Confirmation in black dresses

[Karen Kelsey]

I am editing my family's letters from Sweden - with the help of translators I met on this site.  In one of the letters, dated 1894, a young girl thanked her American aunt for sending money that would buy her a confirmation dress.  She said that they purchased black material, and that the seamstress would come soon.  Does anyone know a website where I can locate a photo of a confirmation class, all dressed in black?  We always think that confirmation wear for girls was white, and I'd like to include a photo of a class dressed in black when I edit my family's letters and send it to the cousins as their Christmas gift.

[Anders Andersson]

I'm not familiar with confirmation wear, but at least wedding dresses appear to have changed colour from black to white around the early 1900's (or perhaps there were no particular fashion, and I'm extrapolating from the wedding photos I have seen).

[Elisabeth Thorsell]

At this address you can see a confirmation group all in black. It is from Ekeby parish in the province of Närke.
 
The link is http://w1.195.telia.com/~u19504888/socken/foto/konfirmation.jpg

[Anna-Carin Betzén]

Among my family's photos, there are three confirmation photos of girls. Two of them, born in 1901 and living in a city (Göteborg), wore white. The third was born in 1895 and lived in the country, and she wore black. I asked my grandmother about this a while ago, and she said that at that time country girls generally had black confirmation dresses and city girls white.  
 
Perhaps people in the country thought more of the practical aspects of white vs black clothes, or maybe it's just that they didn't keep up with the fashion.

[Karen Kelsey]

Thanks so much!  I copied the photo of the confirmation group that Elisabeth told about, and have noted comments from everyone in the editorial notes.  These letters have given me so many questions - and you may be hearing more from me real soon.  At least the confirmation dress issue has been solved!
Karen

[Lennart Hjelmstedt]

In a book about clothes and dressing in old days, I'm afraid I can't remember the name, the author meantions the use of black dress for confirmation wear. The reason was very simple, you could use later one, for funerals and for your wedding as well. For men the first kostym, suite was used the same way. (anyway as long as you could squeese in to it)
 
Lennart Hjelmstedt
Jönköping

[Jens Arvidsson]

The custom to dress in black for confirmation was, at least in some parts of Sweden, still alive in the 1950's.