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Boys' Ringlet Curls: Mid-19th Century



Figure 1.--This Dagerotype probably taken in the 1850s is one of the earlier images I have seen of a boy in ringlet curls. The collar style and front buttons almost surely signal a boy. Although difficult to tell, he appears to have a hairbow in his hair.

Some doting Victorian mothers kept their treasured sons in dresses and long flowing locks. At mid-century, however, shorter hair styles seem to have veen the norm for European and American boys, although long hair for even older boys was not unknown. The advent of photography provides us many more images than are available for the early 19th century. Hair styles were quite varied during the mid-19th Century. Some boys had long flowing hair. The French boys might wear hair bows. Long hair for boys appears to have begun becoming more common during the 1850s. I know the fashion of ringlet curls for boys appears in America during the 1850s. There are also some known instances of English boys wearing ringlets at mid-Century. I do not know how common this was on the Continent. The images I have are almost entirely American, but this may be a simple reflection of the images available to me here in America. Boys with inglets wore a variety of clothes. Available images show that many boys wore curls after breeching. Interestingy, there appear to be few photiographs of boys in dresses with short hair. Boys at mid-century would generally have their hair cut when breeched by about 5 or 6 years of age. Some mothers, however, decided to delay breaching and/or cutting a boys hair until latter. Thus some boys wore long hair until 7 or 8 years of age, but in sime cases even to 11 or 12 years, although that was unusual. The images I have seen, however, are mostly boys of 7 to 8 yeats or younger. We see quite a few children with ringlet curls diring the mid-19th century, but it seems to have been primarily a style for girls and young women. We see far fewer boys wih ringlets during the mid-19th century. This appears to have been primarily at the whim of the mother.

Domestic Situation

Afluent mothers educating a boy at home could dress him as she felt best. Public educatiion in the mid-19th Century was not established as it now is. Children from affluent families were more often educated at home and often had more restricted interactions with children outside their family. Thus it was not unknown for quite old boys to be kept in dresses and long hair. This practice may have been most common in France, but it was not unknown in other countries. Some boys were even kept in long hair after they emerged from dresses:
England-1850s
England-1860s

Although older boys in dresses and curls were mostly boys from wealthy families, it was common across social classes to dress younger boys to about 5 years of age in dresses.

Chronology

Hair styles were quite varied during the mid-19th Century. Some boys had long flowing hair. The French boys might wear hair bows. Long hair for boys appears to have begun becoming more common during the 1850s. The fashion of rolling boys hair in long ringlet curls appears to have begun in the 1850s, but this is probably more a reflection of the new developing technology of photography. The earliest confirmed images I have of ringlets dates to the 1850s. Notably it is the 1850s that large numbers of photographic images are becoming avaialble in the 1850s. Photography was still relatively expensive, but not nearly as expensive as a painted portrait. Thus the number of images of children available to fashion historians begins to increase in the 1850s. This may explain why the number of images of boys in ringlets appears to increase in the 1850s. It is unclear to HBC why there are so few painted porteaits of boys wearing ringlets. Clearly the photographic record shows that some boys were wearing ringlets in the 1850s. It is probably that som boys wore them earlier as ringets had become popular in the early 20th century. It is likely that within a few years of appearing, doting mothers were extending the style to their sons. It appears thatt a mall minority of boys wore ringlets, but the number was not insignificant and the numbr was increasing.



Figure 2.--This 1850s image shows an American boy of about 7 or 8 wearing ringlet curls well before the Fauntleroy craze of the 1880s.

Countries

I know the fashion of ringlet curls for boys appears in America during the 1850s. There are also some known instances of English boys wearing ringlets at mid-Century. I do not know how common this was on the Continent. The images I have are almost entirely American, but this may be a simple reflection of the images available to me here in America.

Age

Boys with inglets wore a variety of clothes. Available images show that many boys wore curls after breeching. Interestingy, there appear to be few photiographs of boys in dresses with short hair. Boys at mid-century would generally have their hair cut when breeched by about 5 or 6 years of age. Some mothers, however, decided to delay breaching and/or cutting a boys hair until latter. Thus some boys wore long hair until 7 or 8 years of age, but in sime cases even to 11 or 12 years, although that was unusual. The images I have seen, however, are mostly boys of 7 to 8 yeats or younger.

Clothes

Boys in ringlets wore a variety of styles at mid-century. Interestingky while boys might continue wearing ringlets after breeching, it was unusual or a boy wearing dresses during this period to have very short hair.

Dresses

Most boys wearing ringlet curls would still be in dresses. Other boys in dresses had their hair cut when quite young. I do not yet have good information on dress styles and colors for boys. At mid century I think that there was still little difference in the styles and colors worn boys and girls. White certainly was a popular color. Younger children might have simple frocks for play.



Figure 3.--This Civil War (1861-65) era photograph shows a father with two boys, both in white dresses.

After breeching

Some mothers refused to cut their sons hair even after breeching. These boys might wear tunics or a variety of contemprtary juvenile attire. Ringlets were not reserved for boys still in dresses or juvenile boyish styles. Boys clothing styles were quite fluid in the mid-19th Century. Some boys in rather adult looking styles, some would wear rather plain shirts and long trousers, a rather incongrous look with ringlet curls. Some images show a rather stange mixture of outfits, such as a low cut blouse with trousers.

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Ringlet curls are often associated with Frances Hodgson Burnett and Little Lord Fauntleroy and the America of the 1880s. Certainly many mothers felt that lng ringlet curls were a neccessary fashion compliment to a velvet Fauntleroy suit and lace collar. The fashion of ringlet curls, however, did not begin with Mrs. Burnett's book published in 1885. Photographs clearly show that some boys were wearing ringlets in the 1850s, and while few photographs exist from the earlier period, boys almost certainly wore them before the 1850s.



Figure 4.--This Daguerotype probably taken in the 1850s, perhaps the 1860s, shows a boy wearing ringlet curls and long trousers.

Long pants

One noticeable fashion in the mid-19th century was the number of boys wear very palin outfits with long pants. The convention of boys wearing shortened pants had not yet been established. Thus while some mothers were not yet dressing their boys in kneepants and fancy suits, they were beginning style their son's hair with ringlet curls. The contrast of very fancy ringlet curls with a plain shirt and baggy, poorly fitting long trousers looks quite strange to the modern reader. Some boys might wear jackets and more formal pants, but in many cases the boys are wearing very plain shirts and pants. Clothes were not nearly as well fitting as would be the case in the late 19th century.

Gender

We note children wearing ringlet curls throughout the 19th century. Our information on the early 19th century is fairly limited, but thanks to the development of photography, we know much more about the mid-19th century. We see many boys wearing ringlet curls in the late 19th century, but most of the images we have archived show boys wearing short hair. We note quite a number of girls with ringlet curls during the mid-19th century, but we have so far found reltively few boys with ringlet curls during the mid-19th century. This is not to say it was unknown. It is to say that it was relatively rate, especially in comparison to the much larger number of portraits we have found showing boys wearing ringlet curls in the late 19th century.

Influential Factors

I'm not sure what facors influenced a mother's decission. Presumably what a new mother experienced as a child was an important factor. Other mothers may have been strongly infkluebced by fashion. In this regard , whay was important at mid-century was women's fashions and noy men and boy's fashions. The clothes worn by little boys at mid-century were often reflectins of women's fasgions and not men and boys fashions. The same is true of hair styles. Social class and family income were other important factors. The woman's position in the family was also important. To the extent she was vested with authority, the more likely it was for a boy to have ringlets.







HBC






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Created: April 24, 1999
Last edited: 2:02 AM 9/18/2013