** boys hair styles -- part types defined location








Boys' Hair Styles: Defined Part Location


Figure 1.--A HBC reader indicated that this is definitely an American image. HBC is uncertain as to the date of this portrait. It looks, however, earlier to us thn the 1900s. We would date it somewhat earlier, perhaps the 1890s.

Normlly boys have one obvious, clearly defined part which would be located on either side of the head or in the center. Left parts have been the most common. Presumably because most people are right handed and did the combing with the left hand. Of course mom did the early combing, but perhaps used dad as the model. Here I am not sure, but will assess this as we collect more information. There may have been chronolgical as well as national differences concerning the side parted. In the mid-19th century it was girls who had center parts. There are many examples of this archived on HBC. A good example is an unidentified American girl about 1850. This was such a strong convention that it can be helpful in assessing gender in old photographs. This was changing in the 1880s and by the 1890s center parts were more common for boys. Here we need to work on the chronology. Thus for the late 19th and early 20th century, parts become a less useful gender indicator. For most of the 19th century, however, center parts were more common for girls and women.

Side Parts

Normlly boys have one obvious, clearly defined part which would be located on either side of the head or in the center. Left parts have been the most common. Presumably because most people are right handed and did the combing with the left hand. Of course mom did the early combing, but perhaps used dad as the model. Here I am not sure, but will assess this as we collect more information. There may have been chronolgical as well as national differences concerning the side parted. In the mid-19th century it was boys who normally had side parts. A good example is an unidentified American boy about 1847. We see numerous portraits that show boys with side parts and girls with center parts. There are many examples of this archived on HBC. A good example is an unidentified American girl about 1850. This was such a strong convention that it can be helpful in assessing gender in old photographs. A good example is two unidentified New York City children.

Center Parts

We see many children with center parts in the mid-19th century. This was very common in America and we think Europe as well. For the most part it was girls who had center parts, but it was not always the case. A good example is an unidentified American child, we think in the 1840s. The center part at the time is a strong indicator that the child is a girl, but it is not definitive. We thought perhaps that very young boys might have center parts, like their sisters, but this does not appear to have been common. The young boys we can identify do not commonly have center parts. An example is an unidentified American boy in the 1850s. Hair part conventions were changing in the 1880s and by the 1890s center parts were more common for boys. We are less sure about girls' hair parts during this period. Here we need to work on the chronology. We note an merican boy, American boy: Ralph Patterson Olmstead in 1912. Thus for the late 19th and early 20th century, parts become a less useful gender indicator. For most of the 19th century, however, center parts were more common for girls and women.






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Created: October 19, 2002
Last updated: 1:55 AM 2/2/2010