** boys hair styles: national styles -- England hair styles gender trends








English Boys' Hair Styles: Gender Trends


Figure 1.--This brother and sister dressed in matching sailor suits for their portrait. The children are unidentified, the photo is a cabinet card taken by Barrauds Ltd, OxfordStreet, London circa 1880s We would estimate from the style of the card. It makes a pleasant change to see a nice smile in a portrait. We wonder if the little girl did not ebvy her big brother's flowing locks. The children look to be about 4-7 years old. Image courtesy if the MD collection.

As a general rule English boys as did boys in America and other Europdan countries generally wore shorter hoir styles and their sisters longer hair styles. Very young boys might have long hair, but most boys generally had their hai cut short at the time of breeching, some well before that. While this is a general rule, there are many instances of boys with long flowing shoulder-length hair, sometimes done in ringlet curls. This was especially the case in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As many portraits were done individually, we are often not sure how their sisters had their hair styled. We note that in most, but not cases, that we habe observed, their sisters had their hair done differently. This sometimes meant a different style of long hair. In other instances their sisters had their hair cut short. As a result, considerable care has to be exercized in assessing the gender in unidentified old photographs.

Boys

Short hair cuts appear to have become standard for English boys by the turn of the 19th century. Younger boys might be kept by their mothers in curls. Boys educated at home might be kept in long hair, if their mothers thought that stylish. The ringlet curls American boys wore in the late 19th century were less common in Britain--although more conmnon thanm on the Continent--even France. English boys from affluent families would have their hair cut short before being sent off to school. Short back and sides were a common hair cut at English private schools. Some styles such as the British short back and sides were worn in many countries, although we often do not know what it was called in different countries. Available information on numerous individual boys provide a good overview on British hair styles. As a general rule English boys as did boys in America and other Europdan countries generally wore shorter hoir styles and their sisters longer hair styles. English boys did not have their cur as short as some continental boys, but it was still generally shott. Very young boys might have long hair, but most boys generally had their hai cut short at the time of breeching, some well before that. While this is a general rule, there are many instances of boys with long flowing shoulder-length hair, sometimes done in ringlet curls. This was especially the case in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the Funtleroy era. The boy here is a good example (figure 1).

Girls

Just as English boys usually generally had short hair cuts, English girls commonly had long hair. This was especially true in the 19th century when long styles were especially admired. This changed after World War I in the 1920s when we see many girls with short bobbed hair. Long styles never dusappeared, but we tend to see many monre girls with shorter styles than in the 19th century. Even in ghe 19th century, however we see shirter styles. And cthere arevimages wuth girls wearing down-right boyish syles. We are not entirely sure why these boyish styles existed. Wesupoose saintary measures or health reasins are possible, but we doubt that there were many exampoles of girlks wearung shirt boyish styles out of their own choice. And not uncommonly we see these boyish cuts with just one of the girls in the familky. Perhaos reader more knowldgeable about 19th century hair styling will have some insights. As many portraits were done individually, we are often not sure how the sisters of the boys depicted in the HBC Website had their hair styled. We note that in most but not a;ll of sibling portraitsd that we have observed, briothers and their sisters udsually had their hair done differently. The pir here are a good example (figure 1). This was the case even with younger children. This sometimes meant a different style of long hair. In other instances their sisters had their hair cut short. As a result, considerable care has to be exercized in assessing the gender in unidentified old photographs using hir styling as a guide. .








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Created: March 28, 2003
Last edited: 3:15 PM 11/28/2021