Figure 1.--These Boston children were dressed up for a formal cabinent portrait. The portrait is undated, but was probably taken in the 1890s. Note the boys' fancy blouses and floppy bows. |
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We had thought that the fancy blouses worn in the late-19th and early-20th century were mostly worn for formal dress and to a lesser extent school. We see them being worn for formal occassions as well as studio portraits with every one wearing their best clothes. The full range of conventiond is difficult to assess in the 19th century because photography was mostly formal studio portraits where mother dressed up the children in their best outfits. The Kodal Brownie followed by other cameras changed this in 1900. All of sudden we have all kinds of family snapshots depicting everyday like. We note one photograph of two Michigan boys returning hime from a fishing expedition dressed in fancy blouses. And we note two New York city boys playing in the street. So we think that they may have been worn for casual wear as well as formal occassions.
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