Hair styles for boys in the early 19th century were generally short. This was especially true after breeching. Even some young boys in dresses sometimes wore short hair. While some boys might have had long hair I do not know of any boys who had long curls. This began to change in the Victorian era. Girls and younger boys began to appear in ringlets about the 1830s. I am not yet positive about this, but believe this is the approximate time the style decveloped. Ringlet curls were extremely popular for women and girls in the early 19th Century. This is confirmed by both fashion magazines and artwork. Some doting Victorian mothers kept their treasured sons in dresses and increasingly as the century progressed, long-flowing locks. At mid-century, shorter hair styles were still the norm for older European and American boys, although long hair for even older boys was not unknown. Younger boys often did wear long hair and styling it in ringlets had become inreasinly common by the 1850s. The decission about a boy's hair style appears to have been primarily at the whim of the mother. Afluent mothers educating a boy at home could dress him as she felt best. Thus it was not unknown for quite old boys to be kept in dresses and long hair. The style of curling the long hair worn by 19th century boys into long ringlets is primarily assiociated with the 1880s and 1890s and was strongly influenced by Francis Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy. Although the drawings in Mrs. Burnett's book may have been more influential than her text, which mentions the young Earl's hair only in passing. Of course Mrs. Burnett did not write her book in a vacuume. She must have known mothers with the same romantic impulses that motivate the way she dressed her sons. It was the publication of her book who took the style of long ringlet curls for boys from a fashion adopted by a few romantic mothers to a wide spread fashion craze affecting litterally millions of hapless boys of all ages. Ringlet curls were worn by boys before the late 19th Century, but it was in the late 19th Century that the reached the peak of popularity for boys. Romantically inclined mothers, influenced by English-American authoress Francis Hodgson Burnett, kept her sons in curls, a fashionable statement when wearing Little Lord Fauntleroy suits or other fancy clothes such as kilts.

Early-19th Century (1800-40)

Hair styles for boys in the early 19th century were generally short. This was especially true after breeching. Even some young boys in dresses sometimes wore short hair. While some boys might have had long hair I do not know of any boys who had long curls. This began to change in the Victorian era. Girls and younger boys began to appear in ringlets about the 1830s. I am not yet positive about this, but believe this is the approximate time the style decveloped. Ringlet curls were extremely popular for women and girls in the early 19th Century. This is confirmed by both fashion magazines and artwork. A 1813 fashion magazine reports, "The Hair, both in the morning and evening party, is of entire fanciful composition; in some of our elegantes, it is yet seen in the style of the Kneller and Lely beauties; but many chuse it, particularly for the morning walk, in natural curls round the neck, or a stray ringlet over the left shoulder. The ridicule has at length resumed its sway; but the demi botte is evidently declining." The style was not allways a full set of ringlets, sometimes small numbers of ringlets were mixed with other styles. Paintings from the early 19th Century commonly show girls in ringlet curls. A typical painting of the era such as a 1830s might show a young girl and her sister, both in profile, the girl with three large ringlet curls to the side of her face and two to her neck, a simple necklace and a 1830's large puffed gigot sleeve dress with frill to the low neckline; her older sister with elaborate ringlets round hair piled high, and more ringlets framing her face and neck, similar necklace, large drop earing, similar dress without the frill, larger puffed sleeves. While paintings of girls in ringlets are common place, I have little information on boys wearing ringlets during this period. Also there is little or no mention of ringlet curls in the for boys in contemporary fashion magazines.

Figure 2.--This Dagerotype probably taken in the 1850s is one of the earlier images I have seen of a boy in ringlet curls. The collar style and front buttons almost surely signal a boy. Although difficult to tell, he appears to have a hairbow in his hair.

Mid-19th Century (1840-70)

Some doting Victorian mothers kept their treasured sons in dresses and increasingly as the century progressed, long-flowing locks. At mid-century, shorter hair styles were still the norm for older European and American boys, although long hair for even older boys was not unknown. Younger boys often did wear long hair and styling it in ringlets had become inreasinly common by the 1850s. The decission about a boy's hair style appears to have been primarily at the whim of the mother. Afluent mothers educating a boy at home could dress him as she felt best. Thus it was not unknown for quite old boys to be kept in dresses and long hair France-1870s. Some boys were even kept in long hair after they emerged from dresses England-1850s and England-1860s. These boys mostly had long flowing hair. The French boys might wear hair bows, but I am not aware of ringlet curls during the first decade of the 19th Century. The style gradually increased in popularity and were being widely worn by the 1830s. Boys especially after breeching mostly wore their hair short. Relatively few boys wore their hair long during this period, but some mothers liked the style. Long hair for boys appears to have been increasingly common during the 1850s.

Figure 3.--This American boy in an undated photograph (circa 1885) taken in New York City wears elaborate ringlet curls, but a rather plain bow. Click on the image for a full view. If you have any thoughts for dating these images, please let me know.

Late-19th Century (1870-1900)

The style of curling the long hair worn by 19th century boys into long ringlets is primarily assiociated with the 1880s and 1890s and was strongly influenced by Francis Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy. Although the drawings in Mrs. Burnett's book may have been more influential than her text, which mentions the young Earl's hair only in passing. Of course Mrs. Burnett did not write her book in a vacuume. She must have known mothers with the same romantic impulses that motivate the way she dressed her sons. It was the publication of her book who took the style of long ringlet curls for boys from a fashion adopted by a few romantic mothers to a wide spread fashion craze affecting litterally millions of hapless boys of all ages. Ringlet curls were worn by boys before the late 19th Century, but it was in the late 19th Century that the reached the peak of popularity for boys. Romantically inclined mothers, influenced by English-American authoress Francis Hodgson Burnett, kept her sons in curls, a fashionable statement when wearing Little Lord Fauntleroy suits or other fancy clothes such as kilts. Many mothers had delayed cutting their sons hair before the publication of Mrs. Burnett's instantly popular, at least among mothers, Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1885-86. After publication, however, it not only became more popular to delay cutting a boy's hair, it became fashionabe to curl it. Boys' in long fashionable curls, sometimes boys as old as 10 or 11 could be seen. Many reports exist of boys kept in curls well into their boyhood. Franklin Rooseveltin the 1880s who was raised at home wore dresses, kilts, and Fautleroy suits crowed with carefully maintained curls. The fashion of keeping small boys in long hair predates Mrs. Burnett, especially in Europe. Some boys may have had their hair curled before the publication of the book in 1885, but it is certain that the fashion became much more wide spread after publication. Even more significantly the fashion was extended to older boys than before the book was published. I am not sure about the extent of curling boy's hair before 1885, but believe it was relatively rare. Many boys with ringlets during the late 19th century are archived on HBC. good example is the younger Harrison boy about 1890.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Bibliographies] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: 6:48 PM 10/22/2006
Last edited: 10:45 PM 9/9/2007