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Both boys and girls wore lace collars of different styles and sizes. A best we can tell, lace collars were primarily worn by girls and women through the 1860s. We do see some boys with lace collars and some mothers used them as part of the ienticl outfitting convention. This is a subject that we are still working on. There seems to have been a shift in this convention during the 1880s, primarily associated with the Fauntleroy Craze.
As part of the Fauntleroy Craze we not only see boys wearing large lace and ruffled collars, but we see fewer girls weaing such collars. We note the same dynamic associated with ringlet curls. Apparently mothers realized that boys would not care to be dressed like girls so as they began using these styles and garments. This appears to be a shift that began to take hold during the late 19th century. We think the Fauntleroy Craze played into it but was not solely responsible. Thus during the Fauntleroy era (1885-1905) we mostly see large lace and ruffled collars being worn by boys. And although dressing children in identical outfits was a popular convention, rarely do you see brothers and sisters in matching lace collars. The same is true for ruffled collars which sometimes included some lace work. After the Fauntleroy era, lace collars declined in importance, but when we do see them they ar used on girls' dresses and other girl's clothing.
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