Figure 1.-- Here a single younger boy had no real option, but as boys got older there was more resistance. Here there was also strrength in numbers. Not here how mother has dressed her three sons in similasr suits and identical floppt bows, but one boy has managed to tuck his bow under the suit lapels. The boys were from Ely. Minnesota. Click on the image for a closer look.

One of the most destinctive styles of neckwear worn by Ameican boys was the floppy bow. This was a style worn by adults at the turn of the 19th century. It was popular during the Regency in Britain where it was worn by Beau Brummel. I thimk it was less common in America. When the floppy bow reappeared beginning in the late 1870s, it seems to have been a style particular popular in America. They were also worn in Europe, but we seem to see many more examples in America, especially the large floppy bows. And floppy bow at this time were a distinctly juvenile style. They were worn with equally large collars of various descriptions. Wearing floppy bows with fancy blouses was an optional matters. Some mothers insiste on the bows while others did not. They were worn with more plainly styled bows like Eton collars, but this was less common.

Destinctive Style

One of the most destinctive styles of neckwear worn by Ameican boys was the floppy bow. It added color and a decorative touch sometimes drab outfits.

Popularity

Most of our work on boys' collar bows has involved American boys as most of our images are American. As far as we can tell, the fashion was especilly popular in America. Large numbers of images show boys wearing large floppy bows in the late 19th century. Here it was strongly associated with the Fauntleroy style. Large collar bows, however, were worn with many other suits as well as blouses. Many boys dressed up and did not wear bows. This was particularly common in the mid-19th century. A good example here is the Wallis brothers in 1852.

Chronology

The floppy bow was a style worn by adults at the turn of the 19th century. It was popular during the Regency in Britain where it was worn by Beau Brummel. I think it was less common in America. Men and boys during the mid-19th century wore inconspicuous and usuall black stocks. Boys often wire no neckwear at all. This began to change in the 1860s when we notice small bows replacing stocks. We notice small bow in the 870s which graduallgrew larger. These bows by the 1880s grew markedly in size and by the late 1880s and 90s could be gigantic, sometimes almost dwarfing a small boy. Around the turn of the 20th century they began to fall in size. An ecample here is the Kemp brothers who wear moderate-sized bows in 1898. We see Harold Howes wearing a moderate-sized bow with an Eton collar and tunic suit in 1905. Floppy bows continue to decline in popularity during the 1910s. We see smaller and simplier bows. A good example is Floyd Van Horne about 1915. After World War I, floppy bows were no longer common, although small boys might wear them.

Country Trends

When the floppy bow reappeared beginning in the late 1870s, it seems to have been a style particular popular in America. They were also worn in Europe, but we seem to see many more examples in America, especially the large floppy bows. We are just beginning to assess collar now country trends. Most of our work on boys' collar bows has involved American boys as most of our images are American. As far as we can tell, the fashion was especially popular in America. Large numbers of images show boys wearing large floppy bows in the late 19th century. Here it was strongly associated with the Fauntleroy style. Large collar bows, however, were wiorn with many other suits as well as blouses. We have, however, noted boys in many other countries wearing floppy bows. A good example is a Canadian boy in 1898. Canadian trends seem to have been similar to American trends. They were also worn in Europe, although the popularity varied substantially from country to country. We believe that they were particularly popular in France. We have much less information on other countries.

Age Trends

Floppy bows for boys in the late 19th and early 20th century were a distinctly juvenile style. For this reason they were used by mothers for what was called "age grading". They were not, however, just worn by very little boys. While they were commonly worn by younger boys, they were not exclusively for very young boys. HBC has archived hundreds of photographs of pre-scool and school age boys wearing them, mostly in the late 19th century. We note Bert Dodge wearing a dloppy bow at about age 3 in the 1880s. We note Harold Howes at age 5 years wearing a moderate-sized bow with an Eton collar and tunic suit in 1905. Another example is Charles Dorff who looks to be about 8-years old about 1905. We also note younger teen agers wearing them. We see some 13-year olds and a few 14-year olds wearing them. Youngr teenagers wearing floppy bows became less common after the turn of the 20th century. And the age of boys wearing them as well as the overall populaity of this fashion gradually declined.

Gender

We are not yet sure about the gender conventions associated with floppy bows. Them may have changed over time as did the popularity of the bows. We note that in late 19th and very early 20th century that boys often wore floppy bow, sone times quite large ones. We see boys wearing floppy bows quite commonly when dressing up. It was not only boys who wore floppy bows, but we see many more bows wearing them than girls during this period. We note family portraits. In quite a number of these family portraits, when the boys wear floppy bows, the girls do not. After World war I, the floppy bow becme less commonly used, but we do see younger boys wearin them in the 1920s. They seem less common for girls. Here we are just beginning our assessment, but this is our initial findings.

Conventions

We see boys commonly wearing floppy bows in the late 19th and early 20th century. They wore them to dress up for parties and church. We also see them commonly worn to school. A good example is a Catholic school in the 1890s.

Sizes

Floppy bows came in all kinds of sizes. Some were so small that they look more like bow ties. Others were so large that they they also seem to engulf the boy. This varied chronolhically. Bows in the 1870s were relatively small. We note larger bows in the 1880s. They could be enormous in the 1890s and then declined somewhat in size during the 1900s when they rapidly went out of style. Size conventions varied from family to family. Here it was all up to mother. She could buy as long a length of material as she wanted to make the bows. We don't know much about this, but assume a millenary or department store had all kinds of colors and patterens of bow material in different widths. It must have been a very colorgul section of the store. I'm nor sure what the widths were. Age was another factor. Yonger boys seem to have the largest bows, but of course small sized children make the bows look larger.
Colors

Color is a very difficult topic with the floppy bows worn in the late-19th century and to a lesser extent the early 20th century. Photography was black and white, thus providing very few color clues. Another problem is that catalohs were also almost entirely in black and white. We have found only a few painted portraits. What is availavle or colorized photographic portraits. These of course are less valid than actual color photographs, but we believe that colorizers did try to get the color right if specified. The specific shade, of course, is less likely to be accurately depicted in these colorized images. Photographers varied on the details specified to to colorizers. But even if the details were not specified, the colorizers were likely to chose colors that were commonly worn. We have noted a range of colors, incliding black, blue, brown, green, red, and white. We have not yet found yellow and orange. There were also multi-color bows done un patterns like plaid, pokadots, and stripes. We are not sure about these multiple-color bows. Our color information, however, is still relatively limited.

Collars

Floppy bows were worn with equally large collars of various descriptions. Some mothers insiste on the bows while others did not. They were worn with more plainly styled bows like Eton collars, but this was less common.

Clothing

Boys commonly wre floppy bows when dressing up in suits. We also notice then being wirn with just blouses during the Smmer. Wearing floppy bows with fancy blouses was an optional matters.

Boys' Opinions

We do not yet have any written sources indicating whn American boys thought about these floppy bows. We suspect that they were not very popular. But they were popular with mothers who often insisted they be worn. Here a single younger boy had no real option, but as boys got older there was more resistance. Here there was also strrength in numbers. Not here how mother has dressed her three sons in similasr suits and identical floppt bows, but one boy has managed to tuck his bow under the suit lapels.

Created: 2:28 AM 3/15/2007
Last updated: 4:28 PM 8/31/2008