Show us their suits

[Two Types]

Here's some screengrabs from Birds of Prey (1930):

Frank Lawton shows another good example of the casual British outfit that lasted from the twenties into the fifties - sports jacket, cream trousers, shirt and tie. It's a great look:

Nigel Bruce displaying a look I rather like - dark suit with light waistcoat. I believe it was a style derived from formalwear which later became very popular in the 1950s:

Robert Loraine in a nice dressing gown:

Frank Lawton pinstripe suit:

Overcoat worn as a dressing gown (perfect for the English summer):

Belted overcoat without any buttons:

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Jean Hersholt and Gibson Gowland in the film Greed (1924)

 

[herringbonekid]

gone a bit vaudeville that last one. i take it the film is set around 1900 ?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Greed was based on the novel McTeague by Frank Norris which was published in 1899. Erich von Stroheim's classic film adaptation covers the period between 1908 and 1922 with most of the story taking place between 1918 and 1922. It was filmed in 1923 on location in San Francisco, the actual setting of the story, and the interesting part is that the principal characters seem to dress from the 1910 period while in many of the scenes people in "modern" dress and 1923 cars can be seen in the background.

 

[Metatron]

Some 'bread and butter' outfits from Black legion (1937)

Very nice suit, with a style of shoulders that points to the early 1930s I believe?





Work shirts, of a style that I had only previously seen in the form of repros. Good to see the originals:







A very well fitted leather jacket with lapels:







I find this suit very unappealing. Not sure why.


Thing is, I haven't really been impressed by Bogart as an actor from what i've seen so far.
(Petrified forest, casablanca, black legion)
Perhaps by today's standards he overacted a bit.

 

[Two Types]

1936 must have been a good year for British suits. This film 'Cheer Up' is stuffed full of actors in light coloured, single breasted, peaked lapel suits:

 

[Two Types]

More from 'Cheer Up':

(cinema seldom shows us shoes and trousers, so I always like to save images)

I am getting increasingly interested in this style of spread collar that appears to have a tab (rather than the more common tab collar that closes around the tie).

Nice baggy trousers:

 

[Giftmacher]

Czech actor and entertainer Vlasta Burian (on the right) with his wife Nina. Photo from 1931.

 

[splintercellsz]

All family members.

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[Baron Kurtz]

Good beards!

 

[cchgn]

All family members.

Generous sleeves. I bet there's stories just in the making of the pics. The 1st and 3rd look like sitting portraits, but the second one, looks like at an outing. So, is that 3 generations( and youre the 4th)?

 

[splintercellsz]

That I cannot say. The first is of the Besaw brothers which are from the late 1800s. One of them fought and was wounded in the Civil War(grandfather had the cane he made).

The second photo is of my grea t great grandparents, the Gandiagas.

The third photo I am not too sure on, sadly.

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[cchgn]

That I cannot say. The first is of the Besaw brothers which are from the late 1800s. One of them fought and was wounded in the Civil War(grandfather had the cane he made).

The second photo is of my grea t great grandparents, the Gandiagas.

The third photo I am not too sure on, sadly.

well, just using my powers of observation:

The 1st photo, the 2 on the right are obviously merchants or professionals. The gent seated left is definitely a farmer( not used to wearing a suit) and the lad behind him, what is that, a Fireman's coat? 3 out of 4 looks happy, upper right, not so much.

2nd photo, maybe an early aviator or something, the gent was recently out in the weather, wearing a hat and goggles. Possibly just got back from the WWI. The lady looks strong, happy, pleased with herself, while the Gent, not so much.

3rd photo, looking more like John Dillinger or Pretty Boy Floyd. Something behind his eyes. Hair longer than usual( what did he do for a living?) The Lady doesn't look happy at all. I'm guessing around WWII.


Now, Im sure when folks get their pictures taken , the photographer will try to get them to smile big, but that's the best they could do? IMO, that shows how hard life was back then.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Nice pictures as always. Keep em coming.

I am getting increasingly interested in this style of spread collar that appears to have a tab (rather than the more common tab collar that closes around the tie).

I could be wrong but maybe it is just a detachable collar we see here?

 

[Gin&Tonics]

well, just using my powers of observation:

The 1st photo, the 2 on the right are obviously merchants or professionals. The gent seated left is definitely a farmer( not used to wearing a suit) and the lad behind him, what is that, a Fireman's coat? 3 out of 4 looks happy, upper right, not so much.

2nd photo, maybe an early aviator or something, the gent was recently out in the weather, wearing a hat and goggles. Possibly just got back from the WWI. The lady looks strong, happy, pleased with herself, while the Gent, not so much.

3rd photo, looking more like John Dillinger or Pretty Boy Floyd. Something behind his eyes. Hair longer than usual( what did he do for a living?) The Lady doesn't look happy at all. I'm guessing around WWII.


Now, Im sure when folks get their pictures taken , the photographer will try to get them to smile big, but that's the best they could do? IMO, that shows how hard life was back then.

Actually, the lack of smiles in these old photos may be more a symptom of the technology of the time than anything else, especially in the case of the first photo, which may be a dageurrotype. With old photographic equipment, the exposure time was extremely long, measured in minutes, not seconds. It was also imperative that the subject remain absolutely motionless during the entire exposure or risk ruining the picture. A smile is a stress position that is hard to hold for long periods of time with no alteration, so subjects in these photos typically adopted a neutral expression to allow their facial (and other) muscles to remain relaxed and motionless.

 

[cchgn]

Actually, the lack of smiles in these old photos may be more a symptom of the technology of the time than anything else, especially in the case of the first photo, which may be a dageurrotype. With old photographic equipment, the exposure time was extremely long, measured in minutes, not seconds. It was also imperative that the subject remain absolutely motionless during the entire exposure or risk ruining the picture. A smile is a stress position that is hard to hold for long periods of time with no alteration, so subjects in these photos typically adopted a neutral expression to allow their facial (and other) muscles to remain relaxed and motionless.

That maybe true on the first one, but certainly not the other two.......photography had gretaly improved by the second one and exponentially by the 3rd one.

So , let me get this right, the first one took minutes and while they may have been smiling at the beginning of the exposure, they 'relaxed' their smiles by the end of the exposure? and that didn't effect the exposure at all? Hmmm, seems like there would be a blur or mouths out of focus or something.

Anyway, The only other thought I gave to it was they may have been put off by having to remove their hats. All of them likely wanted their pics with their hats.

 

[Nick D]

I think it's more than the long exposure times in early photography, and there are certainly photos of smiling Victorians. Portraiture was a more formal thing than today, and especially when compared to what we think of photography in the digital age. It means nothing for a hundred photos to be taken with silly faces now, but we don't have a roll of film to limit us.

 

[Two Types]

I could be wrong but maybe it is just a detachable collar we see here?

If you look closely the collar is tight in the middle, suggesting there is a tab holding it in place. Also, the tie knot is held very high, also suggesting a tab collar.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

Some outfits from a couple of Thelma Todd shorts.

 

[Two Types]

I know this isn't a period I particularly like (and I'm certainly not a fan of low buttoning two-button jackets) but I still think Stanley Baker looks good here (playing a policeman in 'Violent Playground'):

And this man is your stock cinematic art teacher: