Figure 1.--This unidentified Bradford boy wears a Fauntleroy suit, priobably about 1890. Initially we thought he was wearing a Fauntleroy blouse necauuse we not onky see fancy collar, but the placket as well. But the boy is not wearing the classic cut-away jacket. Looking at the image, we think that he is probably wearing a collar-buttoning jacket and thev collar, placket ans cuffs are simply layed over or pinned to the jacjket. The dealer thinks that this may be a promotional card for J Wear -- ironwear confectioners. The studio was Appleton & Co. in Bradford.

Until the 20th century, we see fashion crossing the Atlantic from east to west. This was the origin, for, example, of the sailor suit, a boy's fashion staple for a century. Americans followed European fashion trends. England and France were the primary fashion arbiters. The Little Lord Fauntleroy suit was an American fashion, although Mrs. Burnett who was responsible for the creation was born in England. It was in fact the first fashion creation to cross the Atlantic from west to east. The Fauntleroy blouse was an important part of the Fauntleroy craze which appeared with the publication of Mrs. Burnetts popular story. So we begin to see younger boys wearing fancy blouses trimmed in lace and/or ruffles in a variety of different styles. We notice Fauntleroy blouses in the late-19th and early-20th century. Which means that the entire fashion history of the Fauntleroy Craze was captured by photography. In the late-19th century these were one of the important suit styles younger boys wore, especially boys from affluent families. (In America, the social-class spectrum was much broader.). We do not see as many Fauntleroy blouses in England as in America. This is because while important, the Fauntleroy Craze was not as important in Britain as it was in America. We are not sure just why that was. We suspect that one factor was American were more affluent than Europeans which is an important part of the reason that to many Europeans were migrating to America. Notably, England/Britain was the most affluent country in Europe which is perhaps why England was the European country most impacted by the Fauntleroy Craze. Another reason we see fewer Fauntleroy blouses in England is that many Fauntleroy suits. were not the classic velvet cut-away jackets designed to show off fancy blouses, but rather collar-buttoning jackets with lace or other fancy collars and cuffs pinned on. Note that the boy on the previous page is not wearing the classic jacket, but only a standard double-breasted jacket left open. Nor do we see blouses as fancy as the American blouses. We see more lace being used in England than America where most Fauntleroy outfits involved ruffled collars. The Richmond boy on the previous page wears a Fauntleroy blouse with a huge collar as well as a fanny placket or front (figure 1). While the blouse here is fancy, it is not nearly as fancy as some American Fauntleroy blouses which in some cases seem to nearly engulf the boy. As the Fauntleroy styled declined, it became a style for formal occasions like weddings. We note these blouses being worn into the 1910s and even later. The boy seen on the previous page was probably a member of a wedding party. Also different than America, English boys were less likely to wear large floppy bows with their Fauntleroy blouses. Some blouse types were worn by boys and girls. The English Fauntleroy blouse, however, as in America was strictly for boys. This is interesting because one might have guessed that it was the Fauntleroy blouse rather than the sailor blouse hat was more suitable for girls.

Created: 5:28 PM 10/20/2024
Last updated: 5:28 PM 10/20/2024