American Boys' Collar Styles: Ruffled Collars--Accompanying Clothes


Figure 1.--This boy is unidentified. The cabinent card portrait was probably taken in the 1890s. He wears a Fauntleroy blouse with a large ruffled collar. It was taken by W. B. Atkins in Bluefield, West Virginia. A reader asks, "How old would you guess the boy's age? I think he looks to be about 7 years old to me." HBC would estimate 5 or 6 years.

American boys wore ruffled collars with a variety of outfits. We note ruffled collars being worn with skeleton suits in the early 19th century. We see small ruffled collars being worn with a variety of mid-19th century outfits. We notice them being worn with tunics, button-on suits and cut-away jackets. They are particulsarly noted for being worn with Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. Ruffled collars were not just worn with Faunleroy suits. They were worn with other garments such as kilt suits and on blouses of various description. Ruffled collars were worn both with Fauntleroy outfits as well as fancy blouses. We even see boys wearing them with sack suits. A example is a Tennessee boy in 1902. We note an unidentified boy wearing a ruffled colar with a suit that has both sailor and Norfolk elements. We also see many boys during the summer wearing blouses with ruffled collars without any jacket. A good example is the Kemp brothers in 1898. This often involved blouses with large collars. We note mothers sometimes using ruffle collars for a few years even after a boy had graduated to sack suits. We rrly see boys wearing ruffled collrs after World War I, except for some specialized outfits. Probably the most important is choir costumes.

Skeleton Suits

We note ruffled collars being worn with skeleton suits in the early 19th century.

Tunics

We notice them being worn with tunics.

Button-on Suits

We see boys wearing blouses with button-on suits and cut-away jackets.

Fauntleroy Suits

Ruffled collars were particulsarly noted for being worn with Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. A large ruffled collar with a dark suit became almost synomous with Fauntleroy outfits. Ruffled collars were not, however, just worn with Faunleroy suits.

Kilt Suits

Fauntleroy suits were worn with other garments such as kilt suits.

Blouses

Blouses with ruffled collarrs were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We note a wide variety of these blouses. They might be worn with suits as well as without suit jackets during the summer. We see quite a number of boys dressed like this at the turn-of-the 20th century. Fancy blouses were a very important part of the Fauntleroy look. We see many boys during the summer wearing blouses with ruffled collars without any jacket. A good example is the Kemp brothers in 1898. This often involved blouses with large collars.

Sack Suits

Ruffled collars were not just worn as part of Fauntleroy outfits and other juvenile outfits. We see many boys wearing ruffled collars with the sack suits that older boys here. As far as we can tell they were ruffled collar blouses. An example is a Tennessee boy in 1902. We note mothers sometimes using ruffle collars for a few years even after a boy had graduated to sack suits. The ruffled collars often accompaied with floppy bow are so striking that they give what ever suit a boy is wearing the look of a Fauntleroy suit. We habe odten seen these suits being called Fauntleroy suits even thought the actual suit styles are those worn by older boys. We note all dofferent styles of sack suits worn with ruffled collares. This was very common in the 1890s and for a few years after the turn-of-the 20th century.

Other Suits

Boys wore ruffled collars with suits that are rather difficult to categorize. We note an unidentified boy wearing a ruffled colar with a suit that has both sailor and Norfolk elements.

Specialized Outfits

We rarly see boys wearing ruffled collars after World War I, except for some specialized outfits. Probably the most important is choir costumes.








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Created: 1:46 AM 9/16/2007
Last updated: 11:48 PM 12/1/2007