Figure 1.-- The Brown Shoe Company contracted with Richard F. Outcault to use his Buster Brown character as a company symbol (1904). Richard Barker was the first boy used as a model and the company changed its name to the Buster Brown Shoe Company. Here Richard is wearing his Buster Brown outfit in 1910 along with his dog. We are not sure just when Richard was hored. He wears a classic Buster Brown outfit, meaning saucer sailor cap, tunic with wide white collar, floppy bow and bloomer knickers.

The Brown Shoe Company contracted with Richard F. Outcault to use his Buster Brown character as a company symbol (1904). Richard Barker was the first boy used as a model and the company changed its name to the Buster Brown Shoe Company. Here Richard is wearing his Buster Brown outfit in 1910 along with his dog. We are not sure just when Richard was hired. He may have been hired earlier as he is a little old for the Buster outfit here (figure 1). Richaerd wears a classic Buster Brown outfit, meaning saucer sailor cap, tunic with wide white collar, floppy bow and bloomer knickers. The tunic here has double-breasted styling. The outfit is completed with three-quarter socks and strap shoes. This is very similar to how Buster was drawn in the comic strip, although the double-breasted styling is not alwys evident. Outcault also drew Nuster with sailor tunics. In the strip the tunic outfit was always red. It may be here as well. Buster was depicted wearing three-quater socks like Richard here or in other instances long stockings. He was almost always deoucted wering trap shoes as is the case here. Richard's hair was done with short ringlets, a style going out of fashion for boys at the time. Outcult drew Buster with page boy bangs, but nt ringlets. Tunics were, however, very fashionable for boys, but 7-8 years of age were at the upper end of the age that tunics were worn. Richard was about 10-years old here, a little older than the Buster chracter and the appropriate age for his outfit. The Company hired midgets to play Buster in tours around the United States. They were each accompanied by a dog and performed in department stores, theaters and shoe stores (1904-30). Richard played Buster Brown in many of the Compny's advertising campaigns. Richard described his experiences in an autobiography, Buster Brown and the Cowboy.

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Created: 5:08 AM 11/21/2009
Last edited: 5:08 AM 11/21/2009