Figure 1.--Master Franklin had his portrait taken in his blue sailor suit on his 10th birthday in 1891. A few months before he had worn a similar sailor suit when he attended a German school for a few weeks. Almost all the portraits of his from about age 7 through age 12 show him wearing sailor suits.

Much more popular with Franklin than his his previous atire were sailor suits. It is the sailor suit that is most assiciated with Franklin's boyhood. Many photographs exist of him in sailor suits. Franklin from an early age showed a love of the sea. He sailed as a boy and later took the children sailing. It is not surprising that he became Assistant Secretary of the Navy. We do not know to what extent wearing sailor suits affected his thinking about the sea and the Navy. The sailor suit by the 1880s was a popular outfit for a boy. Even Little Lord Fauntleroy in Mrs. Burnette's book is illustarted wearing a sailor suit. It is interesting to note, however, that FDR's attachment to the Navy and insistence on naval spending in the years leading up to World War II had a critical role in the War. I'm not sure when he began wearing sailor suits, but it appears to have been at about 6 or 7 years of age. Nor am I positive what he thought of them. Presumably he considered them a destincr improvement on what he was previously wearing, but I know of no actual correspondence indicating his opinion on the matter. We note that he wore a sailor suit when he was sent to school for a few weeks in Germany. There are both white and blue suits, deprending on the season. They were worn with various style dickies. He appears to have mostly worn flat top sailor caps. I have not noticed images of him wearing broad-brimmed sailor hats. Photographs show him still wearing them at about 12 or 13 years of age. We are not precisely sure when he stopped wearing sailor suits, but presume it was about the time he went away to school at Gorton.

Common Attire

Much more popular with Franklin than his his previous atire were sailor suits. It is the sailor suit that is most assiciated with Franklin's boyhood. Many photographs exist of him in sailor suits. Thre dsailor suit was probably the most popular boys' outfit of all time. It was very widely worn in America at the time and perhaps even more widely worn in Europe, although this varried from country to country. The sailor suit by the 1880s was a popular outfit for a boy. Even Little Lord Fauntleroy in Mrs. Burnette's book is illustarted wearing a sailor suit. Clothing catalogs of the time have whole pages, sometimes more devoyed to different styles of sailor suits available for boys and by the 1890s girls as well.

Age

Almost all the portraits of Franklin from about age 7 through age 12 show him wearing sailor suits. I'm not sure when he began wearing sailor suits, but it appears to have been at about 6 or 7 years of age. Photographs show him still wearing them at about 12 or 13 years of age. We are not precisely sure when he stopped wearing sailor suits, but presume it was about the time he went away to school at Gorton.

Love of the Sea

Franklin from an early age showed a love of the sea. He sailed as a boy and later took the children sailing. It is not surprising that he became Assistant Secretary of the Navy. We do not know to what extent wearing sailor suits affected his thinking about the sea and the Navy. It is interesting to note, however, that FDR's attachment to the Navy and insistence on naval spending in the years leading up to World War II had a critical role in the War. Of course who knows how Franklin's boyhood experiences affecting his thinking as president. Many may dismiss the idea, but we tend to think that an individuals's childhood experiences affect one's behavior and outlookmin ways that the individual hinself is often not aware. In Franklin's case we believe that he grew up with a love of the sea, perhaps influenced by his sailor suits, certainly by swiming and sailing at Campobello. Surely the idea that a country's prime symbol of military power was the navy (at the time a battleship) must have affected him as president. With burgenoning deficits during the New Deals struggle against the Depression, FDR insisted on some naval spending as the threat from the dictators arose in the Pacific and Europe during the 1930s. In the dark early months of World War II, the only force that stood between Australia, New Zealand, and the American West coast and the Imperial Japanese Navy was four valliant American carriers.

Kaiser Wilhelm

Two other little boys a generation earlier grew up wearing sailor suits--Prince Wilhelm and his brother Henry. Each year Prince Wilhelm and his brother would be taken by their English mother to vist their English cousins--also suitably attired in sailor suits. There would be naval reviews and actual visits aborad ships. Both Prince Wilhelm and Prince Henry deeveloped an admiration for the Navy. Prince Henry made a caree in the Navy. Prince Wilhelm decided to do much more, he decided to build a navy! And not just any navy, but a Kriegesmarine that would rival the British Grand Fleet. This was arguably the single greatest mistake ever made by a German leader. There was something else that Wilhelm and Franklin shared, they were both handicapped. Wilhelm was handicapped from birth and less severely. Franklin became handicapped as an adult and very secerely.

Franklin's Opinion

Nor am I positive what he thought of them. Presumably he considered them a destinct improvement on what he was previously wearing, but I know of no actual correspondence indicating his opinion on the matter.

School in Germany

We note that he wore a sailor suit when he was sent to school for a few weeks in Germany. We are not sure why. His father did the same with his eldest son Rosy, for whom it was a dreadful experience. Franklin did not seem to mind. Probably it was done primarily to occupy an active boy. Franklin was sent to a Stadtschule for 6 weeks. The school principal, Christian Bommerscheim was quite impressed, or so he told Frabklin's parents, praising his "assiduous zeal". This is interesting given that Franklin although bright was generally an indifferent student. We are not sure just how he got on with the boys at the school, espcially as it was the first school he ever attended. He knew some German, but was hardly fluent. He was a year younger than his classmates. His motherinsisted on sending him off to school in a blue sailor suit. [Ward, p. 149.]

Styles

All of Franklin's sailor suits were very traditionally styled suits. There are both white and blue suits, deprending on the season. They were worn with various style dickies. We note him commonly wearing white middy blouses during the summer on outings such as family picnics. Many of the available pirtraits show him wearing blue sailor suits.

Caps

He appears to have mostly worn flat top sailor caps. I have not noticed images of him wearing broad-brimmed sailor hats.

Other Outfits

The fact that Franklin so commonly wore sailor suots leads us to the question, did he have any other outfits. The sailor suit was a very vesitile outfit. A boy from an affluent family like Franklin would havde had several different sailor suits for different occassions. The sailor suit could be wirn for play, school, church, parties, even weddings and other formal occassions. It is possible that this is all Franklin wore. We do not know if he had any other suits for special occassions. We note that despite growing up at the heighth of the Faunteroy mania, Franklin does not seem to have worn a Fauntleroy or other fancy suit--at least he was never photographed in one.

Sources

Ward, Geoffrey. Before the Trumpet: Young Franklin Roosevelt, 1882-1905 (Harper and Row: New York, 1985), 390p.