Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait was taken in 1908. The unidentified boy looks to be about 3 years old. He wears a decorated tunic suit with long stockings. Note his center hair part. Hev is posedstanding on a chair. The size was about 5.2 x 3.2 inches. A frame pattern has been pressed into the card. The studio looks to be somethinghb like Blazek.

Center parts for boys were much more variable over time, There were a few period when center parts were a stylish fashion for boys. We note center parts were fashionable for boys in some decades. We notice quite a few boys with center parts in the early-20th century. A good many are undated, but we know from the mount styles or the fact that they were done as postcards that they date to the early-20th century. The center part for boys seems mosdt common un the 1900s. A good example is an unidentified Chicago boy in 1907. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. We notice a sceond period of center parts in the late-20th century. We are still working on the precise chronology. We are not sure how common this was in other countries, but we see many American boys at the time with center parts. It was not the most common style, but we do see quite a number of images in the photogrphic record. A good example is the Hubbard brothers in 1917. It is side parts, however, that are the dominant trend. Right parts are much less common. Generally speakingover time the center part was primarily a girl's style. This was probably because it was away of separating hair for a variety of long hair styles. There were times though that we note boys with center parts. Boys with ringlet curls often had center parts, although it was usually covered with front bangs so not so obvious. We see older boys with center parts around the turn-of-the 20th century. Here we note this as a teenage more than a younger boy style. The early-20th century was one of these periods. The age range seems to be about 10-18 years of age, but we are also working on the ages to be more precise about this. We also note some boys with center parts in the 1980s.

The 1900s

We notice quite a few boys with center parts in the early-20th century. A good many are undated, but we know from the mount styles or the fact that they were done as postcards that they date to the early-20th century. The center part for boys seems most common un the 1900s. The photographic record suggests yhat this was the decade in which the center part for boys was the most popular. The unidebntified boy who looks to be about 3-years ols here in 1908 is a good example (figure 1). Another good example is an unidentified Chicago boy in 1907. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. We are still working on the precise chronology. We are not sure how common this was in other countries, but we see many American boys at the time with center parts. It was not the most common style, but we do see quite a number of images in the photogrphic record. We see older boys with center parts around the turn-of-the 20th century. Here we note this as a teenage more than a younger boy style. The early-20th century was one of these periods. The age range seems to be about 10-18 years of age, but we are also working on the ages to be more precise about this. Amd we have foundf younger examples lioke the boy here.

The 1910s

Center parts continued into the 1910s. Center parts seem less common than in the 1900s, but we still see quite a few in the phitographic record. Wehave archived numerous examples in HBC. A good example is the Hubbard brothers in 1917.

The 1920s

We still see some center parts inrhe 1920s, but they were far less common than in the 1910s.

The 1980s

We notice a sceond period of center parts in the late-20th century. Iy was a kind of revival. The center part was not the dominant parting example, but quite a few boys sported it, we think about the 1980s.

Created: 12:13 PM 10/14/2012
Last updated: 11:27 PM 10/12/2013