Figure 1.-- Here we have another professional protrait from Montreal (taken June 30, 1899, at one of the photographic studios in the city). The photo is simply entitled "Mrs. Ross's sons, aged 12 and 15" so we unfortunately do not have their Christian names. Both boys are very beautifully dressed for a formal portrait with elegantly cut three-piece suits with waistcoats, white shirts and ties.

Here we have another professional protrait from Montreal (taken June 30, 1899, at one of the photographic studios in the city). The photo is simply entitled "Mrs. Ross's sons, aged 12 and 15" so we unfortunately do not have their Christian names. Both boys are very beautifully dressed for a formal portrait with elegantly cut three-piece suits with waistcoats, white shirts and ties. Notice the boutonieres in their lapels. The suits were age greaded with the younger brother wearing kneepants and the older brother long pants.

Family

We know nothing about the family at this time, other than the name Ross and that they lived in Montreal. The Ross boys obviously come from an affluent family in Montreal--probably one of Anglophone families that tended to have most of the power, money, and influence in a French-speaking city at the turn of the 20th century. One would expect these boys to be attending private schools in Montreal rather than the public schools--very probably run by the Anglican Church--despite the fact that the great majority of Montrealers were Roman Catholic. Ross is a Scottish name. There were quite a few imigrants from Scotland to Canada. Scottish emigration began after the British victory over the French in the mid-18th century. (This was also the time when British policies in Scotland were forcing many Scotts to emigrate.) This family obviously did very well in Canada. Many Scottish families settled in Toronto rather than in Montreal.

The Boys

The photo is simply entitled "Mrs. Ross's sons, aged 12 and 15" so we unfortunately do not have their Christian names.

Portrait

Here we have another protrait from Montreal. obviously taken at a professional photogreaphic studio.

Chronology

We know tht the portrait was takem June 30, 1899.

Clothing

Both boys are very beautifully dressed for a formal portrait with elegantly cut three-piece suits with waistcoats, white shirts and ties. Notice the boutonieres in their lapels. The suits were age greaded with the younger brother wearing kneepants and the older brother long pants.

Younger brother

The younger boy (aged 12) wears a bow tie with a white shirt which has cuff links. He wears a watch chain on his waistcoast. His suit has knee pants which he wears with wide-ribbed black stockings. One of the revealing details here is the use of black round garters rather than hose supporters to hold up the long stockings. The garter is exposed on his left leg and worn just above the knee. This seems to be somewhat unusual, since most boys of the period wore hose supporters attached to waists rather than round garters, which were considered more uncomfortable and more unhealthy since they tended to restrict circulation. There was thus some disapproval of round garters because of the restriction of circulation. Older boys like the boy here may have preferred them to the hose supporters worn by younger boys and girls. Of course this is only a guess as we do not know if he specifically asked his mother for them. If they were worn, these garters were usually black (probably elastic) so that they would be less visible. The garters would show only if the boy were seated because the knee pants would cover them if he were standing. It is interesting that the garters appear to have been worn around the leg just above the knee and not further up on the thigh--which perhaps is an indication of the stocking length. Another Canadian boy, named Gustave Gagnon, also seems to be wearing black round garters in a portrait taken at about the same time.

Older brother

The older boy (aged 15) wears a suits very much like his brother's but with long trousers instead of knee pants. His necktie is a silk foulard with a pearl stick-pin rather than a bow. Notice the black cuff links on his white shirt. Both boys' shirts would have detachable collars, starched stiff and worn with collar pins in front and in back. The hair styles look surprisingly modern for 1899 with traditional left parting.

Reader Comments

A Canadian reader writes, "Even if suspenders were popular in the United states, round garters were used to a large extent in Canada until the 1940s. The reason is simple: boys hated to be harnessed with a suspender and prefered round garters which gave a feeling of freedom. When inside overheated houses in winter, boys just rolled down their stockings to be more comfortable."

Created: 11:36 PM 1/24/2005
Last edited: 9:06 PM 9/25/2005