Figure 1.-- We notice a Putnam & Sons ad in the local newspaperduring 1904. Their offerings included Norfolk, Eton, and double-breasted suitsm although the illustration (upper left coirner) seems to be a generic representation. Putnam & Sons was a boys' outfitters in Lowell, Massahusetts. Their ad is interesting because it shows a store advertising an entire boy's outfit including just about everything but shoes and stockings. This was a local clothier in the industrial city of Lowell that had just expanded its boys' department.

We notice a Putnam & Sons ad in the local newspaperduring 1904. Their offerings included Norfolk, Eton, and double-breasted suits. Putnam & Sons was a boys' outfitters in Lowell, Massahusetts. Their ad is interesting because it shows a store advertising an entire boy's outfit including just about everything but shoes and stockings. This was a local clothier in the industrial city of Lowell that had just expanded its boys' department and offers in the ad not only suits, but also various accessories, including overcoats, gloves, mittens, blouses, shirts, ties, nightwear, underwear, school caps, tams, underwaists, elastic supporters, and even cuff links. Of course the suit was the most important part of sa boy's wardrobe. The ages are from young boys of 2 up to at least 16.

Newspaper Ads

We noted this ad from the Lowell Sun, the local newspaper (October 13, 1904, page 16). . We are not sure just when in the 19th century that clothibg stores began using newsppers for afvertising. It was clearly a well-established practice in the early 20th century. The ad appeared juat after boys and begun school, but before te really cold weather had set in.

Lowell Massachusetts

Lowell was very much a working-class town and was dominated by factories of various kinds. They made shoes, for instance. And there were cloth mills as well, I believe.

Putnam & Sons

We notice a Putnam & Sons ad in the local newspaperduring 1904. Putnam & Sons was a men's and boys' outfitters in Lowell, Massahusetts. Their ad is interesting because it shows a store advertising an entire boy's outfit including just about everything but shoes and stockings. This provides a useful idea as to what was offered at well-stocked boys' outfitter. This was a local clothier in the industrial city of Lowell that had just expanded its boys' department. HBC carried many items from the major catalog compsnies. It is also useful see what fashions were available in local stores. The ad copy explained, "Here has been the most astonishing increase of business imaginable and every day this boys’ store of ours grows in popular favor. Here we mean that mothers of boys shall find every thing their boy wears—the boy of 3 years and every boy up to 16. Good things, worthy things, satisfactory to you and creditable to us—priced as low as dependable things can be sold for."

The American Boy

Another feature is the free subscription to The American Boy, a magazine for boys, to be had with purchases of $5.00 or more. The ad copy read, "The American Boy Magazine Free. Hundreds of boys have been made happy this fall with our gift of this splendid magazine—your boy can have it without a cent of expense. We give a whole year’s subscription to the American Boy Magazine FREE with every purchase in our boys’ room of $5.00." The American Boy was a highly popular monthly magazine for boys. It cost 15 cents a copy. It was published from about the turn of the 20th century century up through at least the early 1940s. At the time of this ad, it was a new, but rapidly growing in popularity. It was already one of the most popular youth magazines, in part because St Nucholas rapidly declined in popularity during the early 20th century. The content was largely dominated by fiction articles strssing adventure stories, but there was also non-fiction material and many regulat departments appealing to boys.

Offerings

Putnam & Sons was a boys' outfitters in Lowell, Massahusetts. Their ad is interesting because it shows a store advertising an entire boy's outfit including just about everything but shoes and stockings. This was a local clothier in the industrial city of Lowell that had just expanded its boys' department and offers in the ad not only suits, but also various accessories, including overcoats, gloves, mittens, blouses, shirts, ties, nightwear, underwear, school caps, tams, underwaists, elastic supporters, and even cuff links. Of course the suit was the most important part of a boy's wardrobe. The ages are from young boys of 2 up to at least 16. The ad also offered a variety of boys' finishing, basically everything elso but the suit. There are additional illustrations of a boy in a shirt (or blouse), a boy in a turtle-neck sweater, a boy in a school peaked cap, and a boy in an underwaist with supporters and wearing long stockings. The only items of boys' clothing that seem to be missing are stockings and shoes (also suspenders for trousers), but these were undoubtedly available as well. The prices seem extremely low by today's standards and were probably low even for 1904.

Suits

Putnam & Sons offerings included Norfolk, Eton, and double-breasted suits. The illustrations, drawings or sketches only, are interesting. At the top of the advertisement we have a boy of about 14 wearing a knee pants suit with black long stockings playing with his dog, seated on a table. There is also an illustration of a much younger boy in a Russian blouse suit with bloomer knickers. The ad copy read described the basic suits available, but not in great detail.

Finishings

The ad also offered a variety of boys' finishing, basically everything elso but the suit. There are additional illustrations of a boy in a shirt (or blouse), a boy in a turtle-neck sweater, a boy in a school peaked cap, and a boy in an underwaist with supporters and wearing long stockings. The only items of boys' clothing that seem to be missing are stockings and shoes (also suspenders for trousers), but these were undoubtedly available as well. The prices seem extremely low by today's standards and were probably low even for 1904.

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Created: 7:41 PM 5/21/2008
Last updated: 7:41 PM 5/21/2008