Figure 1.--Union suits were underwear. Their usage, however, was not totally restricted to underwear. Some children may have slept in union suits. Also they were also sometimes used for swiming when boys did not have bathing suits. Boys often went skinny-dipping in the 19th and early 20th century, but in mixed company union suits might be used. We notice one American boy, probably in the late 1920s or early 30s, who seems to be be using his union suit for swimming.

Union suits were underwear. Their usage, however, was not totally restricted to underwear. Some children may have slept in union suits. Also they were also sometimes used for swiming when boys did not have bathing suits. Boys often went skinny-dipping in the 19th and early 20th century, but in mixed company union suits might be used. We notice one American boy, probably in the late 1920s or early 30s, who seems to be be using his union suit for swimming. .

Swimming Scene

An unidentified boy and his mother are taking a dip in a creek or pond. They obviously didn't bring any swim suits with them and simply stripped partially to go into the water. The boy, who looks to be about 9 or 10 years old, seems to be wearing the standard boy's underwear of the period--a long-sleeved and long-legged union suit with a drop seat in the rear and buttons down the front. It isn't clear what the older woman (presumably his mother) is wearing because she is mostly submerged.

Union Suit Construction

The slightly puzzling feature of what the boy is wearing are the front buttons which seem to stop about the middle of his tummy although perhaps the lower buttons are obscured in the picture. Union suits for boys and men always opened all the way to the crotch. Also this underwear fits a bit too loosely in the arms and legs for a union suit (they were usually more form-fitting), but it is possible that the boy is wearing the underwear of an older brother that was handed down to him and for which he is just a little too small.

Union Suit Seasonality

American boys in the 1920s and 1930s often wore long underwear the year round, especially in rural areas. The picture could have been taken in the early spring when the water would still be quite cold, but many boys from rural communities and from working-class families wore union suits with long legs even in summer. Union suits were readily available from the big nail order catlogs. See the ad for Sears union suits for 1938. These Sears union suits are a little too late for the photograph, but the style of boys' union suits did not change very much during the 1920s and 1930s except that the drop seat was sometimes replaced by the one-button flap seat. We can't see from the photo what kind of seat this underwear has.

Dr. Denton Sleepwear

Alternatively, the boy could be wearing Dr. Denton-style sleepwear--a flannel garment similar to a union suit but looser in fit and usually having feet. Note the illustration of such sleepwear manufactured by the Minnesota Knitting Company in 1928. This would have been about the same time the photograph here was taken. I tend to doubt that he is dressed in sleepwear because such garments were usually reserved for younger boys. And it would be very unusual to wear Dr. Denton's outside the house. Perhaps our readers will choose to comment.

Reader Comment

A reader writes, "I think it is rather odd to be wearing a union suit in the water. And I'm pretty certain this is not sleepwear. I think the buttons do go all the way down to the crotch. It's just that the photo is not very clear on this point." Another reader writes, "The assumption being made is that the child's union suit was store bought. It could have been hand sewn for all we know. Also, with the woman also in the water, we do not know how warm or cold it was that day. I would assume it was very hot, but that is just an assumption." Yes I was indeed assuming that union suits were store bought. Somehow I do not think that this was an item mothers sewed, but I do not know this for a fact. Another reader comments, "I think men's and boy's union suits were almost never home made, especially as late as the 1930s, since they were sold everywear in all men's and boys' clothing stores and were widely available even in rural areas through Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, and other mail order companies. Union suits were reasonably inexpensive, and it would have been uneconomical to try to make them at home. Union suits have knitted cuffs at the wrists and ankles and would be complicated to make with only a home sewing machine. So I do not think the boy is wearing a home made garment. But I agree that the union suit is unusually loose and may be a hand-me-down from an older brother. I also agree that the buttons do go down to the crotch, although the lower buttons are hard to see in the photo." Anoher reader writes, "Perhaps this is an older sister's union suit handed down. Girl's union suits often had the buttons in the front go down partially vs. the boy's which went down all the way to the crotch. Back in the 1930s the use of such hand me downs may have been more common than today."

Created: 3:31 AM 2/21/2007
Last updated: 10:37 PM 2/24/2007