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Ringlet curls declined in popularity in the 1910s, especially after World War I (1914-18). As so often happens as a result of war or major social upheavals, a major change in fashion ocurred after the war and the War can be seen a a major dividing point between 19th and 20th Century fashions. Ringlet curls still common at the beginning of the decade were rarely seen at the end of the decade. Many boys' fashions also disapperared, including kneepants, long stockings, Buster Brown suits, Fauntleroy suits, kilts, and other styles.
HBC has little written information on boys' hairstyling, but an assessment of available photographic images suggest that ringlet curls declined sharply in popularity in the 1910s, especially after World War I (1914-18). The War was a major duiving line in fashions and conventions. As so often happens as a result of war or major social upheavals, a major change in fashion ocurred after the war and the War can be seen a a major dividing point between 19th and 20th Century fashions. The cause and effect is not totally clear to HBC, but the general pattern was for simplier, less faancy clothes and fashions. Fashions that appeared frivolous just were not appealing to the generation that had experienced the Great War. Fancy hair for either gender declined in popularity. Women even began bobbing their hair. Boys could hardly be kept in ringlets if girls were wearing short hair. Thus rinlets, once so popular with American mothers, no longer matched the temper of the times. Ringlet curls still seen at the beginning of the decade were rarely seen by the end of the decade. Many boys' fashions also disapperared, including kneepants, long stockings, Buster Brown suits, Fauntleroy suits, kilts, and other styles. Boys also after the War were no longer outfitted in dresses.
The changes in boys fashions was quite dramatic. Boys in the first half of the decade continued to dress muchb as they had at the turn of the century. Within only a few years after the War ended in the early 1920s, biys were dressed very differently. The same pattern is true of hair styling. While ringlet curls for boys declined in popularity in the 1900s, some boys still had their hair done in ringlets in the early 1910s. This was mostly younger boys. A rare school age boy was 7-year old Edwin Bennett in 1916. After the War ended in 1918, and especuially buy the 1920s, boys are almost never seen in ringlets. School age boys still wearing ruinglets were virtually never seen.
The clothes worn by boys in ringlets varied somewhat. Except for very young boys, fewer boys wore dresses than before. Fauntleroy suits were also less common. Tunic suits were still commonly worn as were sailor suits. As a result, many of the boys still wearing ringlets in the 1910s, often appear in tunic suits or sailor suuits.
Boys wearing ringlets in the 1910s probably came from fairly affluent families. This was true because of the time and effort needed for the ringlets. Also because the style was becoming less common, only boys carfully cared for at home and not associated with boys from less affluent families could be kept in curls beyond very young ages.
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