A Buster Brown suit was a very popular style of clothing for young boys in the United States during the early 20th century. It was named after the comic strip character

Buster Brown Buster Brown is a comic-strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault. Adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904, Buster Brown, along with Mary Jane, and with his dog Tige, became well known to the United States of America ...

, created in 1902 by Richard Felton Outcault. It typically consisted of a belted, double-breasted tunic or jacket worn with a large round collar, floppy bow, and

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...

or knickerbockers. It was often worn with a round

straw hat A straw hat is a wide-brimmed hat woven out of straw or straw-like synthetic materials. Straw hats are a type of sun hat designed to shade the head and face from direct sunlight, but are also used in fashion as a decorative element or a ...

and a haircut with

bangs Bang or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a List of model car brands, model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Lorestan, a village in I ...

. Along with the

sailor suit A sailor suit is a uniform traditionally worn by enlisted seamen in a navy or other governmental sea services. It later developed into a popular clothing style for children, especially as dress clothes. Origins and history In the Royal Navy, the ...

, the

Eton suit Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, the Norfolk suit and the Fauntleroy suit, the Buster Brown suit is cited as one of the key looks in boys' clothing of the period. The suit was often chosen by mothers for their sons against their children's wishes. It was perceived by mothers as a symbol of neatness and gentility but could lead to its wearer being mocked by other children and called a "

sissy ''Sissy'' (derived from ''sister''), also ''sissy baby'', ''sissy boy'', ''sissy man'', ''sissy pants'', etc., is a pejorative term for a boy or man who does not demonstrate masculine, and shows possible signs of fragility. Generally, ''sissy'' i ...

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Latv ...

, who arrived in the United States as a child immigrant with his family in 1913, was deliberately dressed in a Buster Brown suit made in

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

to camouflage both the family's poverty and their Russian-Jewish origins. The Buster Brown suit was also occasionally worn by older boys and men, such as the teenaged

Eugene Bullard Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first black American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilo ...

, a fan of the comic strip, who in the late 1900s purchased a Buster Brown suit with knickerbockers for Sunday best. Outcault got the idea for this suit from Prince Edward (later King Edward VII). As a child, Edward's mother, Queen Victoria, had him dressed in suits that looked like sailor suits that the English navy would wear. It was common in the 19th century for royal children to wear clothes similar to those of the military because it showed off their future roles of power and was also a sign of respect and loyalty to their country. On a visit to Ireland, Edward wore a sailor suit and had his portrait painted by Franz Xavier Winterhalter, the court artist. After the painting was done, copies were made as steel engravings for public sale. This is what launched the suits into becoming more popular and a greater symbol of class and power. The comic book character Buster Brown had very wealthy parents, so drawing him dressed up in a sailor suit was a symbol of his wealth and also a symbol of class, alluding to royalty and power. Knowing that sailor suits had this reputation and background explains why mothers chose to dress their sons in them, especially if they were trying to hide the fact that they were poor. File:Edward VII (1841 – 1910).jpg, Prince Edward in sailor suit

References

Children's clothing 1900s fashion 1910s fashion Suits (clothing) 1902 in comics Fictional costumes {{fashion-stub