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Most of the photographs we have found of British boys are individual portraits or family portraits with the younger boys wearing sailor suits. Some portraits show the entire family dressed in sailor suits, in some cases even the girls. What is very rare is any kind of non-family group portrait of boys wearing sailor suits. We do note some of the younger boys at schools wearing sailor suits, but these are not uniforms, just sailor suits there mothers have chosen. This is easily observable because the sailor suits the boys wear are all different. We have found a few images of boys wearing uniform ailor suits. We have not, however, been able to determine just what the group was. Similar ages show that they are not family groups. A school group is possible, but we have yet to find a verifiable school group with the boys dressed in sailor suits.
Most of the photographs we have found of British boys are individual portraits or family portraits with the younger boys wearing sailor suits. These are normally yunger boys, although age conventions changed over time. Many of the portraits are boys before about 8 when the more affluent began their preparatory school.
Some mothers were especially partial to sailor suits. Some fathers, including George V, also saw the sailor suit as the perfect chil'd outfit. Some portraits show the entire family dressed in sailor suits, in some cases even the girls. What is very rare is any kind of non-family group portrait of boys wearing sailor suits. We note some great family portraits with the children wearing sailor suits.
We do note some of the younger boys at schools wearing sailor suits, but these are not uniforms, just sailor suits there mothers have chosen. This is easily observable because the sailor suits the boys wear are all different. We have found a few images of boys wearing uniform ailor suits. We have not, however, been able to determine just what the group was. Similar ages show that they are not family groups. A school group is possible, but we have yet to find a verifiable school group with the boys dressed in sailor suits. There are very few exceptions. Here an exception is the Royal Naval Hospital School.
A British reader believes that the boys may be participating in some sort of pagent. He writes, "Looking at the photograph I think it is a group of boys who are taking part in a pageant. Turn of the century suggests a coronation or the death of Queen Victoria. Empire Day and Tafalgar Day were also celebrated then. The photograph could be a school pageant held to celebrate the dawning of the 20th Century. It looks like a snap shot picture that would need to be croped because of the lady half in the picture."
Here we see a group portrait of boys all dressed in identiacal white sailor suits with wide-brimmed hats. All we know anout the portrait is that the photographer was Henri's Studio in Addlestone. The portrait is undated. We would guess that it was taken about the turn of the 20th century. It is clearly a group of some sort as the boys are so carefully dressed in identical outfits. It can't be a family group as there are too many boys of the samr age. We have no idea, however, just what the group was. We would guess that the boys come from affluent families. They look to be about 7-8 years old. The similarity in age suggests a school group to us, but there is not way to be sure about this. I supose it is possible that a prep school conceived of the idea of dressing all the new boys in matching sailor suits. Perhaps our British readers will be able to offer some insight here.
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