Figure 1.--This American boy's name was Bill. He had an unusual bow on his long righlet. His portrait was taken in Peoria, Illinois. It is undated, but we believe was taken in the early 1890s. Image courtesy of the RG collection. Click on the image for a full view. |
Interestingly, one place that the bows were not normally placed was on the ringlets themselves. This is interestng in that in the 18th century it was common for boys and nen to wear small bows on their queus. The boys in the 19th century that wore hairbows, however, almost never wore them on the ringlets, but rather on the top or side of the head. We have only noted a few photographs of boys with bows on their ringlets. These boys also had bows on their heads as well. We have so few images of boys with bow on their ringlets that it is difficult to assess this. Note the ribbon tied at the end of the long ringlet here (figure 1). He looks to have shorter hair in front that has been curled. The inscription on the back of this photo is as follows: "Brother Bill. Your big uncle bill, my brother." We note an unidentified American boy wearing an haor bow with ringlets. A portrait taken a few yeats later show the boy still wearing a hair bow, but with longer hair not done in tight riglets.
A reader comments, "I have come across a few images like this of boys dressed like little girls of the time. I wonder just how common it was for mothers to dress their sons like this?" HBC notes that while undated, it looks to have been taken in the early 1890s. By this time there were dresses made especially for boys in plair styles, unlike the frilly smock this boy wore. There were, however, no definitive conventions. The styles chosen for a boy were still largely determined by the fashion sence of the boy's mother. This was especially true of pre-school boys and boys being schooled at home.
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