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The children of John D. Rockefeller when young wore a variety of juvenile outfits and Fauntleroy suits. They were not dressed extravagently. The children's clothes were a good reflection of how affluent families dressed their children at the time. Their mother appeared believed in age grading. There were definite age stages in how the children were dressed. When older they wore suits with Eton collars. First with short and then long pants. The boys seem to have worn juvenile white suits and then at about 4 years old wore Fauntleroy suits with lace collars until about 6 or 7 years of age. Several photographs show the boys in identical Eton suits and the youngerr boys in the juvenile suits and Fauntleroy suits. While at their Kenicott estate they often wore dark-colored play suits with above the knee knickers and long stocks with they often rolled down to kneesocks. Often all the boys were dressed in these identical outfits which were worn with Scout-like neckerchiefs. This portrait of the five boys shows David (about 3), Winthrop (6), Laurance (8),
Nelson (9), and John D. III (12) in the ascending order of their ages. The
picture was taken around 1918 or 1919, I believe. It illustrates the age-
grading of clothes, in this case at three different levels (figure 1). Note that a year earlier Larence was dressed like Winthrop instead of his older brothers. The portrait shows a rather conservative dress style. Little Lord Fauntleroy suits were by this increasingly less common. Eton collars were still worn by boys from conservative families, but rapidly giving say to the more popular soft collar.
The children of John D. Rockefeller when young wore a variety of juvenile outfits. The younger boys wear kneepants with lacey blouses, They also wore rather traditional Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. The younger boys cpmmonly wore white long stockings. The boys also wore short pants and knicker suits. For speciallmoccassions they wire the long pants Eton suits seen here (figure 1). The boys here wear long pants with their formal Eton suits, but for virtually all other occassions they wore knicker suits and play clothes. They also had play clothes, also we do not have many details. We assume that some of these outfits had short pants. One report describes Scout-like knicker outfits.
They were not dressed extravagently. The children's clothes were a good reflection of how affluent families dressed their children at the time. Their mother appeared believed in age grading. There were definite age stages in how the children were dressed.
Several photographs show the boys in identical Eton suits and the youngerr boys in the juvenile suits and Fauntleroy suits. dressed in these identical outfits which were worn with Scout-like neckerchiefs. This portrait of the five boys shows David (about 3), Winthrop (6), Laurance (8), Nelson (9), and John D. III (12) in the ascending order of their ages was taken about 1918 (figure 1). This is one of many examples archieved on HBC of the very common convention of age grading. What we do not know who is conceived of this practice of age grading and set the ages for moving from stage to stage. We assume this was mother, but we do not know to what extent their father was involved. We are guessing that the boys passed through on their birthdays. We wonder if they were given their new clothes as part of their birthday celebrations. Biographers often do not report on such matters. They can be, however, very important matters to the boys at the time.
With the Rockefeller family there were three different levels (figure 1). Note that a year earlier Larence was dressed like Winthrop instead of his older brothers. The younger stage was apparently discarded when the older son began wearing lomg pants instead of knickers.
The boys seem to have worn juvenile white suits with lacey blouses. Then at about 4 years old wore Fauntleroy suits with lace collars. This was a very traditional style (figure 1). It was a little out of style by 1918, but the style for the family was probably set several years earlier with the older boys. The Fauntleroy suits were probably worn until the boys were 6 or 7 years of age.
When older they wore suits with Eton collars. First with short and then with knicker pants. They had true Eton suits with long pants for formal occassions (figure 1). While at their Kenicott estate they often wore dark-colored play suits with above the knee knickers and long stocks with they often rolled down to kneesocks.
We note that as older teenagers the boys began wearing longpants with their suits and stopped wearing Eton collars. I'm not sure what age this was, perhsaps 16-17 years old.
The 1918 portrait shows a rather conservative or old-fashioned dress style. Little Lord Fauntleroy suits were by this increasingly less common. Eton collars were still worn by boys from conservative families, but rapidly giving say to the more popular soft collar. Thid is probably in part because these outfits were first worn by the older boys several years earlier. The knickers pitfits for the older boys seem more in keeping with contemporary fashions.
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