Figure 1.--This cabinet card shows three siblings, two of which with huge bows. The boy wears a doiubke-breasted blouse with his flopopy bow. The vgirl with her huhe head bow wears and opoen-neck dress. The cildren look to be asbout 2-8 years old. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1900s decasde. The studio was located in Lsfsyette, Indiana.

We are not sure about the historic use of bows. There is a long history for ribboins which arecused to tiue bows. Just when ribbons began to be used ti tues biws we are not at all sure. We belkieve it began in the fench court (16th century). This was, however, adult fashion. It is only rlativly recently that we see bows beung used for boys attire (19th century). We do not think it was common (early-19th century). This began ti change at mid-centuty). We believe the use of bows developed primarily (late-19th century. Here there were variations bepending on the type of bows involved. Bows were popular as hair adornments. We believe the use of bows developed primarily in the latter half of the 19th Century. Ringlet curls were common even before the turn of the 19th Century. Bowes were, however, not commonly worn with ringlets and other hair styles until after mid-century. They continue popular for girls into the 1920s, but became much less common by the 1930s. Bows for boys generally followed the much more common pattern of the bows worn by girls. The fashion of using bows for little boys began at about the same time as those for girls. The fashion, however, ended somewhat earlier for boys than girls. Neckwear was anmother common use of bows. Boys in the early 19th century often wore open collars. Neckwear and collars tended to be rather limuted and plain. The simple stock was common at mid-century. We do not begin to notice bows being commonly worn until after mid-century. Bows are noticeable in the 1870s and begin to become quite large in the 1870s. Bows seem much more popular for boys than girls. They were worn with a variety of outfits. They are espercially associayed with Fauntleroy suits, but that was just one oif the outfits they were worn with. Boys might wear large floppys bows with fancy blouses to dress up during the warm summer weather. They continued to be worn in the 1900s, but began to decline in popularity in the 1910s.

Created: 12:34 AM 12/16/2020
Last updated: 12:34 AM 12/16/2020