Figure 1.--It is usually easy to identify age grading because of obvious age fifferences. This portrait is a little more difficult because the boys, presumably brothers, are close in age. One boy wears a blouse and floppy bow. His brother wears a standard suit and necktie. This is interesting because it was common for boys this age to wear floppy bows with suits. Both boys wear knee pants and black long stockings. We suspect that the difference here is that the boy on the right has taken a major step like beginning school. The cabinet card portrait is undated, but the clothes and mount style suggests it was taken in the 1900s, probably about 1905. The studio imprint is difficulkt to read, but we know the boys were from Wisconsin.

We still see pronounced age grading in the early 20th century, especially in the period before World War I and even into the inter-War era. We see floppy bows and large collars being used as age grading items. With mass media and ready made clothing, there were more standard conventions for age-graded clothing. Age grading persisted to some degree well after World War II, but it was no nearly so pronounced. After World War I the type of pants became more important in age grading. Age grading is a convention that virtually disappeared in the late-20th century. We are not sure why age grading went out of style. Our reader also raises an interesting question. "I don't understand why that has now become so unfashionable. Boyswear today tries to make no concession to differences in age other than to make clothing in different sizes. Perhaps it has something to do with the spirit of equality that began with the Civil Rights Movement, and then extended to the Women's Rights Movement. The ideas of rank and privilege became unfashionable, and so not only did it seem right that children should dress as adults, but it also became possible for adults to dress as children without loss of status. Now clothing is used only to indicate how much money you have, not how old you are. But how can you make a t-shirt look expensive? The answer is to print the brand name boldly across the front and back of the t-shirt. Certain brands are famous for being expensive, even though they are no more better-made than an unbranded t-shirt."

Created: 11:34 PM 9/9/2011
Last updated: 11:34 PM 9/9/2011