Figure 1.-- This photograph was talen outdoors and printed as a caninet card which probably dates it to the the turn of the 20th century. There are seven children posed outdoors with two antique rocking chairs. The whicker also helps to date the portrait to the late 1890s decade. Note the little boys in curls and a Fauntleroy suit. Earlier he probably have not yet been breeched. Mother preferred the Fauntleroy suit. The studio was W.D. Rogers, we are not sure where.

One unanseweed question about breeching is why did boys after centuries of wearung dresses when they were young syddenly stoped wearing dresses and the breeching event ceased to exist. Thuis coinventiin disappeared relatively quickly. Within 10 years (1895-1905) in bdecame much less common. Annd after World War I in the 1920s it had bvecome a realtive rarity. We believe one factor as to why this change took place around the turn of the 20th century is the emense popularity of the Little Lord Fauntleroy suit. Fashionable mothers wanted to dress their sons, including very young boys in Fauntleroy suits. This was thus a strong motive for breeching much earlier than had been the case earlier. If you read the literature on this, one reason is reported over and over--toilet training. Now we think it is clear that toilet training is a factor. It is absolutely the case that boys' clothing through the 19th century and into the early-20th century was complicated, virtually impossible for a todler boy to affress on his on. Skirted garments were ceasier to out on and take off. This did not change until thr 1910s and 20s. It is also true that boys are more difficult to toilet train than girls. As a result, it does not seen reasobable thatthe decline of boys wearing dresses wouuld have behin the decline in the late-1890s decade if toilet training was so important. It seems to us that there must have been other factors involved. As detailed above, we believe Little Lord Fauntleroy suits were involved. And by the 1900s dedcade, we also suspect that many grown up boys recalled their experiences with Fauntleroy suits and may have been more atuned to how their sons were dressed. Previously, how the younger children were dressed, was the exclusive province of the mothers. Gender roles began to change after the turn of the century. This was reflected in legal changes including voting rights. Women began to play a greater role in the workplace. This affected how gender roles were preceived. Other factors may have been involved, but by the time of World War I, gender connventioins for whatever reason were becoming increasingly impotant. It no longer set well with many fathers to see their sons weraing dresses.

Created: 9:40 PM 1/22/2021
Last updated: 9:40 PM 1/22/2021