Figure 1.--This photograph is undated, but was probably taken in the early 1900s. The twi girls were 8 and 10 years old. Both wear large white hairbows with their ringlet curls.

One style that girls have worn, although the popularity has varied over time has been ringlet curls. The popularity of ringlets has varied significantly over time and among countries. We believe that during the time that ringlets became most popular for boys, about 1880-1905, that they were less popular for girls. One major difference between boys' and girls' ringlets is that quite old girls even young women might wear them. Also girls, especially in the early 1900s might wear them with very large hair bows.

Chronology

Girls appear to have worn ringlets in the 18th century, although we have only limited information on this. We know more about the early and mid-19th century. We have noted girls commonly wearing ringlets thoughg the Civil War era of the 1860s. We have less informatin about the late 19th century. A HBC reader reports, "I have looked at a lot of images of girls the last few days and I will be darned if I can find a single image of a girl with ringlets. I am beginning to believe that ringlet hairdos in the 1880s-1900s were probably worn by boys. Girls seem to have a wide variety of hair styles, e.g., long loose curls with hair bows, hair pulled back behind their heads and tied with a large ribbons, hair pulled back close to the head so they almost look like they have short hair, and finally very long straight or naturally curly hair." By the late 1920s and early 1930s with the appearance of Shirley Temple--ringlets had become an entirely girls' fashion.

Gender Conventions

HBC is unsure at this time as to the gener connotations of ringlet curls. Today of course they are associated with girls. The connontations in the late 19th century are less clear. The available photographic record shows girls wearing ringlets. HBC notes, however, that boys with ringlet curls are rarely pictured wearing the same ringlet style as their sisters. Normally his sisters do not have the same ringlets. HBC has noted this tendency on large number of images. HBC's preliminary assessment is that ringlet curls in the late 19th century were more of a boys' fashion than a girls fashion. This is, however, a very preliminary assessment at this time. HBC has noted no reference to this on in contemporary household advise journals or in the written record of family letters. The tendency to use ringlet curls as a younger boys fashion changed rapidly after World War I (1914-18). Boys were still seen with ringlets, generally short ones, during the early 1920s, but ringlets became increasingly a girls fashion, except for very young boys. By the late 1920s and early 1930s with the appearance of Shirley Temple--ringlets had become an entirely girls' fashion.

Countries

The popularity of ringlets has also varied significantly among countries.

Age

One major difference between boys' and girls' ringlets is that quite old girls even young women might wear them. Girls of all age wore ringlet curls. This included both young girls like young boys. While varying chronolgically and among countries, we note quite old girls wearing ringlets, including hifh school and unniversity girls and young women. The one major variation as was that at a certain age, perhaps when finishing schools, young women stopped adding hair bows to their ringlets.

Hair Bows

Also girls, especially in the early 1900s might wear them with very large hair bows.

Created: June 2, 2002
Last updated: 2:07 AM 1/15/2006