Snazzy kids on the front walk
By: usermattw
Tags: photography, vintage photography
What it is:
Irregularly trimmed photo measuring approx. 2.5 x 3.5 inches.
What I know about it:
Nothing! Undated and unidentified. (I have another picture of this same scene but with just the girl, and I think I remember one of just the boy, but they give no identifying information.)
Comments:
Although it’s not the spitting image, this girl always evokes the spunky young Tatum O’Neal in the movie Paper Moon for me. The expression on her face makes her look like she can’t quite believe her good fortune, while he’s modeling his sharp clothes with grave solemnity.
Pics of Then 
I agree with you about the Tatum O’Neal comparison! She’s very cute and so is the boy. I really like his outfit, especially the shoes!
Thanks. Yes, I think they’re adorable.
It is the little girl’s hat!
Yes, I think that’s a big part of the similarity.
I’m going to date it circa 1924, based on an illustration of children’s fashions by this artist I have in a book. This might be a few years off, but I think it’s reasonably close. I notice the boy is wearing long pants, way before F. Scott Fitzgerald would think!
Cool link. I was assuming more 1930s, based on the “Paper Moon” comparison, but I could be way off. Thanks for the input. Any thoughts or information that people have about these photos is always appreciated.
By the way, the words “this artist” in the comment above are a hyperlink–the color isn’t showing too well on my screen here.
I can definitely see a “Paper Moon” resonance here, especially in the little girl’s face, as you said, but the balloony shape of the girl’s dress looks pretty 20’s to me. Here’s a magazine image from 1925 with similar girls’ dresses: http://www.bluevelvetvintage.com/vintage_style_files/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/aprildel1925.jpg
Here’s a 1924 3rd-grade class portrait:
The loose shoulders of her dress remind me of these, which is supposedly from 1925: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55333013@N00/5473752984/
I believe everyday little girls’ dresses in the 30’s were getting more streamlined:
Here’s a fashion drawing from 1931:
It also looks like your photo girl might have put a little roll at the top of her stockings, which says “flapper.”
But I could be wrong in my guess. The images I’m showing probably don’t cover the whole spectrum of what kids were wearing at the time. She could be wearing an older dress, too.
Speaking of paper moons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamestulk/6592922433/in/pool-854838@N24
What a great bunch of links! Thanks for all this information. (I’m glad if my blog is a good excuse to procrastinate, but I’m not taking the blame. 😉 )
It’s always interesting to try to find out if my immediate guesses are correct!
Don’t worry, I’m the same way. My curiosity can be a real time drain sometimes. 🙂
Oh, yes! A cloche hat. Funny pair of kids, aren’t they?
Ah, glad you found it. You see what I mean about how they almost look like they are playing dress-up? They’re adorable in any case.