Romper Usage: Play Suit Rompers

boys rompers
Figure 1.--Here we see an unidenbtified boy in a romper su suit play outfit. There is no information available on the snap shot, but it is clearly southern Europe. We might guess Italy. And it look like the 1950s.

There were different types of romper play uits. Children's rompers appeared in the 1910s. The original romper was a play suit. They appear to have been initially worn for play around the home. They were one piece costumes with bloomer legs of various lengths. Rompers were primarily a play costime, an alternative to smocks, another popular garment for chidren. They were light and loose fitting, a major change from the much more restricive clothing children wore during the 19th Century Victorian era. They are in many ways the first modern casual clothes for children. This was in many ways a revolution in children's wear. Children's clothes were not previously created for play. The romper was the first true play suit. This is a more revolutionary development than it may sound to the modern reader. Play was not an activity that was incouraged even as late as the 19th Century. Play was seen as a waste of time by many. Thus it was no accident that the pay suit appeared as our modern concepts of childhood and child rearing was emerging. The comfy romper which appeared at the turn of the century saw baby and younger children through many hours of unrestricted play. Play rompers were only worn by younger children and not school-age boys. The original rompers were play suits that covere up most of the child including the arms and even the legs to the knee. Over time after World War I we begin to see romper play suits which did not so completely cover the child. This led to the romper sun suit which were shirt romper pants with onky a small bib front. The arms, shoulders, and back were left bare. At the time sunlight began to be seen as healthy.





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Created: 6:19 AM 5/1/2017
Last updated: 6:19 AM 5/1/2017