Figure 1.-- This unidentified boy wears what looks like a bowtie, but we are not entirely certain how to describe it. The CDV is undated but was taken about 1870. The studio was P. Stewart in Oneida, New York.

Bowties are primarily a 20th century fashion, but we do see some in the very late-19th century. Bowties may have appeared before the turn of the 20th century in the 1890s. Here we are not yet sure. Floppy bows were still very common for boys. Older bpys might wear a boetie. We note them in a few 1890s portraits. Our archive is limited, but the ones we have found seem to cime from the late 90s. We have not yet found an American boy wearing a bowtie in any other 19th century decade. They were not worn by younger boys who wore floppy bpws, often quite large ones in sharp contrast to the small bowties. We mostly see teenagers wearing them.

The 1850s

The stock was the stndard neckwear for men at mid-century. Many but not all were black. The photographic record suggests that the black stock was very common. Boys also wore stocks. Sone were tied in such aather like bowtieds.

The 1860s

The 1870s

We first begin to see neclwear looking like a bowtie in the 1870s. We ae not sure they were bowties, but they certainly look similar to them. Here we see an example (figure 1). A good example is Frank Moetimer Hene with a little larger bow.

The 1880s

We have not yet found any bowties from the 1880s. Floppy bows were common for younger boys, but we do not note any bowties in the photographic record. Ome source writes, "The enduring popularity of the black bow tie dates to 1886, when Pierre Lorillard V invented the tuxedo as an alternative to the tailcoats worn with white bow ties. The new dinner jacket got its name from the resort of Tuxedo Park, New York, where it was first worn." We are not entirely sure about that. We note that at mid-century the black stock was very common. This this set set the style for black neckwear. Ans some of the stocks as mentioned above were tied rather like bowties.

Figure 10.--These siblings had had their portrait taken in 1898. Walter has a broad grin while you can almost hear Rachel and young Harry giggling! Walter is wearing more adult clothes including a bow tie, double-breasted suit and cuff-links while 4 year-old Harry wears a dark sailor outfit. Rachel has her long hair in sausage curls, and is wearing a dark dress with embroidered neckline and shoulders, and mutton-leg sleeves that are puffy at the top. We believe the family was from Westboro, Massachusetts.

The 1890s

Bowties were very common after the turn-of-the-20th cebtury in the 1900s, so they must have also been worn in the late 19th century, at least the 1890s. Bowties appeared before the turn of the 20th century in the 1890s. Here we are not yet sure how common they were in the 1890s, but they were worn. Floppy bows were still very common for boys. Older bpys might wear a boetie. We note them in a few 1890s portraits. Our archive is limited, but the ones we have found seem to cime from the late 90s. We have not yet found an American boy wearing a bowtie in any other 19th century decade. They were not worn by younger boys who wore floppy bpws, often quite large ones in sharp contrast to the small bowties. We mostly see teenagers wearing them.
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Created: 6:41 PM 6/14/2008
Last updated: 1:54 AM 11/26/2008