Figure 1.--This boy in 1900 wears ringlets with a white dress. Few details are clear on the dress, but it is a different style than his sister's. Both children, however wear identical ringlets. |
On a few occasions HBC has noted brothers and sisters wearing similar or identical ringlets. These ringlets could be a variety of styles and lengths. Variations can exist with parts, use of barretts, and hairbows and the use of bangs. The children occasionaly even wore similar clothes. Like the ringlets, the clothing worn by the children also varied. It was fairly common for brothers and sisters to be dressed alike, but similar hair styles was not common at all.
Most of the images with brothers and sisters wearing identical curls date fro about 1880-1905. I am not sure how common it was before 1880, available evidence suggests that long hair and ringlets were not nearly as common in the years before the 1880s. This would mean there were probablky fewer brothers and sisters with ringlets.
There was quite a bit of work involved in maintaing ringlet curls. Mothers who kept two or more of her children in ringlets had to be prepared to devote some time to hair styling. Of course wealtly mothers could assign the task to household staff.
These ringlets could be a variety of styles and lengths. Variations can exist with parts, use of barretts, and hairbows and the use of bangs.
HBC does not yet have sufficent information to assess the clothing that brothers and sisters with identical ringlets were most likely to wear. Dresses were one garment, although they might have different styles.
The children occasionaly even wore similar clothes. Like the ringlets, the clothing worn by the children also varied. It was fairly common for brothers and sisters to be dressed alike, but similar hair styles was not common at all.
Figure 2.--The sister in this 1900 photograph wears identical ringlets to her younger brother. The dresses, however, are quite different. |
A 1900 image shows a brother who is 3 years old and his sister who is 4 years old. They both wear white dresses, although the dresses are different. They have very similarly styled ringlets. Note that the hair is parted on the side and partially braided before the ringlet is formed. This is an interesting variation on this hair style that keeps the hair out of the child's face. Notice the boy has a ring on his finger and is looking into a mirror. His mame is William Jackson, his sister's name is Evelyn.
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