace collar. The lace collar pictured in the vintage garment oage is not original. It would hv been an expensive outfit for a boy at the time. he size is reportdekly 4-6 years, although the picture of Harris Witmore Jr. who wore it shows a slightly younger boy. Harris lived in Middlebury, Conecticut. The family apparently moved in the upper crust. Harris was the model for Marie Cassat's 'Boy with the golden curls' (1898), although for the painting, Harris is depicted in a blue sailor outfit.
This portrait is identified as "Benj. Morris Whitlock" meaning Benjamin Morris Whitlock. Written below his name is "Millie", that may have been a nickname but it would not have been based on his proper name. Benjamin looks about 4 years old. He is shown wearing what looks like a check skirted suit. It consists of a cut-away jacket with very wide sleeves and a pleated skirt with no kilt styling. We would assume that mother called it a kilt suit. Notice the small white collar and small bow. The CDV portrait is undated, but looks like the late-1860s to us. The studio was J. Gurney & Son in New York City. His longish, but uncurled hair is parted on the side confirming the side part for boys rather than center part convention. General B.M. Whitlock who was the rifle inspector for the State of New York in the early 1900s. We are not sure if it is him or not as a child but there is not a lot of info on the name.
We have acquired two cabinent card portraits of an American boy, probably taken in the 1890s. We know very little about him, except that he was from eastern Pennsylvania. One portrait was taken in Harriburgh and the other in Allegheny City. The family may have moved explaning the two different studios. We know nothing about Robert and his family, but the way he is dressed we would guess he came from an affluent family. The first portrait shows Robert wearing a Fauntleroy blouse with elaborate ringlet curls. He looks to be about 7-8 years old. Another portrait shows him at about 13 or 14 years of age wearing a suit with a wing collar and Windsor tie. The portraits or not dated, but the ivory colored mounts suggest the 1890s to us, one taken in the early-90s and the second the later-90s.
A HBC reder has sent some photigraphs of John Wiedenmayer, the son of George Wiedenmayer, the noted Newark, New Jersey businessman, brewery owner, and philanthropist. George was born in Newark (1848). George's father and family patriarch ws from the German immigrnt before the large flow of immigrants before the failed 1848 liberal revolutions. George's father opened a brewey (1858). George learned the brewery trade there from his father. George opened his own brewery (1880), the George W. Wiedenmayer Brewery. It became one if the largest breweries in New Jersey, a state home to quite a number of breweries. FGeorge pursued other ventures such as steamboat lines. His father had been active in politics and George followe in that tradition. George died (1909), a few yers before the photogrphs of John were taken. Pohibition forced the Brewery to shift to ice cream. We have a series of snapshots of John taken about 1912. John grew up in privlidged circumstances as both his father and grandfather made a gret deal of money. John looks to be about 6 years old in the photigrphs. In one he is all dressed up with his mother, Madelle, George's second wife. John is wearing a striped tunic, a popular style at the time. He is wearing a turned down wide-brimmed hat, a style characteristic of the 1910s. In another photo he's with his aunt Leile in more casual attire, arare exmple of casual clothes from the period. Too often all we have is the children dressed up.
Here is a composite photograph that pictures a 5 2/3 year old boy (as noted on the back) in various poses wearing his sailor suit. The written notation on the back reads "Dee Wilbank- 1902 - 5 2/3 years". The photographer (Stecnil?) has signed the photo in pencil under the first photo on the left. The photo was taken in Los Angeles. After the individual photos were taken, the professional photographer made the composite and developed the final photo. The composite was then attached securely and expertly to a fairly thick cabinet card-like material. The boy wears an emaculate white sailor suit without any detailing. He has a darl presumably black scarve. The outfit is a kneepants sailor suit which the noyswears with contrasting black long stockings. A white sailor suit like this would have been for Summer wear. He has a dark reefer jacket which would have been worn in cooler weather.
This is one of the thousands of the portraits taken at the Notman and Sons Studio in Montreal. The portrait here is Master Henry Wildgrass. The portrait was taken around June-August 1863. Henry wears what looks like a cut-away jacket and vest with knee pants and white three-quater socks, He has a lace collar and matching swrist cuffs. This might be called a Little Lord Fsuntleroy suit, but appeared two decades before Mrs. Burnett wrore her book. Henry also has ringlet curls with an unusual center part. Usually ringlet hair styles has the centerv psrt broken by front bangs.
Here we have a cabinet card portrait of a Dr. Wildman's children. The portrait is undated, but the fashions and mount look like the 1900s decade. We also have the names of the children, left to right:
Otis, P.may, and Edis. We have no idea what was neant by 'P.may'. The location is hard to read, but looks like North Vernon, Indiana. The children look to be about 5-12 years old. Otis has a large rulled, lace trimmed collar. Notiice the small floppy bow showingh how the sizes of these bows declined after the turn-of-the century. He wears a checked, vested, cut-sway jackert. May wears a jacketed look dress, with a fancy collar looking a bit like a bow. Edis wears a sack suit with high-set lapels. His shirt or blouse is sone in a tatersall pattern, but e asre unsure about his neckwear. Caninet cards after the turn of the 20th centuiry became much miore varied. This was a small caninet card, 5" X 3 3/4". The photograoher was Otto White in North Vernon.
This is 11 year old Seattle boy Dave Willard who played in a youth football league in 1962. Their team was organized at the View Ridge Playfield. Dave's photograph made it into the Seattle newspaper because a tornado took him off his feet in September. Youth football was less popular in America than baseball and soccer. It required more expenive equipment tha the other sports. And has been declining recently, largely because of increasing reports of injuries, especially head injuries. Short hair styles like Dave's crewcut persisted longest among atheletes in the 1960s and early-70s.
Here we have a formal sitting of Frank Willcox with two black pugs. Frank is American, but I am not sure where the portrait was taken. This portrait was taken in 1910 by the George A M Morris studio. The dealers discription is confusing. The original portrait msay hsave been taken in 1890. Frank wears a white or light-colored knickers suit with an Eton collar and tie. He wears dark long stockings.
This is a Belgian boy, Jean-Claude Williame, on his First Communion (Communion solennelle) at Costermansville in the Belgian Congo during 1952. He is dressed a little more informally than might be the case in Belgium at the time. He wears a white shirt and shorts rather than a suit and white ankle socks. He is photogrphed with his mother and little sister.
Here we have a snapshot of Clarince H. Williams. We do not know where Clarince was from, except that he was American. The snapshot was printed as a postcard. On the back of the card is written "THIS IS CLARINCE H. WILLIAMS TAKEN AUG. 1910 WITH THE DRESS ON THAT AUNT EMILY MADE FOR HIM". Clarence has a large bow/ribbon in his long curly hair. Outfitting boys in dresses was becoming less common in the 1910s, but it was still an accepted practice as the snapshot here shows.
This Ivory mount cabinet card portrait shows sib;inhs Laura, Elwin, and Etta Williams. They look to be about 8-13 years old. Their little brother wears a double-breasted knee pants suit, but without the bow that was so popular at the time. Most portaits at the time showed some sihn of the FauntleroyhCraze, but here we see almost nothing. His sisters wear similar dresses with small lace collars. Notice the large baloon sleeves. Thry help date the portrit to anout 1895. The natural colot whicker furrniture akso helps date the portrait to the late-1890s. The girls have long hair and perfectly combed center parts. Their brother has short hair that would not look out of place today. They all have long black stockings and high-top shoes. The stuio was Sturdevant in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.
This cabinet card portrait is of Edward Wilson. The family called him Eddie. He looks to be about 8-9 years old. Eddie is very smartly dressed. He is has a straw hat with a wide colored hat band. It looks like a boater, but the heigth is somewhat higher than modern boaters and the crown is slightly rounded. He has a wide white collar and small bow. Note the very plain jacjet. It is simmilar to the cut away jackets popular in the 1860s and 70s, but not longer noticeably cut away. He holds a toy hoop standing next to a taxidermy bird. The photographer is identified as the famous Bogardus Gallery in New York. It was taken August 21, 1882.
This is an interesting view of not only Harold Wilson, but the inside of his home. Most 19th century photographs were studio portraits. Here we see Harold in the parlor of his home. Harold lived in
Harwichport, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. He was 8-9 years old and wears a middy blouse and knee pants. He stands next to a stuffed easy chair covered in brocade or velvet, with a lace antimacassar draped on the back. The parlor has ornately flowered wallpaper and carpet, a framed painting on the wall and other artwork that can be seen behind the chair. In the sunny window is a plant stand and plant - a unique glimpse of the furnishings in use by an affluent family at the turn of the last century. He was related to a family from Westboro, Massachusetts whose history included connections to early textile manufacturing mills in Lowell, Massachusetts and to the the Cordaville Woolen Mills in Southboro.
Here we have a beautiful Daguerreotype of a boy and we think his sister. We know their names are Mary Ann and James Wilson thanks to a piece of paper inckluded n the dag union case. We do not know, hoever, where they were from or when the portrait was taken. Dags were taken from the early 1940s to the early 60s. Unfortunately we can not destinguish between 1840s and 50s dags. We suspect that this one was taken in the early 1850s, but that is just a guess at this stage. Perhaps readers will have some insight as to the dating. The boy wears the popular multi-button military jacket with checked pants. He has a small white collar and poorly tied bow. His sister wears a brightly patterened dress. I'm not sure what the pattern would be called. It is not a laid or check. Notice the shaw-jacket affair over the shoulders. They look about 10-15 years old.
This family snapshot shows the three Witak brothers in 1927. We know nothing about the family. We do mot know where they lived in Poland, except somewhere in eastern Poland. Eastern Poland had been part of the Russian Empire, but after World War I was obtsained by the new Polish Republic in a war with the Bolsheviks. The population was mixed with Poles, Beyloruusians, Ukranians, Lithuanians, and Jews. We are not sure about the ethnicity of these boys. Their family name we thinks suggests Polish, but we are not sure about this. Much of eastern Polad became part of the Soviet Union after World War II (Beylorussia and the Ukrine). The boys wear a variety of outfits.The younger brother seems to be wearing a sailor suit. The older boy wears a collar-buttoming jacket. Both boys wear long short pants. Their middle-aged brother wears a shirt along with suspenders and long poants. These long short psants and long pants were common in Poland during the 1920s-30s, especially in rural areas.
This American cabinet card portrait shows a little boy with his sand pail and shovel which he would use at the beach. The set is more of a garden scene. I supose the pop implements could be used as gardening tools. He is wearing an all white outfit made up of sailor cap, dress, three-quarter socks, and strap shoes. His name is written on the verso: "Lancaster Witzleben, 3 Years Old, 1899". a dealer had another cabinet photo of him as a Baby, where his name is also written on the verso: Richard Lancaster Witzleben. So, I'm guessing his first name was actually Richard. The cabinet card measures approx. 6" X 4 1/4", and, is in Quite Good Condition, especially given the age. The studio was N. B. Lawson, 53rd St. and Lake Avenue, no city is indicated but could be Chicago, Illinois, judging by the other photos in the old photo album. This portrait is also of photographic interest. It shows the apearance of a new style of cabinet card at the turn-of-the 20th century.
This American boy, Barnes or Barnet Wolfe was photographed in 1893. The studio was Dana in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This must have been an important studio as there was also at outlet in New York City. The cabinet card is identified as "Ivoryettes". I think that refers to the color of the photoigraphic image which is a than the normal albumen print. It woulve involved a different finishing process and or photographic paper. We see this in other 1890s portraits as wll as the early 1900s. The portrait here is dated in the printed studio information which was not very common. The boy looks to be about 2-3 years old. He has bangs and short curls and wears a fancy blouse.
This portrait of the Wonson twins, William Newman Sawyer Wonson and Samuel Giles Wonson IV, waspainted by Moses B. Russel. Thry were born in Gloucester, Massax=chussets (1843). They look to be about 4 years old. That csuugests the portrait was painted about 1847. The boys were the sons of Samuel Giles Wonson and Elizabeth (Sawyer) Wonson. The boys wear matching red checked tuniucs with blue berets. Their paternal grandfather was the first lighthouse keeper at Eastern Point and their extended family were in involved in the 19th century fisheries on Cape Ann. William and Samuel lived their entire lives on Cape Ann. William served in the Civil War with Company G of the Massachusetts 8th Infantry Regiment and aftr the War worked on the Gloucester waterfront. Samuel married Belinda Friend (1866) and they had six children. He also work on or around the waterfront.
This is a fascinting image of litte Earl, we think Earl Wood. (The photogrpher was Mrs. H.K. Wood.) We are nor sure where Earl lived, but probbly the suburb of a northern city. Earl looks to be about 5 years old. We cb see an older boy in the background wering knickers. He is working with a horse and cart suggesting this was early in the 1910s. Earl wears a long pants play suit, a popular garment at the time for younger boys. But what is really interesting here is the Model-T Ford ty which Earl is posed. We are not entirely sure what Earl is thinking, but he is clearly attrcted by it. What Earl cannt understand t the tgime as well as adults is tht Earl is standing by the future. The fact tht Americans embraced the the future, meaning mass production, and German industrialists did not would largely determine the history of the 20th century. You might conclude that the resulting history was mere chance. But this would be wrong. The devdelopment of the American automobile industry was largely determined by Ford and other American industrilists delivering what the average consumer wanted. The Tin Lizzy here as it was asffectionasltely known was inferior in evey way to what German industrialists were producing--except that average people could aford it. The German focus was on finally crafted and thus expensuve automobiles that only affluent consumers could afford. Meaning that very few were produced. Unlike America, the notoir vehichle industry was very small part if German industry. On that dynamic the future of Wesern civilization turned. Hitler inherited a massive industriasl base, but one which could not produce the implments of war in the quantities needed. The Americans in contrast could produce in staggeing quantity, not only what its own armed forces needed, but what was needed by its fighting allies.
This photo shows two siblings: Carolyn and William Woodcock. They lived in a ranch on the Missouri River in Montana. The photo was taken in 1930s. They are in a classic farm staple--an early pickup truck. Unlike Europe, most American farmers and ranchers by the 1930s had trucks. Small trucks like this proved invaluable.
We believe that Sammul William Woodstock Jr., known as Willie by the family was born in 1873. His father (1801-1904) was a doctor and a noted naturalist and involved in Native American affairs beginning at mid-century. Here we see a CDV of Willie as a very young boy, 3 years & 9 months. We are not sure how to describe his outfit. I think he i weting a kind of skirted overcoat with a scalloped collar. He seems to be wearing a white tunic or dress underneath. He also has pantalettes, dark long stockings and high-top shoes. The studio was Suddards & Fennemore, Philadelphia. As a young man he went to Jefferson Medical College and was in the Class of 1895. After graduation he pursued a double career in medicine and in art. He was a physician through the end of World War I, during which he served as medical director for the Red Cross in Southern France. fter the war he left the field of medicine and became director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which post he held until 1928. His hobby was collecting 18th century furniture and silverware and his intense interest in early American craftsmanship and odd topics of art won him a high reputation in Philadelphia circles as art expert and antiquarian.
This looks to be a family on vacation. We believe these are the children of H. E. Woolever. That could have been the name of a tourist photographer, but we think it is more likely the family name. The photograph was taken as in Crystal Beach, Ontario, but we are not sure where the family lived. The family was probably on vacation. This means they could have been American or Canadian. Curiously the boys wear long stockings and the girls ankle socks. I think it would have bee more common for the children to wear similar hosiery.
These three boys are identitified as the Worral boys on the back of the cabinet card portrait. And added on the back is the Blue Hill School. We find several modern schools with that name, but we believe this probbly refers to a private school the boys attended. The boys look to be about 6-14 years old. The yonger boys wears a collar buttoning jacket with a moderate width white collar and knee pants. His two older brothers wear lapel jacket suits, one with knee pants and the other with long pants. Notice the middle boy's striped long stockings. All three boys wear button shoes. The portait is undated. It looks to us like the portrait was taken in the late 1870s, possiby the early-80s. The studio was Y.A. Kroneberger in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Here we have a photo podstcard of a boy in a sailor suit and cap. It looks to us like a modestly priced sailor suit. The portrait was taken at the M. Zalkoff Photo Studio / Division St Chicago. On the back seems to be written, "Woycik boys?" We think that may be the boy's family name. Presumably his parents were Polish immigrants. Chicago of course had a substantial Polish community.
This cabinet card portrait shows Frank Wlf outfitted in a blouse and kilt-skirt combination. Itis a little difficult to tell, but it looks like he is wearing a black velver blouse with front buttons and a dark, muted plaid kilt skirt. The kilt has large pleats. We are not sure anout the color. These kilt suits with both blouses and jackets were very popuilar in the late 19th century. He has a very elavorate pin-on lace collar. Frank looks to be about 4 years old. His outfit is finished with long stockings and high-top button shoes. The studio was in Buffalo, New York. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1880s.
Here we have a family photo of four brothers from Evergreen, Louisiana, taken in 1924. From left to right are Henry Clay Wright, Robert Lynn Wright, Alanson Burns Wright, and John Brunson Wright, ages 9, 7, 5, and 8 respectively. Henry, the eldest, wears a white shirt buttoned at the neck, above the knee knickers, and tan long stockings. Robert wears an interesting short pants outfit (open-necked shirt and matching shorts), a jacket with an unusual strap-button closure in front, and tan long stockings with supporters. Alanson, the youngest boy, wears a two-piece button-on suit with a large
collar and tan long stockings with supporters. John, the 8-year-old, is dressed similarly to Henry but wears light colored tweed shorts and tan long stockings.
This English boy wears a pin-on detachable lace collar. His name was Claude Bolton Wylde. He looks to be about 6 years old. He was photographed in Liverpool during September 1887. He wears a rather plain blouse, but the lace collar seems rather elaborate. It is one of the more elaborate such collars that we have noted,. Even so the jacket is worn open si the blouse can be seen. Note that the jacket is only buttoned at the collar. The large number of buttons weere decorative. Note that there are buttons on both sides, rather than button holes on one side. I'm not sure what color the suit was, but it may have been black.
This cabinet card portrait of E.H. Wylie shows him wearing a fancy plaid suit. We are not sure about the color. All three garments, jacket, vest, and knee pants are the same plaid material, accented with piping. His outfit is completed with a bowler hat, large white collar, and floppy bow which seems to match the suit. We are not sure if the long stockings are black or other dark color coordinated with rghe suit. The boy looks to be about 8-9 years old. The studio was Wilcox in Chicago,
Here we have some photographs of the Wynnes family. Unfortunately we have no specific information about the family. We have no background information about the family or where they lived. The available imahes, however tell us a bit about the family. The photographs are from 1906 and 1911. There appear to be four childre, The 1906 is a formal portrair od a boy and girl. The boy is not yet beached. The 1911 snap shot shows the children at the beach. This is interesting because of the children's formal attire for the beach. One boy even wears a tie.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main ordinary biography alphabetical page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Essays]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
