Figure 1.--Formal outfits were still very common for American boys in the 1900s. This boy wears a fancy ruffled blouse and floppy bow about 1905. More casual styles were becoming popular, especially for younger boys. |
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We begin to see more informal styles for children in the 1900s than were common in the 19th century. Many children wre still dressed formally. We see Fauntleroy suits and Eton collars as well as ringlet curls. Even so there was a definite shift. The large lace and ruffled collars common in the late-19th century were not quite as large or as popular as in the 1890s. A much more pronounced shift would come in the 1910s, but still the beginning of a shift in attitudes about how children should be dressed was notable in the 1900s. We can see the beginning of the shift toward more casul wear for children in the photographic record. Casual garments like rompers and tunics were good examples of more informal styling that was becoming more popular for children. These more casual styles were especially popular for younger children. And we notice articles in popular magazines that addressed the issue. A good example is an article from The Ladies Home Journal in 1907 addressed the issue.
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