Figure 1.--We still see boys wearing fancy blouses with large coolars in the 1900s, especially the early part of the decade. Younger boys wore Fauntleroy blousesm but we see older boys up to about age 12 wearing blouses with large collars.

We still see boys wearing fancy blouses in the early 20th century. Boys might wear blouses without suit jackets at the turn of the century, but men were still expected to wear suit jackets. We notice boys still wearing fancy Fauntleroy blouses in the early 20th century. A good example is an unidetified American boy. Blouses were very common for boys in the1990s. A good example is John Conway in 1906. Blouses began to decline in popularity during the 1910s. Eton collars were not worn on blouses but rather as detachable collars for shirts or waists. Blouses with Peter Pan and other large collars appear at the turn-of-the 20th century. It is only after World War I (1914-18) that blouses with somewhat modified Eton collars begin to appear. After the War, shirts began to replace blouses for boys. The button-on style was popular in the inter-war era. Boys commonly wore shirt styles with these button-on suits, but the shirts did not have tails. Some younger American boys wore blouses until about the 1980s when they became less common. A few school age boys to about 6 or 7 might wear blouses. Most of the older boys wearing blouses wore ones with Peter Pan collars often with Eton suits. By the 1920s school-age boys began to object to the idea of wearing bloses. They wanted to wear shirts with more adult styling. A ood reflection of that trend was a Procter & Gamble ad in 1926.

The 1900s

Blouses were very common for boys in the earky 20th century. We see boys wearing blouses and knee pants in the photographic record. We see boys up to about age 12 commonly wearing them. We still see boys wearing fancy blouses with large collars in the early 20th century. Boys might wear blouses both with and without without suit jackets at the turn of the century. Many boys wore these blouses with large collars without jackets during the warm summer weather. Men were still expected to wear suit jackets. We notice boys still wearing fancy Fauntleroy blouses in the early 20th century. We see Ellsie, Ellenor, and Nelson their little brother who was 6 years old from Lewenton, Maine in 1903. Another example is an unidetified American boy. Blouses were very common for boys in the1990s. A good example is John Conway in 1906. Older boys did not geneally wear Fauntleroy suiys, but school age-boys still commonly wore blouses with large often ruffled collars. We see all the boys in the Johnson family in Illinois wearing large ruffeled collars and floppy bows in 1907. Blouses with Peter Pan and other large collars appear at the turn-of-the 20th century.

Figure 2.--We still see boys wearing fancy blouses in the early 1910s, but they were much less common by the end of the decade.

The 1910s

We still see boys commonly wearing blouses in the 1910s. This was especially during the early 10s, but we see blouses being worn throughout the decade. We note both plain and striped blouses. Colors are more difficult to assess, although there were few dark-colored blouses. A major difference was that they were were worn with knickers during the 10s instead of knee pants which were more common in th 1900s. This is a useful indicator in estimating the dates of undated photographs. Blouses were, however, beginning to decline in popularity during the decade. They were still worn throughout the decade, but by somewhat younger boys and with smaller and less fancy collars. Thus by the end of the decade boys with huge collars were no longer very common. We see more boys wearing small collars of various styles, some with modern-looking collars. Eton collars were not worn on blouses but rather as detachable collars for shirts or waists. We see many other styles, many of which we are unable to identify. Some sid not have spread points like Etons. These detachable collars were still worn in the 10s, but not as commonly as in the 1900s. And after the War Eton collars declined sharply in poularity. The blouses seem to have mostly had drawstring closures.

The 1920s

After World War I, we note shirts began to replace blouses for boys, especially for older school-age boys. Catalogs during the decade offered both blouses and shirts, but we see more and more shirts being offered by the end of the decade. We still see blouses for school-age boys in the early 20s, but by the late 20s they had become primarily wrn by younger boys. The button-on style was popular in the inter-war era. Boys commonly wore shirt styles with these button-on suits, but the shirts did not have tails. By the 1920s school-age boys began to object to the idea of wearing bloses. They wanted to wear shirts with more adult styling. A good reflection of that trend was a Procter & Gamble ad in 1926. By the end of the decade, atheterm "blouse" had the destincr ontation as a garment for girls or very young boys. It is only after World War I (1914-18) that blouses with somewhat modified Eton collars for younger boys begin to appear. Wedo see some very young boys wearing blouses with large sometimes ruffled collars. They were, however, mostly worn for formal occassions such as wedding or perhaps formal portraits. We do not note them being very commonly worn.

The 1930s

We see far fewer boys wearing blouses in the 1930s. Most boys wore shirts.

The 1940s

The 1970s

Some younger American boys wore blouses until about the 1980s when they became less common. A few school age boys to about 6 or 7 might wear blouses. Most of the older boys wearing blouses wore ones with Peter Pan collars often with Eton suits.

Created: 6:00 AM 6/2/2006
Last updated: 12:24 AM 5/11/2009