Figure 1.--We at first thought this was a postcard-back family portrait, but the incription on the back suggested it was a commercial card. It provided the name of the studio--G. Belleville Photo in Rouen. This is a seaside city in Normandy. We thought it might be a commercial post card made to illustrate folk costumes. A French reader tells us that it was not a commercial post card, but a standard studio portrait. (Comparable American portraits did not have studio imprints.) The portrait is undated, but our French reader tells us was taken in the early 1920s and the children are wearing their school smocks. The smocks seem the same, but the the boy has an Eton collar and bow. The hat seems strange for school and may be a folk influence.

The smock was a garment that was worn in rural areas during the 9th century. This was also true in England. As a result smocks seemed to have been integrated into folk costumes in different areas of France. Here our information is very limited. We have noted some images of folk costumes including smocks. These were no children's smocks. Folk costumes in general were age destinctive, but were styles worn by both children and adults. We are not yet sure about the regional nature of the smock in folk costuming. We hope to develop more information on this as HBC develops.

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Created: 8:56 PM 11/5/2008
Last updated: 8:57 PM 11/5/2008