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We have also found large numbers of images in which the children are not identified. Thus the images are not as helpful in establishing just what the gender conventions were. Here we often have an idea about gender, but are often unable to identify the gender with any degree of certainty. We did not just want to discard these images, but we stress that the insights developed here are not as valid as those developed with images that have been definitely identified. And of course we incourage readers to offer their own insights as to the possible gender of the children here. Even if we can't defiatively identify the children, we often can date the images. And the dates provide some information on the trends.
These children were from Moscow, Idaho and had their portrait taken in the H. Erichson studio (figure 1). The portrait is not dated, but was probably taken in the 1890s. The children were not identified. At first glance it looks like a boy and girls, probably siblings. The older child is obviously a boy. We are not sure about the younger child, but we believe he may also be a boy. The plain dress and wide white collar suggest the child may be a boy, but we are not positive.
This is another unidentified cabinet card. The older child wear a suit, large white collsr, and white floppy bow is obviously a boy. He looks to be about 8-9 years old and has short hair. What we are unsure about is his younger sibling who looks to be about 5 years old. The child seems to be a girl, although we are not at all sure. The garment seems to be a frilly dress bodice rather than a fancy Fauntleroy blouse. The child has varefully done ringlet which mother have carefully position to show up in the photograph. Notice the small curls at the forehead. The pinking seated edges he;ps to date it to about 1890, probably the early 90s. This was a time when ringlet curls for boys were especially fashionable. We have seen boys with bangs done like this, but it was not the most common style. We are less sure how common ot was for girls at the time. The studio is Erler in Peoria, Illinois.
Here we have another unidentified cabinet card. The children look to be about 8-10 years old. We assume they are children, although we are not at all sure. The child on the right wearing a dress is almost certainly a boy. We are not at all sure about the child in ringletrs wearing a knee pants suit on the left. The child may be a girl. If so this portrait involved the children changing clothes. Girls did not wear pants in the 1880s. Boys of courese did wear dresses, but usually boy younger than the ione here. The dealer selling this portrait thinks that the children exchanged clothes as a lark. That may well be, but there was no way to tell. We are left without knpwing whose idea it was or if the children particularly enjoyed the little joy. The portrait is also undated, but we would guess it was taken in the 1880s. The portrait was taken at vthe Hill & Sons studio in Battle Creek, Muchigan.
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