Since at least the early 1960s, Florence Eiseman’s Summer and later Cruise collections provided parents with children’s clothing suitable for family vacations. Unlike the station-wagon road trips that popular culture presents as the model of postwar family life, these outfits, often nautically themed, were geared toward fancier destinations: beaches, cruises, and country clubs. Dresses for girls, rompers for babies, shortalls for young boys and two-piece sets for older sisters allowed all of the family’s children to match.
Perfect for keepsake photographs, these groupings allowed parents and grandparents to capture and share idealized images of the special experiences they created for their children.
