Figure 1.--I believe the artist here is Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch, a 17th century Dutch artist. Notice the ribbons on the little girl's dress.

After having studied the kind and nature of ribbons used on dresses, Philippe Ariès came to the conclusion that ribbons were not intended to be used as a restraining device . The only reason was a symbolic one: for the first time, the child is seen as a child and not as a little adult. Ribbons are a sign that the little child has the right to behave as a child. For two centuries, from the 16th to the 18th centuries, those ribbons were for boys something like short pants during the 20th century. Many modern researchers thought that those ribbons had the same functions as leadingstrings or "lisières". Aries rejected this interpretation: in a drawing on which he makes his deduction, it is clear that on the child back, there are two ribbons hanging from each shoulders and a leadingstring between. The ribbons where not a kind of rein or leash for the simple reason that the kind of dress fabric was not enough strong to restraining or controlling rambunctious children. This does not imply that children were never on leadingstring until the advent of the modern harness. A painting from 1780 shows clearly that leather harness and rein already existed at that time but those leadingstrings or "lisières" have nothing to do with the ribbons (figutre ?). It is like if leadingstring and ribbons went on two different directions. The leadingstring was further developped along the same principles of the reins coupled to the horse harness. During all those centuries when horses played a significant role in transportation, children were fascinated and scaring at the same time by this so big animal. To reduce their own anxiety, they played horses with cloth or leather ropes. Leading strings were intended to help a toddler when on his first steps. The leadingstring was first made as circular braid knitted with cotton, wool and silk to form a firm rope attached to a large cloth waist belt. Because it was used at the same time that appeared ribbons, many observers tought that there was a relation between them. Aries explained in his book that ribbons were used as a symbolic function. Wearing ribbons is signifying: "I am still a child who can make mistakes " it was the first landmark indicating a child is in a different category than that of adult. Both boys and girls wore ribbons . But between 5 and 8 years old, boys began to wear breeches and girls stayed on dress. Leading strings became gradually associated to tethers, reins or leash . Ribbons kept their sign of age status until the end of the 18th century. Around 1920 and 1930, ribbons were used again in girls' dresses. Very long ribbons are hanging from the front or the rear to be used as a big bow at back. Even if it seems to be similar to reins, their main function is to tighten the dress on breast, not to be used as a rein.

Purpose

After having studied the kind and nature of ribbons used on dresses, Philippe Ariès came to the conclusion that ribbons were not intended to be used as a physical restraining device . We indeed can see no real practical purpose for the ribbons. The ribbons where not a kind of rein or leash for the simple reason that the kind of dress fabric was not enough strong to restraining or controlling rambunctious children. If you have a child 4 years old, for example, surely swinging a child or pulling on ribbons would result in a torn dress--ribbons were clearly not designed for such purposes. This is why in the work of some artists, such as Bosse, we see both leading strings and ribbons.

Leading Strings

But between 5 and 8 years old, boys began to wear breeches and girls stayed on dress. Leading strings became gradually associated to tethers, reins or leash. Ribbons kept their sign of age status until the end of the 18th century. Around 1920 and 1930, ribbons were used again on girls' dresses. Very long ribbons are hanging from the front or the rear to be used as a big bow at back. Even if it seems to be similar to reins, their main function is to tighten the dress on breast, not to be used as a rein. Leading strings were intended to help a baby when on his first steps. The leadingstring was first made as circular braid knitted with cotton, wool and silk to form a firm rope attached to a large cloth waist belt. They were used for beginning walkers and also for impulsive kids.

Symbolism

The only reason was a symbolic one: for the first time, the child is seen as a child and not as a little adult. Ribbons are a sign that the little child has the right to behave as a child. For two centuries, from the 16th to the 18th, those ribbons were for children something like short pants for boys during the 20th century. Remember at the time there was no specifically designed styles for children. Aries explained in his book that ribbons were used as a symbolic function. Wearing ribbons is signifying: "I am still a child who can make mistakes " it was the first landmark indicating a child is in a different category than that of adult. Both boys and girls wore ribbons. A reader writes, "Ribbons are symbols of childhood. If ribboned, you were perceived as immature with such bad consequences like you have limited access to adult life, you are constantly watched, told what to do, what to think. But there is also a big advantage : you are perceived as allowed to think and act as a small kid. Girls wore maybe longer in the 17th and 18th century because it became a girls' fashion while boys' had false sleeves as shown in paintings by Franz Halls. In a word: ribbons are a sign and a symbol of childdhood, in part because there was no such thing like children's clothes at the time."

Figure 2.--We do not know who painted this portrait or precisely when it was painted. The most likely date would be about 1680. The little girl is one of Louis XIV's daughters, I'm not sure which one. She looks to be aged 7 or 8 with Mme de Maintenon, the last spouse of the Sun King. Note the ribbons at the back of the Princess' dress. There are clearly no leading strings.

Origins

We do not at this time know what the origins of using ribbons on the shoulders of dresses in a symbolic fashion was. We do not know who conceived of this idea or when and here. We do not know why ribbons were used and why they were hung from the shoulders of the child. We had asummed it was connected with leading strings, but some clothing historians reject this notion. As a result, at this time we are unsure as to the possible origins of this fashion convention. One HBC reader writes, "Ribbons come from sleeves. Look at the Franz Hals portrait. The boy is wearing false sleeves which evolved from the real sleeves in Medievel dress (still seen in monk's robes). Look at the Van Dyck painting "the Balbi children". The boy at left is wearing false sleeves. From false sleeves to ribbons, there is only one step forward. Aries explains this brilliantly. As a fashion show, false-sleeves were worn by adult as false-sleeves but children wore ribbons as a miniaturization of false-sleeves. It is just at odd if leading strings and ribbons are around the same place at back like we can see on Bosse's engraving."

Relationship between Ribbons and Leading Strings

The question here is if we find any relations between the leading strings and the ribbons. Leading strings clearly had had the primary function of helping a child learn to walk. Many modern researchers assumed ribbons had the same functions as leading strings or "lisières". Because leading strings were used at the same time that appeared ribbons, many observers tought that there was a relation between them. Aries rejected this interpretation: in a drawing on which he makes his deduction, it is clear that on the child back, there are two ribbons hanging from each shoulders and a leading strings between. The ribboons found on the shoulders of an older girl's dress probably had a symbolic meaning that the child still required the guidance of her parents. [Aries]

HBC had assumed that ribbons hung from the shoulders of dresses were vestigal symbols of leading strings. A HBC reader, however, insists, "I don't agree withn you about the ribbons as remaining symbolic leading strings. Look again Bosse. The toddler is on leading strings because he is beginning to walk and HE ACTUALLY WEARING RIBBONS. Ribbons cannot be a vestige of leading strings or reins. When out of leading strings (emmaillottage) around 2 years old, the boy or the girl is put in a long dress which he will wear for many years; on shoulders of this dress are sewn cotton or silk ribbons which are like a stamping in: "I am a child (toddler) and I will stay a child as long as adults will make the decision to putt away those ribbons. In my opinion, I think that when boys were breetched, they no longer wore ribbons. Maybe it was different for girls. Ribbons stayed longer because girls were perceived, like women, as childish longer. Not sure in saying that but I will try to find a solution to this. Anyway, like in Boucher's painting, the girl 7 or 8 years old is always wearing ribbons. [HBC does not yet have a page on Boucher.]"

Another reader agrees, "Ribbons are not symbols of leading strings. If so, why is the toddler in the Bosse print wearing both? The sense from the toddler here is: I am a child (ribbons) and I still need to be helped for walking (leading strings). Why then the toddler in the young musicians (never able to remember the name Haudhauser?) is holding leadings strings without having ribbons? [HBC does not yet have a page on Haudhauser.] For me the answer is: this painting is from 1840. At that time, ribbons were inexistant. No more symbolism of that kind . In the XIXth century were created distinct clothings for children which disn't need any more a symbol of childhood like ribbons. Never forget that ribbons were there because clothings for kids still were miniaturized adult clothings."

HBC is not at all sure that the ribbons evoled as sysbolic leading strings, although it seems the most likely origin. If this was not in fact the case, our question becomes why did these ribbons develop the symbolic significance of parental control and authority and why were they placed on the shoulders.

This does not imply that children were never on leading strings until the advent of the modern harness. A painting from 1780 shows clearly that leather harness and rein already existed at that time but those leading strings or "lisières" have nothing to do with the ribbons (figutre ?). It is like if leading strings and ribbons went on two different directions.

Chronology

We do not yet have a detailed chronology of the use of ribbons on children's dresses. This will of course assist us in better understanding their originsand relationship with leading strings. We are not sure when ribbons first appeared. We note in the 16t century that something like ribbons were being sewn on the dress of both boys and girls. They were sewn on the shoulders while the other end felt freely down the back of the dress. We do not yet note them in any 16th cenury drawings, but believe that there probably are examples and we are looking for them. We notice them depicted in the work of several 17th century artists from various artists. Some of these include Bosse (French--1630s?), de Hooch (Dutch--1660s), Van Dyck (Italian--1620s), and Terborch (Dutch). (The countries in parethesis are where the portraits were painted.) The French painting here was probably painted in the late 17th century, although we do not yet know the artist. (figure 1). We believe that ribbons were extensively used on 18th century dresses, but do not yet have any actual examples. We notice 19th century dresses with decorarive ribbons on dresses, but not the long ribbons seen in the 17th century. One artist Baker (American--1853) painted such a dress.

Gender

HBC is unsure at this time if there were any gender differences among boys and girls in the use of ribbons. We note them on the dresses of both young boys and girls. We do not know if they were more common on the dresses of girls or if this varied by time. We do associate ribbons more with girls because of course only young boys wore dresses. Boys were breeched at about age 4-6, although this varied. Girls continued wearing dresses and ribbons were used at the shoulders even for teenagers, although this had declined but not disappeared by the 18th century.

Age

Ribbons are most commonly seen on the dresses of younger girls and boys before breeching. For boys the age varied, primarily because the age of breeching was variable. The age of girls wearing ribbons from theie shoulders varied even more. These ribbons stayed on the dress for many years until when the children were 5 to 8 years of age. After that age they became less common. We notice them, however, on the dresses of older girls, even teenagers before marriage. The extent of this convention varied over time, but was still an immportant convention in the 18th century and was even seen in the 19th century, especially the early 19th century.

Criticisms

Writers in the 18th century began to criticise any kind of constraint for children, including swadeling and leading strings. Bt inference even symbolic contraints like the use of ribbons were affected. The use of ribbons did not disappear in the 19th century, but it became much less common.

Child Game

The leading strings were further developped along the same principles of the reins coupled to the horse harness. During all those centuries when horses played a significant role in transportation, children were fascinated and scaring at the same time by this so big animal. To reduce their own anxiety, they played horses with cloth or leather ropes.

Security Device

When on dangerous places, parents tyed a leading string to a waist rope to prevent any harm. In looking an old photography of two Norwegian children playing along a fjord around 1920 or 1930 (figure ?), we have a good example of leading strings applied to a boy around 10 or 12 years old with his sister of 5 years old. they are wearing a kind of rope teether tyed to a tree or a rock; the harness is relatively simple : maybe the same rope rolled around the waist. Even today, climbing or boating needs such a security device.

Sources

Aries, Philip. L¹enfant et la vie familiale sous l¹Ancien Régime (Paris: Seuil, 1974).

Carl Grimberg and Ragnar Svanström, Värlhistoria: Folkens Liv och Kultur tome 7 (Histoire universelle, 1964).

Created: July 18, 2003
Last updated: August 1, 2003