Figure 1.--These boys are dressed exactly alike. The older boy, however, has Dutch boy bangs while his younger brother still wears curls with his bangs. The prtrait isundated, but looks like the 1890s.

We have not yet found a good authoritative description of Dutch boy bangs. One problem here is that the term Dutch boy bangs is an English-language term used in America and Britain, but not a term used in the Netherlands and many other countries. The Dutch call Dutch boy bangs a Page boy cut. This is a further complication because Dutch boy bangs is not th only term used in america and Britain for essentially the dame cut. In English Dutch boy and Page boy cuts are often used interchangeably. And they are sometimes used to describe destinctive cuts. Dutch boys bangs usually refers to straight bangs with hair to about ear level. Page boy bangs commonly refer to hair cut longer at various lengths, but below the ears. And these destinction hve cganhd over time. For HBC we will be using these terms, but we would be interested in any insights that HBC readers may have.

Origins

Dutch-boy bangs may have originated in the Netherlands Holland, although we have no historical details substantating that this was a popular hair style in Holland for boys or children in general. While the style may have originated in the Netherlands or been popular there, the term Dutch bous bangs seems to have been an American creation. Perhaps one of our Dutch visitors can provide some background. The smiling Dutch boy corporate logo with his overalls and cap and wooden shoes is familiar to many Americans. Dutch boy images from the fairy tales--the one who plugged the dike with his finger, are familiar to children.

Terminology

A 'Dutch bob' or 'Dutch boy' was a haircut popularized in the medieval era. We are not sure what it was called at the time. But came to be called a 'page boy' cut. There seems to have been many oher names for it, but in the United States it came to be called a Dutch boy haircut in the 20th century. It was a straight hair cut in a blunt bob just past the ears with bangs in front. It is sometimes called a 'page boy'. People in the Netherlands have never heard of this ter, So this is an American term. There are different names for this in various countries. We think the major reason for the Dutch boy name is a famous children's book here called "Hans Brinker; or The Silver Skates" (1865). The book had a chapter mentioning a little Dutch boy who put his finger into the hole in the dike to stop the water leak and hold back the sea until that break or breach could be repaired. The book and the subplot became quite famous and widely known. It had illustrations which showed similar looking children to what would be adopted by Dutch Boy Paints, both the clothing and hairstyle in most editions. So Americans before mass media provided imagery began to see this as the standard hair style and and clothes in the Netherlands. (It was folk dress preserved in isolated pockets luke Maken Iland, but not how Dutch boysweere dressing by the 9th and espcially the 20yh century. Then came the Dutch Boy Paint compoany. The company founded (1907) aopted its famous logo -- a little boy with the iconic haircut, wearing a cap and baggy pants and waving a paintbrush. We are not sure if the term Dutch boy haircut was used before this. Actress Mary Thurman further ppularised the cut (1920s). The name became part of the culure. Tthe original artist who designed that paint company's commercial logo did not use a Dutch boy as a model. Rather he used a Irish-Americal boy. The company's logo has changed somewhat oiver time, but continues to the very distinct haircut.

Chronologies

We have no details at this time on when Dutch boy bangs first appeared in modern times. We do not notice this hair style to any great extent until the 1890s, but this is just our initial aessment. We do notice many images of boys with bangs, but not unil the 20th century do we begin to see a lot examples of the longer side hair which is the other element of Dutch boy bangs. We see quite a number of boys with Dutch boy bangs in the erly 20th century. We think that Dutch boy bangs were especilly popular in the 1910s. In America as ringket curls declined in popularity after the turn of the 20th century, Dutch boy bangs became popular with many mothers. We see quite a number of boys with Dutch boy bangs in the early 20th century. We think that Dutch boy bangs were especilly popular in the 1910s. A good example is an American boy, Floyd Van Horne, in the 1910s. We re not sure this chrnology also holds true for other countries, but we have begun to asses trends in other countries as well. Thisisdfficult because so images are not dated. When girls began bobbing their hair in the 1920s, it became a popular girls style and as a result, boys no longer liked it. There was a revival for boy's bangs which began with Jackie Kennedy's styling ofher son's hair in bangs. And then as long hair became popular in the 1970s we begin to see boys including teenagers with wht were essentially Dutch boys bangs, although the boys did not use that term.

Countries

The Dutch boy cut was a popular boys cut in Europe and America. We have few pages on his: America, England, France, Germany. Italy and oher countries. We are not sure what the cut was called other than in Amrica. We think page boy cuts was used in several countries. It should be noted that bangs were a popular style for boys in many countrie. Now Dutch boycuts were a tyoe of bangs cut, it also include long hair down to the ears at the sides.

Conventions

Dutch boy bangs perhaps became popular after the turn of the century because it allowed some mothers to retain a longish hair style on their boys as the long hair and curls of the late 19th century were passing out of style. Dutch boy bangs made a comparitively easy transition from Fauntleroy curls. Many boys wearing ringlets had straight front bangs. Thus when mother deemed herson was old enough, his ringlets could be cut, but left over his ears for a few more years in the Dutch-boy style. Here we se an example from the 1890s (figure 1). another example is Cornelius Irving VanCleef (1912). Another example here fates to about (1920) (figure 2).

Figure 2.--This boy in a photograph probably taken about 1920 shows an American boy wearing Dutch-boy bangs with a large floppy bow and knee pants. Note the patent-leather shoes. This was apparently his party outfit.

Clothes

The bangs which appeared at the turn of the century are generally associated with Buster Brown suits and, to a lesser extent, Russian blouses. They were, however, worn with many other styles such as sailor suits, but not as commonly Fauntleroy suits.

Rite of Passage

It was always a major rite of passage for a boy to finally have his curls cut and allowed to wear more closely cropped hair like his father. Cutting a boys bangs and allowing him to get a short hair cut with a center or side part was a similar event.

Created: May 15, 1998
Last edited: 7:55 PM 8/30/2025