Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
HBC has information on quite a number of English boys and their clothes and hair styles. We have laded quite a number of images of images of English boys located on a wide range of topics. These images provide a wonderful view of boys' hair styles over time. We have only linked a few of those images here, but plan to make more connections as HBC develops.
An English boy, William Silvester, had a minature watercolor portrait painted in the early 19th century. William was 11 years of age. Miniature Length 3 1/8", Width 2 1/2"; Frame Length 5 7/8", Width 5". There is not a lot of detail in this minature portrait, but it does show the high ruffled collar and the short hair style worn at the time. His hair is short, but not severely so,
We have been unable to find any biographical information on this English artist. He was active during the late Regency and early Victorian eras and that he at least sometimes painted on wood. We have noted a portrait by him of Reginald Henry Bean with his wife Emma (daughter of J.R. Lucas of the Nailsea Glassworks) and family on the Backwell Hill painted in 1829. Clearly this is a prosperous family of the rising industrial class being created by the Indusrial Revolution. We have no further details about this family. The portrait, however, is a wonderful example of Regency clothing. Note the somber black and greys in Mr. Bean's so characteristic of Victorian men's clothing are beginning to appear already in Mr. Bean's outfit in contast to his wife's coloful dress. The boys appear to be wearing quite different outfits, but there are definite similarities. Notice the lace collaes and similar styling of the top of the boys outfit with vertical button styling. There certainly are differences. One boy wears a wide-brimmed hat with a high flat crown. The lace collars are tyled differently. The older boys wear long pants. The younger boys wears a tunic a huge number of buttons. Notice only one of buttons continues below the waist. With the tunic the boy wears what look more like pantalettes than pants/trouusers. The girls wear a
long dress with long neckline and baloon sleeves. Notice how colorful the boys' clothing is. Both boys have short hair cuts. The gir has longer hair with some
curls.
The water color shown here is unidentified. We know nothing about it. Our assessment, however, is that it was painted in England during the 1830s. It was not paintained by a master artist, it is however a charming image and the dresses and hair styles are painted in some detail. We believe the child in the blue dress is a boy, although there is no way to be certain about this.
This is a wonderful folky watercolour portrait of a boy standing on the seashore. He is wearing a black tunic with a broad belt at the waist and a deep white collar tied with a blue ribbon, over trousers. His hair is short, but not severly so. He's holding a large peaked hat. His costume is truly typical of the 1830s. There is a family tree inscription on the reverse of the portrait that identifies the child as Jethro Scowcroft (1829-1880), son of Thomas Scowcroft. Jethro was may be about 7 or 8 years old when this portrait was painted, but probably less than 10 years. The portrait is watercolor on card.
A watercolor painting from 1870 shows Harlod Bate wearing intricately done ringlet curls. Unfortunately we have no provinance on the painting, except that on the back it indicates that he was 2 1/2 years old at the time and wears a blue dress or smock with a small neck frill. The fact that he had a reasonably high-quality watercolor portrait done of him suggests that he came from an affluent family. We note that he has a large top curl in addition to his ringlets. This is a style we have also noted in America, at the time. It seems to have been a destinctively boyish hair fashion. At least we have not yet noted it on girls.
This brother and sister, William and Ida Cross, were photographed in August 1886 at the
Fleming Studio in Southsea, Hampshire. They are clearly from an affluent English family, although we have no details about them at this time. William wears a top hat and immaculate Eton suit. Ida wears a wide-brimmed hat and classic sailor outfit. William had a short hair cut, but ishard to amke out under his top hat.
This English boy wears a pin-on detachable lace collar. His name was Claude Bolton Wylde. He looks to be about 6 years old. He was photographed in Liverpool during September 1887. He wears a rather plain blouse, but the lace collar seems rather elaborate. It is one of the more elaborate such collars that we have noted,. Even so the jacket is worn open si the blouse can be seen. Note that the jacket is only buttoned at the collar. The large number of buttons weere decorative. Note that there are buttons on both sides, rather than button holes on one side. I'm not sure what color the suit was, but it may have been black. His hair is shor, but not carefully combed. His gaie is not cut away from his ears.
We know little about John, but a portrait shows a very English face and he wears the Eton collar that was was so common at turn of the century England. The portrait reads, "John Christopher Bradshaw Falleglove born on Chrismas day, 1887. The second date reads April 1898. The word before April is very hard to read I will tell you what I get J (then three dots) poix or pox. I believe this is a portrait of a child who died in 1898. Presumably the portrait was made in 1898. It is unsigned. His hair is short, but a little stargly--probably a more realistic view of how many Engkish boys at mid century wire thatir hair than the portraits of more affluent boys.
John Trueman Brooke Waller was an English boy. We have a portrait of him taken when he was 6 years old during September 1892. The portrait was taken at East Croydon, a suburb of London. The photo is a wonderful example of an English boy elegantly attired in a velvet Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit and golden long wavey curls.
A HBC reader recently acquired an old albumn--almost all cabinet cards. They mostly depict Robert Cuthbert Stowell and his brother Wilfrid who lived at 14 Darlaston Road, Wimbledon, London. Their father (Anthony Stowell) was Chief Inspector of the London & County Bank and was quite old when he became a father as he would have been 49 when Robert was born. At the time of the 1901 Census Robert was 13 years old and Wilfrid was 10
years old, so when these photos were taken in 1895 Robert would have been 7 and Wilfrid 4 years old.
A HBC reader has submitted a charming portrait of Bertie Chapman. We believe that he may be English and his portrait was taken in 1898. He wears long curls done in pig tails with a colored velvet hair bow. His outfit is all white, including his lace trimed dressm spcks, and shoes. Colored is added by a sash. He was nearly 3 years old when the portrait was taken. I am not sure if the portrait was taken at home or in a photographic studio.
This is Stewart Legge Symonds. He was the son of Benjamin Symonds, a Clergyman of the
Church of England--Rector of Haversham, Buckinghamshire. Stewart was 5 years old at census time in 1901 and I would guess that it was around this time that this photo (a CDV) was taken. He weaes a white sailor suit and long curly hair.
Henry Reginald Bacon had his potograph his photograph taken in Brightlingsea, Essex during July 1903. He wears a wide-brimmed sailor cap and long ringlet curls. He was 7 years old. He has a kneepants suit with military styling worn with an enormous Eton-style collar. Henry has long ringlet curls which have been carefully layed on his shoulders. Four ringlets can be seen. Because of the hat, it is difficult to make out how the hair on his forehead was done. It looks like rather than bangs, his hair at the front was done in short curls.
W.C.Bryce was a student at Britain's famed Eton school. He looks to be a new boy or at least a junior student. Heis dressed in an early 19th century naval unioform, dating from the Napoleonic War era. Apparently there was some kind of celebration at Eton on June 4 when th boys dressed up in these uniforms. I would have guessed that the portrait was taken in the 1890s, but our British contributor tells us that it was in collection of Eton phitographs taken from 1901-10. He had a short, but not severe hair cut.
This boy is G.V. Naylor-Leyland. He was about 15 years old when this portrait was taken in his Eton School uniform. Note the crisp Eton collar. The portrait is undated, but we estimate that it was taken about 1907. He has a sjort hair cut, but his hair is not cit away from the ears. He was killed in action on Monday September 21, 1914 aged 22 years in France during the early phase of fighting during World War I. He was a Lieutenant with the Horse Guards (the 'Blues').
G.V. Stokes was a student at Britain's famed Eton school. He looks to be about 15 years old at the time of this portrait had probably been at the school a couple years. We know nothing about the boy. As an Eton student, however, he must have come from an affluent family. Also this uniform must have been rather expensuve. He is dressed in a mid-19th century naval uniform. Eton has a June 4 celebration each year when the boys dress up in fancy naval uniforms I would have guessed that the portrait was taken in the 1890s, but our British contributor tells us that it was in collection of Eton photographs taken from 1901-10. His hair is cur short. His side birns in particular are cut short.
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