Figure 1.-- Here we see an unidentified American girl, probably about 1870 with impressive ringlet curls. At the time few boys beyond the todler stage had ringlets. The studio was Edouart & Cobb in San Francisco. Click on the image for another unidentified image from about the same time.

We also notice American girls wearing a wide range of hair style. Women throughout hstory have tended to wear morev elaborate hair styles than men. The alure of styled hair is one of the reasions that many Muslims want to cover it up. And like their mothers, girls tend to have more elaborate hair styles than their brothers who some eras have had their cut short, even virtually sheared off. While this was more common in Europe, we do so see it it America. Not only do girls have more elaborate hair styles, they include a much greater range of styles which have varied over time. We see a huge variety of styles. Here for younger children convenience is a factor. Parents may not want or be able to spend a lot of time on hair styling. And remember that 19th century families tended to be much larger than modern families--meaning a lot of time could be spent on hair styling. Boys for the most part resist complicated hair styes because of all the time that had to be spent on it. Girls are more amensble, espcially as they got older. We see both long hair and short bobs. The more complicated styling required long hair. Styles inclded bangs, braids, bobs, buns, curls, dos (uodos and down dos), tails (fish, pig, and pony), twists, waves, weaves, wraps, and much more. And of course there were countless interations of these basic styles. A complication is the texture of the hair from fine to course. Girls styles includes short, boyish styles as well as a variety long hair styles, both curled and uncurled. we also notice the frequent use of bows, bands, and ribbons which vary in size, color and style. Many of the girls' styles in the 19th century were also worn by boys, mostly younger boys. But this was usely not at the same time. A good example was long ringlet curls. They were also worn by boys, especially during the Fauntleroy era. We note that mothers who did their sons hair in ringlets, often refrained from that style with their daughters. We note a lot of sites on the internet illustrating styles for for many are very complicated. We wonder what kind of message that sends to girls, bevoting so much time nd energy on hasir styling.

Created: 7:00 PM 5/12/2023
Last updated: 7:00 PM 5/12/2023