Figure 1.--This unidentified American boy looks to be about 5 years old. His page/Dutch boys cut is down to the ears. This was the most common length for the style during the 190s-20s. Many boys had side hair just above the ears. The photograph is undated, but we would giess was taken in the late-1910s.

A popular style in the early-20th century was Dutch-boy bangs with hair at the side down to or even over the ears. The term 'page boy' of course comes from the medieval page boys serving in royal courts. Hair syules varied during the medieval era, but there were times when the style was short hair bobbed at the side. This seems to haveen a Norman style in thr late-Middle ages. The term Dutch Boy cut seems to be identical with page boy. We do not know of a stylitic difference, altough we welcome reader input here. This wa an American term, we think relating to a fictionl chracter. It was unknon in the Netherlands. There is also a similrity with the bowl cut except the front bangs and side hair with the page/Dutch cuts are cut to different lengths. We see bowl cuts in the 19th century, but Dutch/boy cuts do not seem common. We do see them in the 1910s-20s. A good example here is Floyd Van Horne about 1915. One source suggests that the tyle was popularized for boys by by silent film child star Jackie Coogan. Interestingly, the length of the hair at the side appears to have been longer in illustrations such as ads (Dutch Boy Paints) and the comic (Buster Brown) than suggested by the photographic record. We do see boys with hair over the ears , but theu seem less common that habing the side hair cut at or above the ear. And during the 20th century we begin to see the term 'page boy' being used as a woman's or girls' hair style. This was the same time that the look became popular for girls, albeit with longer side hair. Besides the fahion, it was a much more practical style for girls than longer more practical styles. The page boy style made a fashion come back (1950s). It became the height of fashion for women. And the Beatles introduced it for boys and teenagers (1960s). And the hair at the side got longer as long hair styles begame common. We notice this style reppearing for boys during the 1970s as long hair became stylish. As teenagers wore this style, neigher page boy or Dutch boy was used, at least for school age boys. We do see the term 'Price Valiant' cut being used The term is imprecise as the the length of the side hair which varied from just above the ears to just above the shoulders. The common length at the sides in the 1910s-20s when the page boy cuts were especially popular for younger boys was just above the ears. we think that Dutch Boy bangs were becomin ommonly used at the time. We think 'page boy' was becoming more commonly used for girls. We see quite a number of boys this age with similar hair syles. Some times the hair was fuller. By the 30s such cuts for boys were less common. we still see bangs, but the hair above the ears was tapered A good example is an Iowa boy in 1920. Bangs were also a popular style for girls, but not with short hair like the boys. Usually the girls' cut had hair at the side covering their ears.

Description

Page/Durch boy bangs were a style with front bangs combined with hair that came dowwn the side to or over the ears. The actual stylistic details changed over time as well as the terminology used. The front bangs were different lengths and cuts. Oftem theywere cut straight cross the forehead. Some were more molded or tapered. They also varied as to how far they came down over the forehead. The hair at the side also varied in length. It was for boys straight hair but for younger boys some times syled at the tip. A good example is an Iowa boy in 1920. We see more varied styling late in the 20 century whem these cut came bck into styled. Some boys haf their side hir tapered. Oyther boys had very full cuts cover the ears. Interestingly, the length of the hair at the side appears to have been longer in illustrations such as ads (Dutch Boy Paints) and the comic (Buster Brown) than suggested by the photographic record. We do see boys with hair over the ears , but they seem less common that having the side hair cut at or above the ear. By the 30s such cuts for boys were less common. we still see bangs, but the hair above the ears was tapered. Bangs were also a popular style for girls, but not with short hair like the boys. Usually the girls' cut had hair at the side covering their ears.

Figure 2.--Short hair was standard for boys in the 1950s, we see page/Dutch boy cuts becoming popular in the 1960s with increasing lengths, especially by the 1970s. This unidentified snapshot was probably taken in the late-1960s. The boy has sharply cut front bngs, but the normal side hair of the time rather than thelonger side hair that would become popular in the 1970s. The boy looks to be about 10-years old.

Chronology

A popular American hair style in the early-20th century was page/Dutch-boy bangs. with hair at the side down to or even over the ears. We do not see these cuts very commonly in the 19th century, although we do see see children with bangs. V ery rarely do we see cuts that might be called page/Dutch boy bangs. We can not always identify gender with the children wering these styles in the 19th century. We are not sure what they were called. They seem to be mostlty done with short hair, both the fron bangs and the side hair. The somewhat similar bowl cuts were much more common. We suddently see substantial numbers of these cuts in the 1910s-20s. A good example here is Floyd Van Horne about 1915. One source suggests that the tyle was popularized for boys by by silent film child star Jackie Coogan. We see quite a number of boys this age with similar hair syles. Some times the hair was fuller. The style dclined in popularity during the 1930s. The page boy style made a fashion come back (1950s). It became the height of fashion for women. And we see some boys with with very short bangs. President Kennedy's young son John-John also had a fashion impact for younger boys. The Beatles introduced it for boys and teenagers (1960s). And the hair at the side got longer as long hair styles became increasingly common. We notice this style reppearing for boys during the 1970s as long hair became stylish. We see some boys in the 70s and 80s with very full page/Dutch boy bangs with hair covering the ears, but not ging much below it. The cit was very similar to some of the syules girls and younger women wear wearing, rather like the style popularized by Dorthy Hamlin when she was skating.

Figure 3.--This unidentified American boy has a page/Duch boy cut about 1920. Younger boys like him might have longish side hair. Most slightly older boys generally had the side hair cut just above the ears.

Age

The age of boys wearing page/Dutch boy hair cuts has varied over time. Although the names used for the cuts varied over time. we see American boys to about 7-8 years of age wearing page/Dutch boy cuts in the 1910s-20s. Thisis an estimate because so many of our images do not indicate age and we have to estimate ages from the portraits. The images we see are pre-school and very early-primary school ages. The most common age seems to gave been about 3-6 years. The prevalence rapidly declined once boys begin school which can be seen in period school portraits. The younger, mostly pre-school boys had he longest side hair. When the style began coming came back ino syle in the 1960s we see first younger boys and then much older boys with the syle, especially when long hair became popular. The style becme very popular, although te cuts were somewhat different. The bangs and and side hair was not as sharply cut as the cuts we saw in the 1910s-20. Boys in tghe 1950s tended to wear short hair with styles like buzz cuts. By the 1960s, however, we begin to see these styles becoming popular in primary schools. This We even see boys into their teens wearing these styles in the 1970s-80s.

Gender

And during the 20th century we begin to see the term 'page boy' being used as a woman's or girls' hair style. This was the same time that the look became popular for girls, albeit with longer side hair. Besides the fashion, it was a much more practical style for girls than longer more practical styles. We do not see boys aering the cuts in school, but it became a popular style for girls. Many class portraits show girls with this hair style. Not all the class, but few classes of any size do not have sone girls with page/Dutch boy styles. A good example is an unidentified class in the 1920s. Other school portraits show much of the girls in classes with these hair cuts. a good example is an unidentifies school in the 1930s. We note many younger boys with bangs, but henerally short hair at the side. It was the firls that had the page/Dutch boy bobs with hair over their ears. This cut became a standard for gir;s although the popularity varied over time. We see boys wearing these cuts again after mid-century. First with hair alittle longer at the sides (1960s) and then with longer hair at the side when long styles became popular again. Both boys and girls wore the style that Olymoic skter Dorthy Hamlin made popular. Younger boys wore this look. Ilder boys had a little different look.

Terminology

The term 'page boy' of course comes from the medieval page boys serving in royal courts. Hair syules varied during the medieval era, but there were times when the style was short hair bobbed at the side. This seems to haveen a Norman style in thr late-Middle ages. The term Dutch Boy cut seems to be identical with page boy. We do not know of a stylitic difference, altough we welcome reader input here. This wa an American term, we think relating to a fictionl chracter. It was unknon in the Netherlands. There is also a similrity with the bowl cut except the front bangs and side hair with the page/Dutch cuts are cut to different lengths. We see bowl cuts in the 19th century, but Dutch/boy cuts do not seem common. As teenagers wore this style, neigher page boy or Dutch boy was used, at least for school age boys. With the renewed popularity we see the term 'Price Valiant' cut being used The term is imprecise as the the length of the side hair which varies from just above the ears to just above the shoulders. The common length in the 1910s-20s when the page boy cuts were especially popular for younger boys. we think that Dutch Boy bangs were becoming commonly used at the time. We think 'page boy' was becoming more commonly used for girls.

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Created: 9:56 AM 12/31/2015
Last edited: 8:50 PM 1/1/2016