*** Eton collars United States chronology








American Eton Collars: Chronology

American Eton collars
Figure 1.--This American boy was photographed in New York at a Broadway studio in 1882. He wears his Eton collar with a very small bow. Much larger bows were becoming increasingly popular in the early-1880s. Note the Norfolk styling on his jacket and the rather long knee pants. Also notice the cap he is holding.

We are not yet sure of the precise chronology of American Eton collars. I have noted collars with the Eton look as early as the 1840s. I have not noted American boys wearing formal Eton collars during the 1860s. White collars were common, but they were gebnerally smaller and not as stiff as an Eton collar. The earliest Eton collars I have noted in America date to the 1870s the Eton collar had become increasingly important for a well dressed boy's wardrobe. We note them being worn with jackets that had Norfolk styling in the 1880s. Boys differed greatly as to the neck wear that might be worn with Eton collars. We see bows in the 1880s. Some were large floppy bows making it difficult to determine just what kind of collar was being worn. The Eton collar was commonly worn through the 1910s, but less commonly. The style was little seen by the 1920s as soft collars made inwards. They were added to play clothes for yonger boys. The only exception to this was the small boys wearing blouses with collars looking like Eton collars and the American Eton suit. American boys wore this Eton suit style with a variety of collars. HBC has noted the Eton collar as late as the early 1950s with a Eton collar. Afterwards the Peter Pan collar became more common. American boys during the 1930s increasingly wore soft collars, but some boys also wore Eton collars with some informal outfits, including sweaters.

The 19th Century

We know some English boys wore Eton collars in the early-19th century. We do not notice than to any extent iun the 18th century. We are not sure, however, just how common they were in America. Before photography this is is difficult to tell. And we know even less about the Eton collar in America. We think that before the detachable collar that Eton collars were not very common, meaning more or less a little before mid-century. Through the 1830s we have to rely on paintings and drawings to find collars. This our knowledge of the Eton collar in America is very limited. Through the 1830s we have to rely on paintings and drawings to find collars. We have a much beter idea of fashions in the 1840s as a result of the invention of photography. We have noted collars with the Eton look as early as the 1840s. The detachable collar became increasingly popular in the 1840s. We see them in the Dagerreotype portraits that brcame so popular in the 40s. Almost as soon as Daguerre perfected his process, Daguerreotype studios began popping up all over the United States. By the end of the decade therevwere more studios in America than not only France, but allm of Europe. These images, however, are difficult to date. And unlike CDVs and cabinent cards, there was not easu way to write a name or date. We know American boys wore Etin collars in the 1850s. We see them in Daguerreptype portraits, but as we say we can not definitively date dags to the 1840s or 50s. Ambros are a different matter. Ambros were most taken in the 1850 (1855-59) or very early-60s. So mbris give us a good idea about 1850s fshions and if we do not see these styles in the CDV recird we can assume they are 1859s records. And we see some good sized Eton collars in the 1850s. We note boys wearing classic Eton collars with the collar buttoning military jackets that were popular in the 1850s. They seen similar to the U.S. army jackets worn at the time. There is an explosion of photographic mages in the 1860s as a result of the CDV. We this know a great deal about 1860s fashions. We note white, but generally small collars being worn in the 1860s. I have not noted American boys wearing formal Eton collars during the 1860s. White collars were common, and we see some shaped like Eton collars, although noting like the large stiff collars we see at mid-century. The collars we see in the 1860s much smaller and not as stiff as a formal Eron collar. we believe they were fairly common in Britain, but we do so see many in Aerica during the 1860s. The earliest Eton collars we have noted in America come from the 1840s. We do not see any in 1860s, but again begin to see them in the 70s. The emaculate Eton collar reappeared in the 1870s for a well dressed boy's wardrobe. They were not yet ubiquitous, but we see a number of them. An example here is Dan Brown, but unfortunately the image is not dated. We believe the portrait was made in the 1870s, but we can not be certain. Note that the collar tips are not sharp. We see Eton shaped collars in America at mid-century. It is only by the 1880s that we begin to see large Eton collars. The collars in the 60s tend to be very small and only a little larger by the 70s. By the 80s, however, we begin to see really large collars. Of course the largest were the Funtleroy collars. Eton collars were not that large, but we do see some very substantial Eton collars. We note Eton collars being with a variety of jackets. Norfolk suits seem especially popular in the 1880s. A example is the boy here in 1882 (figure 1). We see a number of boys wearing Eton collars, but they were noway as commom as Fauntleroy collars. We note many portraits of American boys wearing Eton collars in the 1890s. We see a variety of collars worn during the decade, but it wa one of the popular collar styles. While a boy's first suit might be a Fauntleroy suit, many boys next wore sack suits with Eton collars. It was a popular style, primarily for school-age boys. This includes boys into their early teens. There seems to have been a social-class factor involved here. Most of the Eton collars we have noted were worn by boys that seem to come from well-to-do or at least families in comfortable circumstances. They do not appear to have been as prevalent as in England, but we see a good many boys wearing them. They were worn with a variety of suits. We note them work with both Norfolk suits and standard sack suits.

The 20th Century

The Eton collar continued to be popular after the turn-of-the 20th century. The detachable Eton collar in fact was at the peak of its popularity at the turn-of the 20th century. But it only lasted as a major style for a very short period. It was height of fashion for middle-class boys during the 1900s and 10s. It was not as common in America as Britain, but we see a lot of American boys wearing them. We see many examples in the very extensive photographic record. It began to decline after World War I in the 1920s. We no longer see large numbers in the photographic record. By this time, neck wear with Eton collars becomes less common. We still see Eton collars in the 1930s but by the 1940s had declined markedly in popularity. We see a few examples in the early-50s, but finally disappeared by mid-decade. American boys during the 1950s mostly attached wore soft collars, but some boys also wore Eton collars with some informal outfits, including sweaters and long-sleeved 'T'-shirts. We don't see a lot of examples, but we do see some. While detachable Eton collars disappeared by mid-decade, the style continued. We see younger boys wearing blouses with attached small collars done in the shape of Eton collars. We also see these blouses with Peter Pan collars. These blouses were commonly worn with the junior Eton suits that became standard for younger American boys.







HBC






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Created: August 24, 2002
Last updated: 4:40 AM 5/23/2015