Friday, September 30, 2011

Photo Number 670

This is a photo from the Antique Shop in Detroit Lakes Minnesota. 
Baby in long gown  DL Antiques
Such a big chair for such a little baby, notice Mom is “at hand”. The gown shows a least two layers.  These christening gowns were often sewn from the Mothers petticoats to welcome her new baby. If you were a woman of means you had fancy petticoats.

Thanks for stopping by, do come again:)

whowerethey added this:
In earlier times the gowns were long (not this long though) because the baby could not crawl anyway, and when baby started to crawl, it hindered their ability to go very far. Weird, but it was a way to keep them out of trouble. Also, the lower class a woman was, the more likely the baby clothes were made from her petticoats. The more wealth, the more likely the child would be dressed in new gowns or hand me downs that had been new when first used. A middle to upper class woman spent her "confinement" making baby clothing. The confinement period began when her pregnancy started to show and ended when the baby was between 2-4 months old.

5 comments:

  1. Does that mean the baby wouldn't normally be wearing something like this?

    Goodness, how could they crawl around wearing such a long dress!

    :)

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  2. These gowns were worn for christenings and for taking photos and perhaps for a special occasion. Then they were saved and passed down to other children or to other generations of children:)

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  3. An extraordinary photo!

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  4. In earlier times the gowns were long (not this long though) because the baby could not crawl anyway, and when baby started to crawl, it hindered their ability to go very far. Weird, but it was a way to keep them out of trouble. Also, the lower class a woman was, the more likely the baby clothes were made from her petticoats. The more wealth, the more likely the child would be dressed in new gowns or hand me downs that had been new when first used. A middle to upper class woman spent her "confinement" making baby clothing. The confinement period began when her pregnancy started to show and ended when the baby was between 2-4 months old.

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  5. Not to be morbid but this could also be a commerative photo of a child after death. It was a practice at that time because it was the last memory you would have of a loved one and photographs could be expensive. If you look at the child's eyes they seem a little off.

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Hi, Thanks for the comments, your input on these old photos is appreciated! English only please! All comments will be moderated! Connie