Figure 1.--These brothers about 1910 wear matching white tunic suits They are boys of the Brooks family of Goodland, Indiana. They look to be about 3-5 years old. The snapshots were taken at the family home. Note the large porch. Porches were wonderful play areas for children. The boys wear white three-quarter socks and ankle patent leather strap shoes.

The footwear worn with tunic suits has varied. We see quite a range of foorwear. Chronological trends were important as footwear styles varied a good deal over the more than a century that boys wore tunics. We are not sure about the footwear with tunics in the early-19th century. We mostly-see high-top shpes in the second half of the 19th century. Footwear becomes much more varied in the early-20th century. We still see high-top shoes, but we also see strap shoes, sandals, and low-cut shoes. Both seasonality and formality was involved in the choice of footwear which was nit the case in the 19oth century. We see quite a few boys wearing strap shoes when wearing dressy tunic suits. We notice both ankle and instep trap shoes. A range of other shoe types were also worn, especially when the boys were not dressing up. We note sandals for more casual occassions. High-top shoes were also worn. They were the standard footwear for boys during the 1900s and 10s when tunics suits were most popular. The high tops we do see were especiailly common for the older boys wearing tunics and worn seasonally during the winter. Low-cut oxfords seem less common. We also see some boys wearing sandals, mostly double-bar closed toe sandals. Another option was to go barefoot during the summer. We see quite a few boysearing tunics going barefoot.

Chronology

We see American boys wearing a range of foorwear with tunics over time. Chronological trends were important as footwear styles varied a good deal over the more than a century that boys wore tunics. We are not sure about the footwear with tunics in the early-19th century. We mostly-see high-top shpes in the second half of the 19th century. Footwear becomes much more varied in the early-20th century. We still see high-top shoes, but we also see strap shoes, sandals, and low-cut shoes.

Seasonality

Seasonality seems a factor in the footwear worn with tunics, at least in the 20th century. we are not sure about the early 20th century, but most of what we see is high-top shoes in the late-19th century. Of course this was almost entirely formal studio photography. This chnged after the turn-of-the 20 century. The Kodak Brownie and other amateur systems meant that we no longer have a photigraphic recoird based almost exclusively on formal studio photography. We see boys wearing strap shoes, sandals, low-cut shoe and goung barefoot. We also continue to see high-top shoes, especially with heavy winter tunic suits.

Formality

All we know about the 19th century is boys were generally dressed up in their best clothes for a studio photographic portrait. And as far as we can tell, tunic were considered a dressy outfit. We know very little about the early-19th century, but we begin to see them at mid-century. All look to be formal dressy outfits. The situation was a little different After the turn-of the 20th century, tunics were still worn as a dressy garment, but we see some younger boys wearing them as a play garment. After the mid-19th century we mostly see boys wearing high-top shoe. This was not the case for the boys wearing tunics, least what we have found so far in the photographic record. We see quite a number of low-cut strap shoes. This may reflect to some extent the age of the younger boys commonly wearing tunics. High-top shoes were very common and this continued into the 20th century. We see see more varied footwear in the 20th century, but the choices do not seem to have been determined to a large degree by formality. We see boys wearing strap shoes which might be seen as formal wear for casual occasions. And we see sandals, although it is not always clear that they were seen as casual footwear. Notice the boys here playing at home wearing strap shoes. They look to be dressed rather formally. We see a few boys wearing closed-toe sandals in the early-20th century. Perhaps the most clear indication of fasual wear, however, is boys going barefoot.

Footwear Types

High top shoes clearly dominated Almost all of the boys wearing tunics during the second half of the 19th century wire tunics with high-top shoes. High-top shoes were also worn. They were the standard footwear for boys during the 1900s and 10s when tunics suits were most popular. The high tops we do see were especiailly common for the older boys wearing tunics and worn seasonally during the winter. We have noted boys wearing a range of othe footwear with tunic outfits. Most of the various types of footwear were worn with tunics, the primary eception being sneakers which begab to be popular just as tunic suits were going out of style. We see quite a few boys wearing strap shoes when wearing dressy tunic suits. We notice both ankle and instep trap shoes. A range of other shoe types were also worn, especially when the boys were not dressing up. We note sandals for more casual occassions, although conventions were not yet well establoshed. Low-cut oxfords seem less common. We also see some boys wearing sandals, mostly double-bar closed toe sandals. Another option was to go barefoot during the summer. We see quite a few boysearing tunics going barefoot.

Created: 6:55 PM 11/24/2014
Last edited: 6:52 AM 4/12/2023