Boy's Civilian Sailor Suit, RMS MissinabieThis civilian three-piece sailor suit, with trousers, top, and cap, was worn by seven-year-old Frederick Hart in 1918.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mock naval or army uniforms were popular clothing for children, especially young boys. Store advertisements and mail-order catalogues of the era show a wide variety of these outfits. This suit's cap carries a tally for the RMS Missanabie, a Canadian ocean liner sunk on 9 September 1918 by the German submarine U-87, with the loss of 45 lives. The cap tally could be a commemorative item to mark the Missanabie's sinking.
Costume
CMC 993.1.9.1-3
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