Figure 1.-- Here we see two little boy outfits offered by Wards in their Summer 1914 catalog. The outfit on the left is a French blouse suit. The outfit on the right is one of several Russian blouses offered. These outfits are shown as play suits. Others were done in fancier styles. Both were done in sizes 2 1/2 to 7 years. |
We note Ward's offering French blouse outfist. Most of the wash suits were tunic suits called Russian blouse suits. We are not precisely sure what Wards meant by a French blouse. Apparently the blouse or top did not extend beyond the waistlinbe like the tunic suit. We are not sure to what extent this was a common term in the trade or just a term used by Wards. They were sizedT for children 2 1/2 to 7 years of age, just like the tunic suits.
Although the word "consumerism" has a modern ring, it was personal concern for an early consumer movement, the "National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry," That inspired a young traveling salesman named Aaron Montgomery Ward to start the world's first general merchandise mail-order company in 1872. Aaron Montgomery Ward was born on February 17, 1844, in Chatham, New Jersey, to a family whose forebears had served as officers in the French and Indian Wars as well as in the American Revolution. Looking for something more compatible, Monty left home and followed the river to Lake Michigan and the town of St. Joseph, county seat and market for outlying fruit orchards. Chicago was the center of the wholesale dry goods trade and in the 1860s Ward joined the leading dry goods house, Field Palmer & Leiter. As a retailer, Potter Palmer had previously built a reputation for fair dealing. Ward absorbed these principles while working as a clerk for $5. The Chicago City Directories for 1868 through 1870 listed Ward as a salesman for Wills, Greg & Co. and later for Stetthauers & Wineman, both dry goods houses. In 1870, after canvassing territory in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ward was again footloose. The plan shaping in Ward's mind was to buy goods at low cost for cash. By eliminating intermediaries, with their markups and commissions, and cutting selling costs to the bone, he could offer goods to people, however remote, at appealing prices - for cash. Since its founding in 1872, the company has literally "grown up with America" and has had a major impact on the shopping habits of a nation of consumers. Montgomery Ward & Co. discontinued its catalog operations in 1985 as part of its restructuring effort to change itself into a modern, competitive chain of value-driven specialty stores, a move which for a time saved the company. week
I'm not familiar with the term French blouse. I'm not sure how commonly the term was used in the trade. It appears to be a blouse that does not extend below the waistline like a Russian blouse, but it does not blouse out at the waist. The waist has colored trim like the cuffs
The illustration shows the this French blouse suit as a boy's outfit. We have seen girls wearing similar the Russian blouse outfits, but here the French blouse outfit is depicted as a boys' garment. The suggestion was that this was a play outfit, but could be worn as dressy suits as well.
These wash suits consisted of a top (the French blouse) and bloomer knickers. I think the French blouse differed from the Russian blouse primarily on the basis of the length of the garment. The pants were mostly bloomer knickers (knee-length pants with elasticised leg closings).
We refer to these outfits as Russian blouse/tunic suits because the tunic jacket and pants match or were coordinated.
Wards offered quite a few different styles of Russian blouses, but only one style of French blouse.
The ad copy read, "$1.50 Child's French Blouse Suit. Made of a olain white wash material. The collar, mcuffs, shield, tie, and waist band are made of fast color, blue or red wash fabric. Collar, cuffs, and shield are trimmed with soutache and flat braids. Breeches are made bloomer style, with inside button hole waist band. A very attractive garment for older children as well as little tots. Sizes 2 1/2 to 7 years."
Same as the above only trimmed in red.
Several other garments are shown in the illustrations. The garments are clearly summer styles.
The boy in the French blouse here a soft sailor cap. The same style was also worn with the sailor hats like the turned-down brim style the boy in the Russian blouse is wearing.
Long stockings were still very common for children in 1914. Note that the younger boys here in summer outfits are all pictured wearing short socks. We have noted photographic portraits showing boys wearing these outfits with long stockings. Also the slightly older boys on this page shown wearing sailor rather than Russian blouses are shown wearing long stockings. The convention suggested by this is short socks leaving the knees bare were only appropriate for younger boys.
The boy is shown wearing strap shoes similar to the footwear for the Russian blouse suits.
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