Baby’s Christening – France

Three children gather around a baby in an effort to entertain the child before its christening ceremony. The child wears a long white ruched christening gown trimmed with bands of pleating and lace and a wide pink bow. The child wears an elaborate white cap decorated with lace, ribbons and feathers. The child sits on a woman’s lap, who is dressed in a vivid blue skirt, a black bodice with snug sleeves, a red shawl with fringed edges, and a white bonnet edged in lace.

The bonnet looks somewhat like a nun’s ‘coronette’ except for the lace edging. She may be the child’s nurse in a traditional bonnet. A young boy gets the attention of the baby with a gold baby rattle. He wears a black short trouser suit with wide turned back cuffs with buttons, over a white full sleeved blouse. He has black stockings and shoes. His black, low-crowned, narrow-brimmed hat matches the outfit. The girl in the center wears a knee length very full green skirt and jacket, over a white petticoat and white full sleeved blouse.

There is a wide sash at the waist with the black banded ends arranged decoratively at the right hip. The same narrow black bands edge the skirt hem. Her jacket is waist length open at the front and at the wide cuffs, which are trimmed with many small buttons and open loopholes. She wears a matching green ribbon in her hair and green spats over her black shoes. She and the girl next to her are playing a game with a pink ball that is shown in mid-air. The older girl on the right wears a deep burgundy dress with a two tiered skirt. The dress has open bell sleeves over a white full sleeved blouse gathered into narrow cuffs.

The skirt reaches just below her knees. The dress is edged with a black scrolled foliate pattern at the skirt hems, sleeves hems, and neck. She wears matching burgundy spats over her black shoes. She wears yellow gloves and a black hat trimmed with feathers and black lace. Both girls wear their hair braided and done to the back of the head. The entire group stands in the portico of a neoclassical church with stone columns and a balustrade in the background.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges