United States Adult Fashions: The 1910s


Figure 1.--This large-format cabinet card photograp is one of the new style mounts we see after the turn-of-the 20th century. We know this photograph dates to the 1910s because the boy wears a flat cap ans a knickers suit. Until the end of the 1900s, American boys wore knee pants. The flag in the background shows that they are somewhere in America--apparently a tourist site of sime kind. Women wore absurdly decorated hats. We see both dresses and blouses with skirts. Long skirts mean that hems still covered the ankles. Bowler hats were popular for men. They wore suits and ties even at home.

HBC's focus is on children's fashions, especially boys, but it is interesting to also look at overall fashions that adults wore during the same period thast we are assessing boyswear. Through the early-20th century formality was the catch word for popular fashion including children's wear. This of course meant urban wear. This had becone to change after the turn-of the 20th century, but formal dress was stil still standard in the early-20th century. World War I erupted at mid-decade, at least in Europe, but America followed some 2 years later. Women wore absurdly decorated hats. We see both dresses and blouses with skirts. Long skirts mean that hems still covered the ankles. Bowler hats were popular for men. They wore suits and ties even at home. The utilitarian drive of the war introduced an element of informality unknown before the War. Somehow the elaborate pre-War fashionsseemed frivolus during the War and this affected post-War thinking. This was a process begun in the 1900s, but accelerted by the War. Looking at the overall fashion trends helps to put children's fashion in context in which to place children fashions. In this regard, the family section is also useful. The family section is mostly studio portraits, here in our discussion of adult fashions we want to focus on available photography outside the studio, although admittely that is difficult in the 19th century. This will help us see where different fashions were worn and the conventions involved. Another important mtter is that understanding adult fashion trends helps to date the many undated immagese have archived on HBC.






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Created: 3:18 PM 4/6/2016
Last updated: 3:18 PM 4/6/2016