Figure 1.-- Here we have the May family. Brother and sister, Margaret and John William May, were photographed in 1927 as a 3-year-old and a 5 1/2-year-old in Smithville, Indiana. John William wears a white summer suit with button-on shorts, beige long stockings, and brown oxford style shoes.

Here we have the May family. Brother and sister, Margaret and John William May, were photographed in 1927 as a 3-year-old and a 5 1/2-year-old in Smithville, Indiana. The town was located in southern Indiana near Bloomington. The children's mother, Dorothy Wampler May, is holding Margaret. Grace Wampler, a relative, holds John William. Margaret wears a white dress, white knee socks, and strap shoes. John William wears a white summer suit with button-on shorts, beige long stockings, and brown oxford style shoes. Notice that John William's long stockings (a very light shade of tan) are held up by round garters rather than by the more customary hose supporters. Pediatricians and authorities on child- rearing discouraged the wearing of round garters around the upper leg because of the constriction of blood vessels. But some mothers preferred them to hose supporters which required the wearing of a garter waist or special underwear (such as underwaists or waist union suits) with the necessary pin tubes or other devices for attaching them. Round garters were simpler for small children to manage.

Created: 1:16 AM 2/19/2005
Last updated: 5:43 PM 2/26/2005