Figure 1.--These boys are dressed exactly alike, except for the older boy has Durch boy bangs while his younger brother still wears curls with his bangs.

Origins

Dutch-boy bangs presumably originated in Holland, although I have no historical details substantating that this was a popular hair style in Holland for boys or children in general. Perhaps one of our Dutch visitors can provide some background. The smiling Dutch boy corporate logo with his overalls and cap and wooden shoes is familiar to many Americans. Dutch boy images from the fairy tales--the one who plugged the dike with his finger, are familiar to children.

Chronologies

I have no details at this time on when Dutch boy bangs first appeared. I do not notice this jair style to any great extent until the 1890s. In America as ringket curls declined in popularity after the turn of the century, Dutch boy bangs became popular with many mothers. When girls began bobbing their hair in the 1920s, it became a popular girls style and as a result, boys no longer liked it. There was a revival for boy's bangs which began with Jackie's styling her son's hair in bangs and has become major boy's style since the 1970s.

Conventions

Dutch boy bangs perhaps became popular after the turn of the century because it allowed some mothers to retain a longish hair style on their boys as the long hair and curls of the late 19th century were passing out of style.

Dutch boy bangs made a comparitively easy transition from Fauntleroy curls. Many boys wearing ringlets had straight front bangs. Thus when mother deemed herson was old enough, his ringlets could be cut, but left over his ears for a few more years in the Dutch-boy style.

Figure 2.--This boy in a photograph probably taken just before 1920 shows an American boy wearing Dutch-boy bangs with a large floppy bow and kneepants. Note the patent-leather shoes. This was apparently his party outfit.

Clothes

The bangs which appeared at the turn of the century are generally associated with Buster Brown suits and, to a lesser extent, Russian blouses. They were, however, worn with many other styles such as sailor suits, but not as commonly Fauntleroy suits.

Rite of Passage

It was always a major rite of passage for a boy to finally have his curls cut and allowed to wear more closely cropped hair like his father. Cutting a boys bangs and allowing him to get a short hair cut with a center or side part was a similar event.

Created: May 15, 1998
Last edited: February 20, 1999