fashion

Isabella Sommerfeld formerly Dodd Born 1 Jul 1853 in Berwick, Scotland. Wife of Johann Robert Sommerfeld — married 1 Jul 1872 in Tieryboo station, Queensland, Australia. Mother of John Sommerfeld, Ellen (Sommerfeld) Goudy, Emily (Sommerfeld) Baker and William Sommerfeld Died 12 Sep 1927 at age 74 in Charleville, Queensland, Australia. Johann Robert (Robert) Sommerfeld Born 2 Jun 1850 in Germany or Prussia. Husband of Isabella (Dodd) Sommerfeld — married 1 Jul 1872 in Tieryboo station, Queensland, Australia. Died 13 Mar 1916 at age 65 in Charleville, Queensland, Australia Source: Wikitree

Men's wear In 1871, a tailoring trade journal observed, “Gentlemen dress as quietly as it is possible to do and there are no extremes in dress". Menswear in the 1870s was marked by sobriety and understated style. Shirts became plain, no longer pleated and heavily starched, which only underscored the crisp, clean line. Lady's wear The first silhouette of the decade began in 1870; the great, circular or oval crinolines of previous decades collapsed into the so-called first bustle style. The bustle was a softly draped protrusion at the back of the waist, created by manipulation of fabric and drapery. This sloped bustle style was supported by horsehair-ruffled petticoats or crinolines, an adaption of the earlier steel crinolines. A crinolette consisted of rows of fabric-covered steel half-hoops. Bustled dresses of this period were frothy confections, with layers of ruffles, pleats, and gathers. Many featured looped overskirts or long bodices that were draped up over the hips; these were often referred to as “polonaise” style dresses. Source: fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1870-1879/

Here's 1926...

...and 1931...

What a brilliant photo!

The zipper was invented in 1892, so that's an earliest date...

This chap looks like he's wearing a WW2 USAAF flying suit so my guess is he's a USAAF pilot/aircrew...from an aircraft that flew high altitudes...like a B29...

I don't think the USAAF units that operated out of Northern Australia during WW2 dressed in flying gear like this...this was the gear they wore during operations over Europe and Japan, where it was a good deal colder...

airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/boots-flying-type-a... - here's his boots...

One possibility...if this pic was taken in Australia...this chap might be the pilot or one of the aircrew from the USAAF B29 'Waltzing Matilda' that made a brief tour of Australia in October 1945 to drum up support the 4th Victory Loan...

www.awm.gov.au/collection/C351807 - brief details here...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/56391948 - the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, 25th October, 1945...the names of the crew are mentioned here (see item at bottom of highlighted column)...

My next guess is that the pic might have been taken in the later 1940s or early 1950s...US B29s made several visits to Australia during this period...on joint training exercises...to gather data during the Woomera atomic bomb tests, etc...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27518350 - SMH, 17th June, 1954...pic of US B29 pilots/crew at Richmond RAAF Base...but they look to be wearing more modern gear...

yes - the date is interesting. it looks like a B3 jacket and these were replaced by the thinner B10 in 1943. Those boots look like they are for cold and high altitude but as cabin pressurisation improved in 1940s the need for this kind of gear decreased so could be early to mid 1940s?

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Congrats on Explore! ⭐ December 12, 2022