William Waldo Dodge, Jr. (1895-1971) Sitting on the Front Steps

William Waldo Dodge, Jr. (1895-1971) Sitting on the Front Steps

William Waldo Dodge, Jr. (1895-1971) sitting on the front steps. Note: Infants of both sexes wore dresses until they began to walk, while toddlers wore short loose-fitting dresses until the age of two or three years. After that, boys and girls wore dresses or suits with short skirts to the ages of five or six. Differences in color, material, and trim were used to separate boys and girls at the latter stage, although such details may be hard to read in old photos today. There were the necessities of toilet training, lingering superstition (disguising boys from malevolent forces), and just plain practicality, since sewing and fitting smock-like dresses was easier than making miniature suits.  It was not considered important to differentiate boys and girls at such an early age but it seemed to have been very important to distinguish between children and adults.