Jack and Santa (United States, 1930)


Figure 1.--By the 1920s after World War I, a potrait with Santa had become a standard ritual for American children. This American photo postcard was taken December 18, 1930. The boy's name was Jack. The card was sent to grandma. Jack wears a long-sleeve white shirt and tie. Even though it is December, it is not wearing a sweater or jacket. Presumably he had a coat which he took off for the portrait. He has self-belted dark short pants and light-colored long stockings with low-cut oxford shoes. Ribbed stockings seemed most popular for winter wear. Put your cursor on the image to see the message on the postcard.

By the 1920s after World War I, a potrait with Santa had become a standard ritual for American children. Ribbed stockings seemed most popular for winter wear. This American photo postcard was taken December 18, 1930. The boy's name was Jack. The card was sent to grandma. Jack wears a long-sleeve white shirt and tie. Even though it is December, it is not wearing a sweater or jacket. Presumably he had a coat which he took off for the portrait. He has self-belted dark short pants and light-colored long stockings with low-cut oxford shoes. Ribbed stockings seemed most popular for winter wear.

Jack

The boy's name was Jack which we know because the card was sent to grandma. Jack looks to be about 5-6 years of age. Q reader writes, "How old is Jack in the Santa picture? I thought at least 7 and maybe 8. Surely not younger than 6." Well I would say 5 and 6 at the oldest. I think 7 seems high to me. Assessing age in these pictures is tricky. One thing to consider here is children and Santa. I figured the whole thing out at age 5. At 7 I think most kids have figured things out--but admitedly not all. Of course you have to consuder that children in the 1930s were not as knowing as modern children. Even in the 30s, however, I think a lot of 7 and 8 year olds knew bout Santa.

Family

We know mothing about the family. We suspect they came from an affluent, but not rich family. The portrait was taken during the Depression. Jack looks, however, to be well dressed and there is money for little niceties such as a portrair with Santa.

Location

We have no idea where Jack lived. The long stockings suggest northern or mid-western states. The item was available from a northwestern dealer, but that does not necesarily mean that was where it was taken. A HBC contribtor tells us, "I learned from the seller of the photo that it was found in Portland, Oregon. This is no proof of where it was taken, but Oregon can be chilly and mother may have wanted to dress Jack warmly in December 1930. Portland is snowed in today, according to the vendor and it is quite chilly outside. So I think the northwest is a strong possibility for the location."

Chronology

Here we know the precise date the postcard was mailed because it was dated. The poetrait may have been taken a few days earlier. The postcard was written December 18, 1930.

Santa

By the 1920s after World War I, a potrait with Santa had become a standard ritual for American children. We see images of Santa before the 1920s, but we do not note department stores Santa photographs earlier. Today most American children have their portraits taken with Santa. We wonder just what Jack thought about Santa. We suspect that he was a believer. His expression, however, suggests to us that doubts have begun to creep in.

Clothing

Jack wears a long-sleeve white shirt and tie. Even though it is December, it is not wearing a sweater or jacket. Presumably he had a coat which he took off for the portrait. He has self-belted dark short pants. Jack wears a wide "self-belt". These were belts made in the same material and color as the shorts. This was a popular style in the 1930s-early 50s. If you look closely you can see two white buttons above the belt on either side of the buckle. These buttons were attached to the waist of the shirt and buttoned on to the shorts to hold them up. A reader writes, "Almost all button-on suits have the buttons on the blouse and the button holes on the short trousers, as here. But the boy in the Santa Claus picture (the Oregon photo) has white buttons on the trousers, not on his shirt. This almost certainly means that the buttons are for suspenders (if he chose to wear suspenders instead of or in addition to the self-belt). Boys' blouses almost never had just button holes because this would mean that the shirt would come down over the waistline of the trousers--i.e. the shirt would be on top of the trousers and couldn't be tucked in+. Blouses that tied around the waist did of course come over the trousers waist, but that is an entirely >> different situation. In that case the trousers would button on to an underwaist, but the buttons would still be on the upper garment, not the trousers. The only reason for waist buttons on trousers would, I think, be suspenders, which would go on top of the shirt." This is not a subject I know much about. HBC and the images are a learning expoerience. My take on Jack is that the white buttons were on the shirt and you can see them in the image because they have been put through the > button holes in the shorts. As to suspenders. I think that the buttons for suspenders were normally put inside the waistline. I'm not positive about this, but this is my general impression. Our reader werites, "I guess your interpretation is possible, but if the shirt has buttons, I'm suprised we don't see them on the sides also." The belt itself was ornamental and cobered the buttons. Jack also wears ight-colored long stockings with low-cut oxford shoes. Ribbed stockings seemed most popular for winter wear. Even so we see children commonly wearing flast-weave stockings during the winter.

Reader Comment

A reader tells us, "This postcard was very nostalgic for me. This boy's clothes remind me very much of my own boyhood since this is pretty much the way I was dressed until about 12 years old. The stockings are the same length and color as those I wore, and the shorts are similar also. I even wore white shirts like this boy. This was pretty much my school dress during the 1930s in Pennsylvania and New England and even into the early 1940s. Do we know what part of the country this photo was taken in?







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Related HBC Hosiery Pages:
[Return to the main Main 1930s long stocking weave chronology]
[Return to the main Main American Christmas page]
[Return to the main Main ordinary biography 20th century page]
[Knee socks] [White knee socks] [Long stockings]
[Striped socks] [White stockings] [Tights]
[Button-on clothing] [Self-belts]



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Created: 5:54 PM 1/15/2007
Last updated: 6:15 PM 1/18/2007