Figure 1.--This family portrait shows and unidentified family with four children, probably a boy and three girls, but there is no way to be sure about this. It is kind of interesting that a father with little hair presides over a family with so much going on concerning the children's hair. Of ciourse all the decisions probably would havd been made nby mother who herself has short hair. The children look to be about 5-12 years old. We see left and right parts and bangs. All the children have very short, rather boyish haircuts. The portrait is undated. We would guess it was taken about 1880, but are not at all sure. The studio was Percy Graham in Bedford and Huntingdon. A reader writes, "I am curious about the child in a dress on the right. The two children on the left have bangs and not a part. The two children on the right have parts. The two older children are obviously a girl and boy. I suspect the other child on the right is a boy with the button open dress. The sitting child also looks like a boy, but the issue is confused because he or she and the standing older girl both have bangs, but the dress identical to that of the other child to the right." Unfortunately there is no written information on the back of the mount.

There are two two types of parts, center and side parts. Generally a person has one side parted, but there are instances of two side parts. It was the boys who normally had the side parts. The gender difference is not absolute, but very pronounced. Unfortunately, most photographs are unidentified, so it is impossible to know precisely the exact gender prevalence. And we can not be sure about gender in many old photographs during the era when younger boys still commonly wore skirted garments. But enough are identified to know that the gender difference was very prevalent. Commonly boys, even young boys with long hair and wearing skirted garments usually had side parts. A good example is an unidentified Frome family in the 1860s. The great majority of English boys appear to have parted their hair on the left during the 19th and 20th century. We are less sure about 19th century trends. We note two unidentified London teenagers with right parts in the 1850s. We assume that the principal factor here is that right-handed people can more easily comb a left part on themselves and most people are right handed. The London boys of course were old enough to comb their own hair. Younger boys generally have their hair combed by mother. The image here is a good example of long hair with a right part. Obviously mother would have done the combing and hair parting. Thus more younger boys than older boys had right parts (figure 1). We are not sure to what extent this is an accepted convention or an optional matter of convenience. The great majority of English photographic images we have noted in which parts are distinct, show boys with left parts. Conventions seem more standardized in the 20th century. When a part is apparent, it very commonly is a right part for girls and a left part for boys. We are not sure why girls may have had right parts. This is a subject we are still investigating. Right parts are much less common for boys. We are not sure when this convention developed, but it seems rather commonly excepted at least by the turn of the 20th century.

Types

There are two two types of parts, center and side parts. Generally a person has one side parted, but there are instances of two side parts.

Boys

It was the boys who normally had the side parts. The gender difference was not absolute, but very pronounced. Unfortunately, most photographs are unidentified, so it is impossible to know precisely the exact gender prevalence. Ans we can not be sure about gender in many old photographs during the era when younger boys still commonly wore skirted garments. After tghe rurn-of-the 20th century, the centurues old convention of younger boys wearing skited garments commonly disaooeared. Girls are easier to identify because girls did not wear dresseds in the 19th century. But enough are identified to know that the gender difference was very prevalent. Commonly boys, even young boys with long hair and wearing skirted garments usually had side parts. A good example is an unidentified Frome family in the 1860s.

Position

The great majority of English boys appear to have parted their hair on the left during the 19th and 20th century. We are less sure about 19th century trends. We note two unidentified London teenagers with right parts in the 1850s. We assume that the principal factor here is that right-handed people can more easily comb a left part on themselves and most people are right handed. The London boys of course were old enough to comb their own hair. Younger boys generally have their hair combed by mother. The image here is a good example of long hair with a right part. Obviously mother would have done the combing and hair parting. Thus more younger boys than older boys had right parts (figure 1). We are not sure to what extent this is an accepted convention or an optional matter of convenience. The great majority of English photographic images we have noted in which parts are distinct, show boys with left parts. Conventions seem more standardized in the 20th century.

Bangs/Fringes

Bangs, called fringes in Britain, are a popular hair style for children, both boys and girls. And they often complicate detemining the part, especially from studio potographic portraits when commonly only the full frontal view is captured by the photographer. But despite the frontal appearance there is often a part. Look carefully at the older girl here and you can see at the crown what looks like a center part (figure 1).

Gender

The vast majority of girls had center parts. This center part conventyion is very useful in asessing gender in 19th century photograohy when many younger boys wore skirted garments. Boys usually had side parts, although at times center parts become stylish for short periods styling--but not dominant. Most commonly boys had left parts. When a part is apparent, it usully is a is a left part for boys. As discussed above, this seems to be a primarily a function of the fact that most children are right-handed. Right parts are much less common for boys. We are not sure when this convention developed, but it seems rather commonly excepted by the turn of the late-19th century based on gthe phitogrphic record. There is some indication that the relaively small numbers of girls with side parts, may have preferred right parts, but thst is not something that we can confirm at this time. We are not sure why girls would have had right parts. This is a subject we are still investigating and shouild not be confused with the fact that most girls over time had center parts. .

Reader Comments

A reader writes, "Of course there is no way to know for sure, but my guess is that the two children on the right are boys and the two on the left are girls. The parts seem similar although on opposite sides. Whereas the two on the left have front bangs. Outside of that, I cannot hazzard a guess."

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Created: 11:16 AM 2/14/2019
Last edited: 5:14 AM 5/19/2023