Figure 1.--Note that when these children dresses up, the girl wore her party dress and the boy wore a tunic suit. HBC dates this American studio portrait at about 1905. Also notice that the girl does not wear ringlets like her brother.

Gender Conventions

Tunics were primarily a boys' garment. HBC has noted, however, girls wearing them in the early 20th century. Perhaps they were girls with older brothers and wearing hand-me-downs. Boys might have a tunic suit as his dress outfit. While girls might wear tights, they would not wear them as a dressoutfit. Girls would dress up in a frilly party dress--not a plain tunic. I'm also not sure that tunics were actually made for girls.

Gender Styling

Tunics or blouse suits appear to have been worn by both boys and girls. HBC is ubnsure if there were actualy some gender differences in these tunics. As it is some times difficult to identify the gender of the child, the differences in boys and girls tunics would be helpful in assessing old photographs. It may well that girls might have just worn the outgrown tunics of their older brothers.