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We note a range of collar styles worn by English boys. The styles were done in both detachable and attacted types. Two of the most important are Eton and sailor collars were created in England (19th century), but spread to many other contries. The lace collar was a historic style, but became used for boys, especially during the Faunteroy era. These are the best known collars. The Eton and lace collar were primarily done as detachable collars. The sailor collar was primarly an attached collar. The Eton and sailor collars were both widely worn by British boys. The Eton collar was a major style worn by English boys during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The stiff, pointed Eton collar was won by a huge number of English boy for many decades. It beganas a school tyle, but became a sandard style for decades when boys dressing up. It of course was not just an English style, but no where else was it so widely worn. The Eton collar rapidly began declining until after World War I, although was still seen in the inter-War era. The sailor collar was another hugely popular style. It was based on the Royal Navy uniform and first adapted as a child's garment by the British Royal family (1840s). It became one of the most enduring child's style, worn by both boys and girls. Interestingly despite having the world's largest and most powerful navy, there were quite a number of countries in which the sailor collar and sailor styles were more popular than in Britain most prominately Germany. Another important style is rounded the Peter Pan collar. Although the lace collar is better known, it is the ruffled collar that was especilly prevlent during the Fauntleroy era. Almost all of the really large Fauntleroy collars were ruffled, not lace collars. These collars were especially popular in America, but among European countries where Fauntleroy styling was the most common. Some ruffled collars had lace trim. The lace collar was especially popular in the late-19th century and was commonly worn as a pin-on style.
The Eton collar first appeared in England (early-19th century), but spread to many other contries. No where was the Eton collar more commony worn than in England. We assume that theese broad, stiff white collars were first worn at Eton College, but we are not yet sure just when they were first adopted. Part of the trouble here is that many of the historical references we have found refer to the Eton suit and not specifically the Eton collar. We do know that Eton collars were being worn at Eton College in the early 19th century. As the 19th century progressed, they became increasingly popular and were adopted by other schools as part ogf the school uniform. By the late 19th century they were very common as boys wear. Few English boys grew up in the late 19th and early 20th century without wearing an Eton collar. A typical example would be John Christopher Bradshaw Falleglove. The collar is of course most associated with Eton School, but in fact boys all over England, including most boys that could never dream of attending Eton, wore Eton collars. The Eton collar today has a rather stoggy upper-class look to it, but in fact at the turn of the 20th century, working class boys often wore Eton collars when they dressed up. After World War I (1914-18), the Eton collar rapidly declined in popularity and perhaps acquired its upper-class image at this time because a few exclusive private schools still required it as part of the school uniform into the 1930s. We have noted several different ways in which they were worn, including with or without various forms of neckwear. They were usually worn with vests.
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Fauntleroy collars were commonlylace or ruffle collars. In many cases they were ruffled collats with lace trim. Often cut-out lace was used because it was much less expensive than real lace and thus more suitable for boys'wear. A destinguishing feature was commonly the size. Fauntleroy collars could be very large. Often the smaller th boy, he larger the collar, at least in relative terms. The collar that the boy is wearing here looks large to our modern sensibilities, but was modest in Fauntleroy terms. We see these collars most commonly during the Fauntleroy era (1885-1905). They were commonly worn with velvet cut-away jackets, but we see them with regular suits as well, even sailor suits. Most American Fautleroy collars were part of fancy blouses. Therevwere some pin on Fauntlrtoy collars, but we see many more pin-on collars. in England and fancier pin on collars. We even see accompamying front lavr plackts. In America these were only dome as part of Fauntlrroy blouses.
The lace collar was a historic style. In fact two of the most famous portrait of a boy, Gainsborough's colored boys, depict Cavalier costumes with lace collars. Lace collars reappeared for boys in the 19th century. They became used for boys, especially during the Faunteroy era. HBC is unsure has to how widely worn lace collars were in England. We note a boy in an idealized Victorian family wearing a lace collar with a tunic during the eraly 1850s. Fancy velvet suits were worn by boys in the 1870s, perhaps earlier. It is known that the Fauntleroy craze swept England in the 1880s and 1890, making the fashion more popular than ever for boys. Faintleroy suits and styling was not as common as in America, but more popular than anyone else in Europe. HBC is unsure, however, as to how many of the boys dressed in Fauntleroy suits actually had lace collars. There were some diifferences in style among American and English Fauntleroy suits. English boys wore Fauntleroy blouses with attached collars as well as detachable lace collars. We do not yet know if there were significant differences between the lace collars worn in American and England. We notice quite a number of English boys with lace collars. A good example is a well-to-do boy wearing a velvet dress about 1895. The collars seem rather similar to American lace collars if a bit more elaborate. We have just begun to assess English lace collars and the outfits worn with them. This was often an item which could be sewn on for a dressy effect or esily removed by pulling out a few stitches. We do note that English girls continue to wear lace collrs during the Funtleroy Craze, in America we see mothers tending to reserve lace collars for boys during this period. A good example is the girls dresses at a London school in the 1890s.
Another important collar style is rounded the Peter Pan collar. Given the name, one would assume that thee Peter Pan collar originated in England. Certainly the name originated in England, although I'm not sure who first applied the name to the collar. I have insuffient information at this time to draw any conclusions about the prevalence of the style. We thought that it was not generally worn by boys after about age 8 years. This would be the approximte age that boys began at their preparatory schools. Whole only a minority of boys went to prep schools, this seems to have had a general impact on boys' fashion in England. A complication here is that some Eton collars did not have the classic pointed tips, but were rounded. Here we would not classify a collar with rounded tips as a Peter Pan collar. We would classify Peter Pan collars as those without tips at all, but collars that were fully rounded. Some were done like detachable Eton collrs. The classic Eton collar ghad pointed tips. Inthe photographic record some of these stiff collars had mote rounded collars. here was arange of different shapes in between the classic pointed Eton and the fully rounded Peter Pan collar. As far as we lnow there were no standard name for these collars. Generally the term Peter Pan collarws reserved for the soft attaches rounded collar worn by mostly younger boys. Peter Pan collars proved to be even more popular for girls dresssses and blouses..
Boys commonly wore detachable Eton collars in the late-19th century, especially when dressing up as well as to school. This continued into the early-20th century , but gradually stiff detachavle collars began to go out of style, especially after World War I into the 1920s. We see more and more boys wearing soft, attached pointed collars even to school or when dressing up.
Ruffled collrs like Eton collars are a historic style, also associated with the Caviler Civil War era (17th centry). Ruffled collars are sometimes described as lace collars. Although the lace collar is better known, it is the ruffled collar that was especilly prevlent during the Fauntleroy era. Almost all of the really large Fauntleroy collars were ruffled, not lace collars. These collars were especially popular in America, but among European countries where Fauntleroy styling was the most common. Some ruffled collars had lace trim. The lace collar was especially popular in the late-19th century and was commonly worn as a pin-on style.
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The sailor collar was another hugely popular style. It was based on the Royal Navy uniform and first adapted as a child's garment by the British Royal family (1840s). From that beginning it became widely adopted for bots first in England and than in countries around the world. It became one of the most enduring child's style, worn by both boys and girls. There were different styles, but by far the most commpn was the V-front collar adopted by the Royal Navy. And they were commonly detailed with stripes just like the Royal Navy uniforms. Not all had stripe detailing or the three stripes used in Royal Navy uniforms, but many did. The use of the space between the collar V varied. The sailor collar was primarly an attached collar, although we do see some pin on examples. The Eton and sailor collars were both widely worn by British boys and both intriduced in Brirain during the 19th century. . Interestingly despite having the world's largest and most powerful navy, there were quite a number of countries in which the sailor collar and sailor styles were more popular than in Britain most prominately Germany. Like te syits, they were motly done in nvy blue and white, but they were other colors. As the portraits were taken with the children facing forward, we are most familiar with the 'V' front. But another part of the collar is the back flap, also uually detailed with matching stripes.
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The sports collar was an informal collar made to be worn open. We are still working on the chronology, but believed that they first appeared during World War I in the 1910s. They were popular in the 1920s and 30s and we think still worn into the 1940s. Sports collar is an American term. We are not sure if this was the term used in Britain. In Germany they were called Schiller collars. Some mothers added ties, but they were not made to be worn with neckwear as there was no button neck closure. They were some variety of shapes.
We notice English boys wearing wide collars in the late-19th and early-20th century. Most, but not all were white collars. They were primarily for younger boys, but we see boys up to about 12 years of age wearing them. These collars were commonly larger than the standard Eton collars, but not as stiff. We note both pointed and rounded collars. The sizes varied, but some were quite large. We mostly see them being wirn with suits. Cut-away jacket suit styles were a popular style worn with these collars. Cut away jackets appeared at mid-century, but we do not seem them being worn with these wide white collars until the 1880s. Cut-away jackets were part of the classic Faunbtleroy suit. These wide white collars seem to have been worn much as American boys wore fancier Fauntleroy collars. The time range is similar to the Fauntleroy era, 1880s-1910s. We do not see girls wearing these collars, at least to any great extent.
The wing collar was primarily an adult tyle, but we see some older boys wearing them.
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