Figure 1.--Serge and his brother were photogrphed about 1959. They look to be about 7 and 10 years old.

A French reader has submitted a photograph of his brother and hmelf taken sometime about 1958-60. It shows the boys weating summer clothes. He tells us that their outfits represent the typical clothes written by middle-class boys at the time. The boys wear matching short pants, "T" shirts, and zipper jackets.

Un lecteur français nous a transmis une photo de son frère et de lui-même prise aux environs de 1959 . Elle monte les garçons habillés en tenue d'été . Il nous dit que cette tenue représente les vêtements typiques de garçon , d'écrivant la classe moyenne de cette époque. Les garçons portent la même culotte courte, un polo, un gilet à fermeture éclair.

The 1950s

In the 1950s our clothes were modest. It was only a little after World War II and our parents were not rich.

Our Clothes

As little boys my brother and I wore rompers. A family snap shot taken in 1952 shows my brother playing on a scooter dressed in one of his romper suits. In wore similar rompers when I was his age. By the time we began school we commonly wore short pants, sports shirts, short-sleeved shirts, and "V" neck sweaters and sweaters/jackets with zip fastener. Another family photograph show my brother and I about 1958 wearing matching outfits, sweaters and short pants (figure 1). Mother liked to dress us alike. Our long trousers when we were a little older were made of velour or fabric, not jean which French boys were not yet wearing very much. We hated to wear the dressy Sunday clothes, because our parents insisted that we be careful not to get them dirty.

School

At school we wore grey smocks over our regular clothes. We only wore the smocks to school, not at any other times. It was a knee-length smock with white trim. The buttons were at the side and it had a belt which could be adjusted. Our teacher also had a grey smock. We stoped wearing smocks when we were about 11-12 years old. A school photograph taken in 1962 show us wearing sweaters. My brother has a zip up sweater. I have a "V"-neck sweater (figure 2).

Thursday

Thursday, thre school day of rest, was our preferred day. We put on simply, trousers in the winter, shorts in the summer, short-sleeved shirts, shirts, or sports shirts. We could run in the countryside close to the city, climb in trees, build huts. There were great games in the fields and woods close to the city. When we did not paly in the countryside, we went to "patronage", activities organized by the priests, and of the voluntary ones. Movies, races in wood, do-it-yourself, plays given by the older children.

Figure 2.-- We stoped wearing smocks when we were about 11-12 years old. Here is a school photograph taken in 1962 (figure 2).

Holidays

The holidays were almost always spent in the the countryside. We loved to collect butterflies and insects and to look at them under microscopes. Both my brother and In liked to read. Our favorites were Jules Verne, Enid Blyton (Ah! The Famous Five. We collected grass for rabbits, built arks, walked in the course of a small brook, collected wallnuts and sweet chestnuts. Sometimes we went at the seaside. Not for the beach, but to fish the shells, crabs, with our uncle, who was an expert. We wore plastic sandals, or "Spartans" (fabric, and soles of cord), bathing slip or "boxer-shorts", and if there were wind, a short-sleeved shirt or a sports shirt.

Scouting

I never joined the Scouts or other organized youth group (except Wednesday, with "patronage", activities with a priest and bénévols). I [?left little] and did not have many friends. But I adored the stories of scouting! (series of the books celebrates it "Signe de piste".

Non, je n'ai fait partie d'aucun groupe d'enfants ! (sauf le mercredi, au "patronage", activités avec un prêtre et des bénévols). Je sortais peu, et n'avais pas beaucoup d'amis... Mais j'adorais lire les histoires de scoutisme ! (la célèbre série des livres "Signe de piste".)

Serge

Reader Comment

A French reader tells us, "In France ( even amoung the boys of comfortable family ) the wool cardigan were more commun that the jacket. And then let's notice, still in this period the short pants sufficiently short had often without fly for the boys less than 12 years old. Their mother dressed them in modern style for their time. Notice the crease at the pant, the French mothers were attentive that these creases were well done when their boys were in Sunday clothes or going to the school. It would be interresting asking , how they were dressed when they were younger. Did they wear smocks and rompers? It is practicly sure, these boys have worn some smocks and rompers!"