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Fauntleroy suits were widely worn in England, but I believe the style was less popular for working-class families than was the case of America. In addition, the convention of sending boys off to boarding prep schools at about 8 years of age was becoming established in the 1880s--the same time of the Fauntleroy craze raged. Few boys after they left for their prep schools would condescend to wear Fauntleroy suits when they came home. There were some distinctive English styles that seem quite different than American Fauntleroy suits. Wide brimmed sailor hats were less common as were ringlet curls. Also we have noted many English boys wearing bloomer knickers, sometime above thekne length, rather than kneepants as were most common in America. Also English boys sometimes wore kneesocks or three-quarter-length socks rather than long stockings. Another major difference is that English boys less commonly wore the huge bow tied in elegant classic bows. English suits often had knicker pants and the boys did not often wear the boot-like high button shoes. Rather English boys more commonly wore patent leather shoes like pumps, strap shoes, and buckle shoes even before the turn of the century. We are only beginning our assessment of English Fauntkeroy suits as we still have only a limited number of images.
Fauntleroy suits were widely worn in England, but I believe the style was less popular for working-class families than was the case of America. In addition, the convention of sending boys off to boarding prep schools at about 8 years of age was becoming established in the 1880s--the same time of the Fauntleroy craze raged. Few boys after they left for their prep schools would condescend to wear Fauntleroy suits when they came home.
As far as we can tell, the chronological trends of the Fauntleroy suit were very similar to those in the United States, although the fashion was never as popular in America. We note younger boys wearing fancy velvet suits in the 1880s. This seems tob be a fashion influence from France. This was before the publication of Mrs. Burnett's story (1885). The book grearly increased the popularity of the style. The book sold well in Britain and the play was produced in London and other cities, including unauthorized versions. Of course. the Fauntleroy suit is not entirely an American style. Mrs. Burnett was born in Englsnd. As concerns, theFauntleroy suit, however, it seems to have been her time in France that was the key fashion influence. We see English examples of the Fauntleroy suit in the photographic record from the late-1880s into the early-1900s. We note Fauntleroy collars being worn by the younger boys in primary schools. This is a little more difficult for us to follow in Britain because our photographic archive is more limited than olur American archive. The style rapidly declined in popularity during the 1910s with world war making for more utilitarian fashions even among the well to do. We no longer see Fauntleroy suit in the 1920s, but we do see Fauntleroy fashion influences.
There were some distinctive English styles that seem quite different than American Fauntleroy suits.
Wide brimmed sailor hats were commonly worn with the Fauntleroy suits.
Another major difference is that English boys less commonly wore the huge bow tied in elegant classic bows.
The fancy Fauntleroy blouses so commonly worn by American boys with cut-away jackets were not nearly as common in England. English boys less commonly wore the cut-away jackets that were designed to show the fancy blouses. We see some, but not nearly as many as in America. Rather in England we are more likely to see a collar-buttobing jacket and an elaborate pin-on lace collar rather than a fancy blouse. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). We even see a boy wearing a very plain blouse with a cut-away jacket -- Charles Bampfield (1895). Charles has a lace collar, but the blouse could not be more plain.
One of the destinguishing features of a Little Lord Fautleroy suit was an elaborate usually large white collar. The classic collar for a Fauntleroy suit was a lace collar. The lace collars came in all kinds of lace and in different sizes and shapes. The boy here wears an especially elaborate lace collar with matching cuffs. Ruffled lace claars were also common. These could be quite large. The Fauntleroy collars could be worn both with and without bows. The collars often came as separate items, but boys also wore Fauntleroy vlouses where thge collar was a part of the blouce. These collars could be worn on other kinds of suits as well as Fauntleroy suits. When a boy was given a more mature type of suit, he might wear his Fauntleroy collar with it for a fewc years, depending on his age.
Sashes were worn with Fauntleroy suits, especially for formal occassions. Colors varied. Note the sash the boy here is wearing which we suspect might be red to contrast with the balck suit (figure 1).
The Funtlleroy Craze was not as popular in Europe as in America, but of all the European countries we see it most commonly in England. There were, however, notable differences between Ametrican and English Fauntleroy suits and on of those differences were the jackets worn. Classic American Faintleroy suits had small jackets cut away to show off the fancy blouses that the boys were wearing. Not all boys wore cut-away jackets, but they were the classic style and this is the jacket most commonly used for Fauntleroy suits. We see these cut-away jackets in Englnd as well, but we see many boys wearing collar buttoning jackets and rather than a fancy Fauntleroy blouse a pin-on lace collar. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). These larger collar buttoning Fauntleroy suits had larger jackets, often completely covering any blouse or other top a boy might be wearing. As a result the Fauntleroy blouses so common in America were not nearly as common as in England. Te jackets were done in different mterials. The classic material was velvet. Lower cost suits were done in other material.
We see English boys wering a variety of trousers in the late-19th century. We see srraight-leg knee pants, bloomer knickers, knickers, and long pants. For Fauntleroy suits we only see knee pants and bloomer knickers being used. Bloomer knickers seem the most common especially for classic Fauntleroy suits with Fauntleroy blouses and large lace or ruffled collars. Our ininital assessment is most of the classic suits in England were done with bloomer knickers. This is a basic difference between American abd English Fauntleroy suits. Almost all American Fauntleroy suits were done with knee pants. For regular suits worn by youngr boys in England we see a mix of bollomer knickers and knee pants. The Fauntleroy suits using standard jackts rather than the classic cut away jackets along with more modest Fauntleroy styling might use knee pants rather than the bloomr knickers.
English boys sometimes wore knee socks or three-quarter-length socks rather than long stockings.
English boys did not often wear the boot-like high-top button shoes so common in America. Rather English boys more commonly wore patent leather shoes like pumps, strap shoes, and buckle shoes even before the turn of the century. The difference between English and American footwear is very pronouncd.
English boys wore both long and short hair with Fauntleroy suits. Ringket curls were worn by some boys, but they seen lees common than in America.
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