Figure 1.--This illustration appeared in a French fashion magazine. Unfotunately we do not yet have the title and date. We would guess that ir was some time in the 1820s or 30s, probably the 30s. The caption reads: " La promenade sous le berceau . Les deux petites demoiselles qui forment le berceau, sont parties de la même jambe." This 19th century text is a bit difficult to understand. More modern French would be, " La promenade sous le jeu de corde , Les deux petites demoiselles ensemble sont parties du même pied." This would mean in English something like, "Walking while skipping rope. The two young ladies which are about to jump have started on the same foot. I was hoping it was a comment on the clothing, but rather it is about the girls who are jumping rope.

We though the image was from the post-Napoleonic era in the 1920s or 30s. French reader believes it may be from the Second Empire. The Second Empire of Louis Napoleon began in 1849 and lasted until the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). He writes, "This image may be dated from " Second Empire " périod in Paris. Because during early-19th century the little boys and little girls had practicly the same look and it was sometime a bit difficult to know the gender, excepted by their toys. The color convention boy/girl still didn't exited really. By the middle-19th century the boy's tunic became shorter and shorter, shorter than girls' skirts. so it became easier to destinguish a child's gender, even if younger boys had a dolly to cuddle. In this image, there is only one boy. The others are girls. The little boy plays with his hoop which was popular in the city park and in the French country. Notice he takes a small stick, very usefull to run or to turn faster! A hoop is un cerceau in French. I perfectly remember seeing boys in the 1950s playing with hoops. Some boys used an old bike wheel. Skipping rope has been very popular in France , since a very long time. It is only a girls' game. To day it is still very popular in the Fench kindergarden and primary schools. My sister in the 1950s had several ropes she played with in the house and in the street. At school, the girls are allowed to bring a skip rope or little ball. In my time, boys could only bring marbles to play with at school. The play balls were forbidden for the tall boys, considered too dangeroux for the little boys which were together with them ... and don't forget the window pane! "