Figure 1.--This is the second page of children's dresses offered in the Atsma 1906 catalog. The various offerings were done in sizes 6montha to 6 years. Alhough the conventuion for younger boys to wear dresses was declining, the convention had not yet totally disappeared. Click on the image to see the first page.

Little boys for centuries wore dresses. This began to chnge in America during the mid-19th century when we see kilt suits appearing. Younger boys still wore dresses, but at about 1 1/2-3 yers we see kilt suits becoming more prevalent for boys. This continue into the very early-1900s when both dresses and kilt suits were going out of style. We still see a few bots wearing dresses in the 1900s. A good examole is offerings in the 1906 Atsma catalog. We do not know a lot about the company. It does not appear to have been a very large company. And we can find no trace of it on the internet. We note a range of different styles offered for children and not just girls. The age range is months to 6 years, buth varied from item to item. The reference to 'short dresses' refes to the long dresses commony used for very young children. Girls could have worn any of the styles depicted. There is no mention of gender, but the dress styles and hair styling suggest some styles suitable for boys and girls. Nos. 1212, 1215, 1218, 1220, 1221, and 1223 would seem the most suitable for boys. While some of these dresses were done in sizes up to 6 years, it is likely that for the most part the boys actually weearing these dressess would have mostly been only up to 3 years of age perhaps 4 years. Dress 1218 looks rather like a tunic suit. All the different styles are pictured with ankle socks at a time that long stockings were commonly worn by children and not only school-age chidren. .

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Created: 5:04 PM 8/12/2025
Last updated: 5:04 PM 8/12/2025