Figure 1.--ThiscAmerican boy had his CDV portrait taken, we think in the early 1870s. It could be the late-60s. He seems to be wearng a tunic suit with a large buckle. |
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We do not see very many boys with ringlet curls in the 1870s. At least that is our initial assessment of the photograohic record. Generally speaking the trend was toward shorter hair cuts. Men and boys at mid-century tended to wear their hair long, even over their ears. This was much less common by the 1870s. Photography was well established in the 1870s. The number of photographic images means that there is a vey large sample sample. The sample is probably weighted toward the middle class and well to do, but it is a very large sample. So the photographic record is probably a good indication of the relative popularity of hair styles, especially when one factors in the social class variation. And here we are sure that ringlets would be even less common with the working class. We tend to see more girls with ringlets than boys in the 70s. This was especially true of school age children, at least the ones that attended school. Boys educated at home might still have ringlets. And while not common, we do see some boys wearing ringlets. This of course ws the decade before Mrs. Burnett popularized ringlet curls with Little Lord Fauntleroy.
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