Figure 1.-- Here we see some of the Russian blouse outfits offered by Wards in their Summer 1914 catalog. Notice the wide variety of styles.
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Figure 1.-- Here we see some of the Russian blouse outfits offered by Wards in their Summer 1914 catalog. Notice the wide variety of styles. |
Wards in its Summer 1914 catalog offered several styles of wash suits. Mist were Russian blouse suits. There were also Sailor blouse suits and French blouse suits. Here are some of thise suits. The term suits are used because the top and bottom are of the same or cntrasting material.
Here are two of the styles of Russian blouses offered by Wards in 1914.
The Wards ad copy reads, "Child's Russian Blouse Suit. Made of a woven fast color Chambray. This garment has a belt of the same material. Is neatly trimmed with white pique, which gives it a very dressy disappearance. The breeches are made bloomer style, with the inside button waist band. A garment of this description would cost a great deal more at retail than we offer it here. Sizes 2 1/2 to 7 years.
Same as the above only done in blue.
The Wrds ad copy read, "65 c Child's Russian Blouse Suit. This suit is made of a white wash material, woven to look like Butcher's linen. Will launder nicely. The collar, belt, and tie are made of medium blue, fst colorcotton material. The collar is trimmed with a narrow white braid. The trimmings add just enough color to this suit to make it a very desirble little dress-up suit. Suit can be worn on all occassions. The breeches are made bloomer style with button hole band around the waist. Sizes 2 1/2 to 7 years."
Here we see one of the sailor blouse suits offered by Wards in the Summer 1914 catalog.
The Wards ad copy read, "Child's Sailor Blouse Suit. This suit is made of an alternate blue and white stripe cotton wash fabric. Makes an ttractive play suit for the little fellow. Collar is made of fast color navy blue material, which will not run when washed, ans is trimmed with white braid. The tie is made of the same dark blue material, and is securely fasened to the blouse. The breeches are made bloomer style with button hole waist band. Sizes 3 to 8 years."
Notice that the boys here wearing Russian blouses (tunic suits) are shown wearing short socks. The older boy wearing a sailor blouse suit is shown wearing long stockings--even though this is a Summer catalog. Wards here suggests an age convention for short socks and long stockings. (Actually the size range of the two garmentts was quite similarNote the color of the lonjg stockings. They are shown as grey or blusish grey, I'm not quite sure about this. It seems to us unlikely that boys wore light blue stockings. Grey is a possibility, but dark or black long stockings were more common at the time. A reader writes, "I don't think the stockings are blue, especially light blue. I think this is the artist's way of indicating either black or gray stockings. Making the
stockings really black would have spoiled the pastel shades of the ad in general, so I think this indicates black stockings probably (but with the black muted). Maybe gray is a possibility, but I think black is what the shoppers would assume."
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