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Boys were done up in hairbows while wearing a wide range of clothes. It was not just the boys still in dresses, but this of course was te most common. We believe that in the early-and mid-19th century that boys with hair bows were mostly very young boys who had not yet been breeched and still wearing dresses. Our information, however, is still very limited about the early-19th century. . There was no photography which s our major source of information. The photographic record reveals that the boys with hair bows by the late-19th centuyry were not just boys still in long hair and dressses. Images exist of boys in tunics, Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits, even boylish-looking knicker suits. So it is cleat that just like curls, some boys wore hair bows after they were breeched, in some cases several years after breeching. Bows in Fauntleroy suits sometimes wore hairbows. This is in part because long ringlet curls became an important part of the Fauntleroy look preferred by many mothers. Boys in short hair could not wear hair bows. Thus boys in Fauntleroy suits often had the needed curls. In addition, a hair bow does not seem to be an unsual addition to a boy in a velvet Fauntleroy suit, lace collar, and ringlet curls. Boys in kilts might also wear hairbows. The kilts, of course, are the kilt suits commonly worn by younger boys. Usually it was older boys wearing dress Highland who had their curls cut. Many mothers saw the Higland kilt as an outfir for older boys. The kilt suits that were so popular in America, however, were often worn by boys still in curls. Mothers saw the kilt suit as a convenient bridge for boys who they or their husbands felt might be to old for dresses, but yet quite not old enough for trousers. Boys wearing tunics at the turn of the century might wear long hair. This was a popular style in both France and America, although only a small number of boys wore hairbows with tunics. In America most boys wore hairbows with ringlets while in France curling hair was less common. Hairbows were most commonly worn with sailor tunics and were less common with Russian tunics or Buster Brown suits. We had initially thought that boys old enough for sailor suits and other plain suits would probably be considered to old for hairbows. But in
fact there are a lot of American images showing boys in sailor suits wearing ringlet curls, including some with hairbows. I think this may in part be due to the popularity of the sailor suit and the number of boys that were wearing them.
We believe that in the early-and mid-19th century that the boys with hair bows were mostly very young boys who had not yet been breeched and still wearing dresses. Our information, however, on this early period is still very limited. There was no photography which is our major source of information. The prevalence of hair bows seems to have suignificantly changed in the late-19th century. The developing photographic record reveals that the boys with hair bows by the late-19th centuyry were not just boys still in long hair and dressses. Images exist of boys in tunics, Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits, even boylish-looking knicker suits. So it is cleat that just like curls, some boys wore hair bows after they were breeched, in some cases several years after breeching. There was considerable difference between mothers of the era about when to cut a boy's hair. Some mothers cut their son's curls before breeching. Other mothers couldn't bare to clip his curls, even after his dresses were put away and the boy was allowed to wear kneepants. There are images showing that many mothers even after breeching would keep their boys in curls and add hairbows to their hair.
ows in Fauntleroy suits sometimes wore hairbows. This is in part because long ringlet curls became an important part of the Fauntleroy look preferred by many mothers. Boys in short hair could not wear hair bows. Thus boys in Fauntleroy suits often had the needed curls. In addition, a hair bow does not seem to be an unsual addition to a boy in a velvet Fauntleroy suit, lace collar, and ringlet curls. It is difficult to quantify how common this was. Probably the proprtion of boys wearing hairbows in surviving portraits are a reasonable reflection of how common it was for boys in Fauntleroy suits to wear hairbows. s Only some of the boys wearing Fauntleroy suits wore ringlets and a very small proportion of those boys had hairbows. HBC does not have a good idea as to whether these hairbows were just added for the portraits and special occasions or if the boys photographed with hair bows commonly wore them. Most but not all such boys appear to be pre-school boys. The Fauntleroy suit was most popular in America and HBC considers it unlikely that an American boy would have worn hair bows to school or much beyond the age that he would have begun school. Boys schooled at home, however might have worn Fauntleroy suits, ringlets, and hair bows to an older age.
Often boys may not wear a full Faintleroy suit with the velvet jacket. Rather he might just wear a fancy lace and ruffle-trimed Fauntleroy blouse. This would be especially common in the warm summer months. Or it would be a less expensive, but still dressy outfir for a boy. At the time it was not appropriate for middle-class men to appear in public without jackets. Working class men could, at least while working, but not when appearing in public after work, such as going to church. It was, however, aceotable for younger boys to just wear shirts and blouses--the term was 'shirt-tail youngsters'. We have noted only a few boys wearing hair bows with just their Fauntleroy blouses. Apparently most mothers dong boys up in finglet curls and hirbows preferred for the boys to wear the more formal Fauntleroy suits.
Boys in kilts might also wear hairbows. The kilts, of course, are the kilt suits commonly worn by younger boys. Usually it was older boys wearing dress Highland who had their curls cut. Many mothers saw the Higland kilt as an outfir for older boys. The kilt suits that were so popular in America, however, were often worn by boys still in curls. Mothers saw the kilt suit as a convenient bridge for boys who they or their husbands felt might be to old for dresses, but yet quite not old enough for trousers.
Boys wearing tunics at the turn of the century might wear long hair. This was a popular style in both France and America, although only a small number of boys wore hairbows with tunics. In America most boys wore hairbows with ringlets while in France curling hair was less common. Hairbows were most commonly worn with sailor tunics and were less common with Russian tunics or Buster Brown tunic suits.
We had initially thought that boys old enough for sailor suits and other plain suits would probably be considered to old for hairbows. But in
fact there are a lot of American images showing boys in sailor suits wearing ringlet curls, including some with hairbows. I think this may in part be due to the popularity of the sailor suit and the number of boys that were wearing them.
Most of the images of boys wearing hairbows show them in fancy, formal outfits. This leads us to the conclusion that they were used as part of dressdy outfits for special ocassdion and not part of day to day wear. We norice far fewer snap shots of boys in casual outfits playing around their house. This may in part be due to the fact that snap shots only begun appearing in large numbers around 1900 with the invention of the Kodak Brownie. We do note a few images of boys wearing hair bows when dresses in casaual clothing.
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