Figure 1.--We note many French postcards in the 1920s showing French boys wearing fancy hair styles. These do not, however, appear to be hair styles that boys commonly wore.

We note numerous French post cards following World War I (1914-18) showing French boys wearing fancy hair styles. We noted some before World War I, but only on very young boys. After the War post cards often show school-age boys with these fancy hair styles. Commony they are not long shoulder-length styles, but over the ears styles, often curled with a wave. They are quite similar to styles worn by some girls. At first glance the boys look like girls, bit the fact that they are wearing short pants rather than dresses, clearly identifies them as boys. French girls did not wear shorts in the 1920s, especially when dressing up. We are not sure just how to date these images. We beloeve that they are mostly 1920s or early 30s images, but not early 1920s images. Short pants were still worn quite long in the early 1920s. Thus we suspect that these cards often showing boys weraing short cut shorts date to the late-1920s or early 30s. A French reader tells us, "HBC is right. The look of these children is around early 1930s. Because after 1936 the little Peter Pan collar were very in fashion for both girl and boy; also the puffed sleeves. The short pant cut very cut were fashionable after the early 1920s for boy." As best we can tell, the hair styles depicted were not commonly worn by school age boys. Virtually the only images of school-age boys with these hair styles come from these postcards.

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Created: October 7, 2003
Last edited: October 7, 2003