Figure 1.--This portrrait is undated. We would guess it was taken anout the rurn of the 20th century. The boy's name was Russel. The portrait was taken in Charles City, Iowa. Nore Russel's cap. It was not one we would have associated with ringlet curls. Note that if the child here was not identified as Russel, we would have still known that he was a boy because of the cap. We are not sure how to describe the cap, perhaosn Oliver Twist cap.

Headwear Worn With Ringlet Curls: Headwear Types

We are not entirely sure just what headwear boys most commonly wore with ringlet curls. The photographic records provides a great deal of information. The problem is thsat mothers commonly wanted to show off the ringlets and at leat for the photograph did not have their sons wear their headwear for the portrait. But we are slowly building an idea of what boys were wearing with ringlet curls. Boys in curls definitely did wear headwear, at least some. but theu often removed the headwear for the portraits. We note a variety of headear, bith has and caps. Hats seem the most common. A hat has a full brim and not a partial brim like a cap. The most common style for boys in curls appears to have been sailor hats with large brims, often with elastic chin straps. We also notice boaters. We thought at first most boys wearing ringlet curls do not appear to have commonly worn caps. Such headgear seems to have more commonly been for older boys, at least boys dressed in more mature styles. We have, however, begun to reassess our initial assessment and now believe the hedwear boys wore with ringlets was probably quite varied. And in fact we do see portraits of boys with ringlets wearing caps that we would not have associated with that hair style, at least to the modern eye. This may have been more true of America than Europe. Most of the ringlet images we have found are American.

Assessment

We are not entirely sure just what headwear boys most commonly wore with ringlet curls. The photographic records provides a great deal of information. The problem is thsat mothers commonly wanted to show off the ringlets and at leat for the photograph did not have their sons wear their headwear for the portrait. Some mothers solved the priblem by placing the headwar in the portrait, but not hsve the boy wear it. But we are slowly building an idea of what boys were wearing with ringlet curls. Boys in curls definitely did wear headwear, at least some. Mothers vommonly, however, removed the headwear for the portraits. We note a variety of headear, both hats and caps.

Tams


Hats

Hats seem the most common. A hat has a full brim and not a partial brim like a cap. The most common style for boys in curls, at least, in the popular minds appears to have been sailor hats with large brims, often with elastic chin straps. These hats certainly were worn, but we are not sure just how commonly they were. Here age was a factor. Both ringlets and wude-brimmed hats were primarily worn by younger bots. They were done in different styles meaning brime width and type of crown, both flat and rounded. We notice quite a few bots wearing boaters. The most common hat boys wore in the 19th century was the rounded-crown hat, but we don't see many boys wearing these hats with ringlets. They were worn by a wide age range, including older boys well beyond the age of wearing ringlets. We thought at first most boys wearing ringlet curls do not appear to have commonly worn caps. Hats were the nost common headwear in the 19th century.

Caps

By the time csps were becoming increasingly common, we see ringlet curls going out of style, at least for boys. In additioin, csps seems to have more commonly been for older boys, at least boys dressed in more mature styles. We have, however, begun to reassess our initial assessment and now believe the hedwear boys wore with ringlets was probably quite varied. And in fact we do see portraits of boys with ringlets wearing caps that we would not have associated with that hair style, at least to the modern eye. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). This may have been more true of America than Europe. Most of the ringlet images we have found are American.







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Created: 11:28 PM 6/27/2006
Last edited: 9:46 PM 6/1/2018