Figure 1.-- Here we have two brithers wearing similar double-breased suits. The only difference besides the pattern is that the older boy has a neck tie and the younger boy a floppy bow. Both boys have large Peter Pan collars, probably detachavle collars. The portrait is undated, but based on the mount style would have been taken in the 1900s decade. The studio was Byarlay in St. Joseph, Missouri.

We note boys with large Peter Pan collars in the early-20th century, mostly the 1900s decade. These are shaped like the classic Peter Pan collar and done in fairly large sizes. A good example is Floyd Van Horne about 1915. In the 19th century there were no sharp gender or age conventions associated with the Peter Pan collar. In the early-20th century, however, the Peter Pan collar became associated with both younger boys and girls. We are not sure just when these collars became called Peter Pan collars. It had to be after J.M. Barrie's eponymous Peter Pan character first appeared in both America and Britain (1902), probably some time after that. Strangely the hige number of illustraroprs who have depicted Peter, do not show him wearing the collar named after him. We do not know what these collars were called before acquiting the Peter Pan name. Thus boys shirts and detachable collars were generally not made with Peter Pan collars. This was difficult to assss in the late-19th century because floppy bows could be so large. We do still see blouses for younger boys made with Peter Pan collars. The Eton suit for younger American boys which became popular in the 1920s were worn with blouses that had both Eton and Peter Pan collars. Itwas a dressy style whe boys still wore blouses, especially with juvenile Eton suits. Both were worn into yhev 1969s, but gradually the Eton collar became the most popular style. Other styles such as shortalls and button-on suits were also worn with Peter Pan blouses giving them a dressy look. Except for younger boys, the Peter Pan collar became a primary style for girls' blouses. It was a poular chouice fir a girl's suchool unuform blouse.

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Created: 11:22 AM 3/14/2024
Last updated: 11:22 AM 3/14/2024