*** boys hair styles : center parts -- country trends United States America








American Center Hair Parts: Boys

boys center parts
Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified American boy with a carefully done center part. He looks to be about 14-years old. The cabinet card is not dated, but looks like the 1890s. The studio is George Krahmer in Butler, New Jersey.

Center hair parts were the basic hair part convention for girls. This is useful in establishing gender in old photographs when younger boys and girls were dressed alike. This was not an absolute conention, but it was very common in both the 19th and 20th centuries. There were a few period, however, when center parts were a stylish fashion for boys. We note center parts were fashionable for boys in the early 20th century and we notice them to a lesser extent in the late-20th century. We are still working on the precise chronology. We are not sure how common this was in other countries, but we see many American boys at the time with center parts. It was not the most common style, but we do see quite a number of images in the photogrphic record. A good example is the Hubbard brothers in 1917. It is side parts, however, that are the dominant trend. Right parts are much less common. Generally speakingover time the center part was primarily a girl's style. This was probably because it was away of separating hair for a variety of long hair styles. There were times though that we note boys with center parts. Boys with ringlet curls often had center parts, although it was usually covered with front bangs so not so obvious. We see older boys with center parts around the turn-of-the 20th century. Here we note this as a teenage more than a younger boy style. The early-20th century was one of these periods. The age range seems to be about 10-18 years of age, but we are also working on the ages to be more precise about this. We also note some boys with center parts in the 1990s.

The 18th Century

We have not yet assessed the 18th century in great detail, including hair style topics like parts. Perhaps a reader has looked at this and can share information with us. Our archive is limited, but based on a cursory examination, we do not see many children. either boys or girls, with center parts. Several children had hair done in bangs, but for many these were rather loosely done bangs. Center parts, however, seem much less common than was the case in the 19th century.

The 19th Century

Center hair parts were the basic hair part convention for girls throughout the 19th century. This is useful in establishing gender in old photographs when younger boys and girls were dressed alike. This was not an absolute conention, but it was very common in the 19th century, and perhaps the best single gender indicator. A rare exception was younger boys with hair done in ringlet curls. The center part helped to divide the hair with which to form ringlets. Older boys with center parts were much less common, at kleast until the end of the decade. This seems to have changed at the end of the century. We see some boys with shirt hair parted in the middle. We note younger boys with fashionable center parts at the end of the century in the 1890s. And we have found some older boys with these center parts, but not very many. Virtually all of the 19th century examples We have found date to the 1890s. We have not yet, however, found many actualy dated examples. So far the examples we have found are portraits for which we have had to estimate the date.

Turn of the Century

We find quite a number of undated portraits images showing boys with center parts. Using the mounts and clothing styles we can date them roughly to 1895-1905. Thus we know that center parts were a popular style at mid-century. The fact that most of the dated portraits we have found are in the 1900s, this styles seems to have become a popular style at or shortly after mid-century. This seems to have been when the style became so popular. It is difficult to be precise, but it is fairly easy to date these images to the 10 years spanning the turn-of-the 20th century because mount styles changed suring this period and then postcard back pottraits and smpshots appeared in 1904.

The 20th Century

Girls continued to have mostly center parts in the 20th century. There were a few period when center parts were a stylish fashion for boys. We note center parts were fashionable for boys. We notice quite a few boys with center parts in the early-20th century. A good many are undated, but we know from themount styles or the fact that they were dome as postcards that they date to the early-20th century. A good example is an unidentified Chicago boy in 1907. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. We notice a sceond period of center parts in the late-20th century. We are still working on the precise chronology. We are not sure how common this was in other countries, but we see many American boys at the time with center parts. It was not the most common style, but we do see quite a number of images in the photogrphic record. A good example is the Hubbard brothers in 1917. It is side parts, however, that are the dominant trend. Right parts are much less common. Generally speakingover time the center part was primarily a girl's style. This was probably because it was away of separating hair for a variety of long hair styles. There were times though that we note boys with center parts. Boys with ringlet curls often had center parts, although it was usually covered with front bangs so not so obvious. We see older boys with center parts around the turn-of-the 20th century. Here we note this as a teenage more than a younger boy style. The early-20th century was one of these periods. The age range seems to be about 10-18 years of age, but we are also working on the ages to be more precise about this. We also note some boys with center parts in the 1990s.

The 21st Century










HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main U.S. center hair part page]
[Return to the Main U.S. hair part page]
[Return to the Main U.S. hair page]
[Return to the Main hair style page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Girls] [Essays] [Literary]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] ] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Created: 2:13 AM 7/13/2008
Last updated: 11:51 AM 10/14/2012