Figure 1.-- This cabinet portrait shows a boy and girl wearing dresses. Note the different styles. The children are unidentified, but they are presumably sibliings. They look to be about 2-4 years old. The portrait is also undated, but the mounting suggests it was taken about 1900-05. Note the boy styling, sailor styling with an obvious frint-lokking device in the dickey area.

Boys still wore dresses at the turn of the 20th century, but the popularity of this convention rapidly declined. We are unsure just why popular conventions began changing at this time and why it changed so rapidly. We still see boys wearing dresses in the 1900s, especially the early-1900s, but much less so than in the 1890s. They also tended to be younger boys. A good example is Lincoln Muenks about 1905 who looks to be wearing a plaid dress. Another exanole is Harold Howes in 1903. Boys wearing dresses was much less common by the 1910s. One of the last ads we have noted offering dresses for boys was in the Best & Co. 1918 catalog which offered a variety of summer dresses for todlers. The reason that mothers stopped dressing their sons in dresses is not all together understood, but must have been essentially the same in America and Europe as the same changes were taking place in European countries as it occurred in America.

The 1900s

Boys still wore dresses at the turn of the 20th century, but the popularity of this convention rapidly declined. We stilla substantial deccline in boys wearing dresses at the endof the 19th century and his decline continued ito the early-1900s. Most of the boys we see earing dresses wear obviouly boy styles. Tis meant fairly simple styles, although Fauntleroy trim might be added. We are unsure just why popular conventions began changing at this time and why it changed so rapidly. We think that both the popualrity of Funtleroy suits snd kilt suits may have been factors. We still see boys wearing dresses in the 1900s, especially the early-1900s, but much less so than in the 1890s. They also tended to be younger boys. We notice shorter hems in the 1900s. A good example is Lincoln Muenks about 1905 who looks to be wearing a plaid dress. We also see Bert Cross wearing a low-waisted dress. He was 2 years old. Another exanole is Harold Howes in 1903. Another example of a younger boy is Malcomb Overbagh who looks to be abour 2 years old.

The 1910s

Boys wearing dresses was much less common by the 1910. but the convention ha not yet disappeared. One of the last ads we have noted offering dresses for boys was in the Best & Co. 1918 catalog which offered a variety of summer dresses for todlers. Most of the examples we see in the photographic record are simple white frocks. The convention seems to have continued especially in rurl areas. The reason that American mothers like mothers in Europe stopped dressing their sons in dresses is not all together understood. Perehaps readers will have some uinsights. Whatever the reasons they seem to have been essentially the same in both areas. The cultural changes were taking place in European countries as it occurred in America.

The 1920s

We no longer see boys wearing dresses to any extent beyond the infancy stage. We have not found any catalogs at all offering boy dresses. We see virtually no example in studio portrait. We do see a few scattered snap shot of boy wearing dresses. Almost all were taken in rural areas. We have not informtion as to the circumstances. We suspect that the boys involved were growing up on farms where the mothers and grandmothers involved were not connected with popular fashions. They grew up in times when boys dresses were common and did not undetand the notable change in fashion conventions. Most of the examples we have found are toddlers abnd other pre-school boys, but we have seen a few younger school-age boys as well. Most of the example show the boys wearing simple white frocks. These woukd have been easy to launder garments. This was quite rare and we suspect only seen in rural areas because the boys involved would be teased by other boys.

The 1930s

Created: 5:04 AM 1/14/2007
Last updated: 10:07 AM 6/11/2014