American Little Lord Fauntleroy Suit Headwear: Jockey Caps

Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified boys wearing a Fauntleroy suit with an elsborate lace collar and cuffs. This is a pin-on collar with real lace and not a Fauntleroy blouse with a fancy ruffled collsr. He looks to be about 5 years old. A reader thinks he may be 6 years old. He has what looks like a brightly colored jockey cap done in circles. Notice the circle pattern and bows. The studio was O.H. Spencer in Circleville, Ohio.

We notice a few boys wearing what we would call jockey caps with Fauntleroy suits. Somehow it does not look quite right because a jockey cap looks like a casual cap and the Fauntleroy suit looks so formal, but apparently in did not jar the fashion sence of late-19th century American mothers. These caps migjht be donme in bright colors like jockies wore. Some look rather like British school caps, but with two bills (peaks). There were also bows on the top which was the case with actual jockey caps as well. The hat flaps with bow may be ear flaps that when not needed for cold days were worn up with a bow. That appers to be the case wih the Ohio boy here (figure 1). Some were done in circles like we have seen at British schools, but we think jockey colors were the primary inspiration. You wonder if the parents were vnot horse raising enthusioasts and if the boys were taken to the races. The actual colors are hard to identify given the black and white photography, bur we think that at least some were done in bright colors. Jockey caps were not a major type of headwear worn with Fauntleroy suits, but we see a number of examples. We think this was mostly in the early phase of the fAuntleroy craze (1885-95), but this needs to be confirmed. Several of the examples we have are from the Midwest and other areas away from the fashionable northeastern urbabn centers.

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Created: 8:15 AM 9/29/2011
Last updated: 8:15 AM 9/29/2011