Figure 1.--This unidentified American boys wears a smart sailor suit with ringlet curls. It is one of the wide vaeiety of sailor suits avilable in the late-19th centuty. Notice it dies not have the tree-stripe detailing that was becoming so standard. Nor is it a navy blue suit, but rather a light-colored suiting fabric. The knee pants are worn with black long stockings. The ringlets are done with bangs and are shoulder length. We are not sure how old he is, but he looks school age, perhaps 6-7years old. The portrait is not dated, but looks like the 1890s to us. The studio was Kemp in Trenton, New Jersey.

Many American boys wore ringlet curls with sailor suits. This was largely because the sailor suit was such a popular garment for boys. They were worn by both pre-school and school age boys. We mostly see this in the late-19th century, but also to some extent in the early-20th century. Mostly we see pre-school boys wearing sailor suits and ringlets, but we have noticed a number of school-age boys as well. More boys may have worn ringlets with sailor suits for the simple fact that the sailor suit was such a popular widely worn garmet for boys. Not all boys in the late-19th century had Fauntleroy suits. Most boys did have sailor suits. The fact that many boys wore ringlet curls with sailor suits is primarily a function of how common the sailor suit was rather than an association between ringlets and the sailor suit--as was the case for the Fauntleroy suit. Huge numbers of boys wore sailor suits so we fimd boys wearing them with just about every hair style. Period catalogs are full of pages of differentm styles of sailor suits. The popularity of the sailor suit to some extent coincided with that of ringlet curls. The age that boys began wearing sailor suits was only a year or soon after we begin to see younger boys having their hair done in riglets. Of course boys tended to wear sailor suits after they no longer had their hair done in ringlets with only few exceptions.

Prevalence

Many American boys wore ringlet curls with sailor suits. This was largely because the sailor suit was such a popular garment for boys. More boys may have worn ringlets with sailor suits for the simple fact that the sailor suit was such a popular widely worn garmet for boys. Not all boys in the late-19th century had Fauntleroy suits. Most boys did have sailor suits. The fact that many boys wore ringlet curls with sailor suits is primarily a function of how common the sailor suit was rather than an association between tinglets and the sailor suit--as was the case for the Fauntleroy suit.

Ages

Sailor suits were worn by both pre-school and school age boys. With ringlet curls we mostly see pre-school boys. We see some school age boys with ringlets. Mostly we see pre-school boys wearing sailor suits and ringlets, but we have noticed a number of school-age boys as well. Huge numbers of boys wore sailor suits so we fimd boys wearing them with just about every hair style. Period catalogs are full of pages of differentm styles of sailor suits. We do not see boys wearing ringlets to shool. The age that boys began wearing sailor suits was only a year or so after we begin to see younger boys having their hair done in riglets in increasing numbers. Of course boys tended to wear sailor suits after they no longer had their hair done in ringlets with only a few exceptions. .

Chronology

The chronology of ringlet curls and sailor suitsis different, but the popularity of the two peaked at bout the same time. And we have an excellent photographic record of this because the peak popularity occurred after the invention of photography. We see ringlet curls in the early-19th centiry. This seems to have been a spin off of the horendously elborate women's hair styles during the late-18th century, at least before the Revolution. Our information on the early-19th century is limited. We see women and gurls with ringlets, but few boys. This gradually increased, we think largely a function of the increasing prosperity created by the Industrial Revolution and expanding middle class. Thus se see more boys wearing ringlets in the second half of the 19th century, of course especially in the 1880s-early 1900s with the Fauntleroy Craze. Sailor suits for boys first appeared in the 1840s when Prince Anbert had Prince Berie wear a Royal Navy uniform for a portrait he gave to his wife Qyeen Victoria (1840s). It took some time for the fashion to catch on with the public. Aittle longer in America than England itself. But this was well established (1870s). We even see girls wearing sailor suits in the 1870s. Sailor suiy=ts were a major style by the 1880s--the samne decade that the Fauntkeroy Craze launched ungket cirls a aajor style. We thus mostly see sailor suits and ringlet curls after the late-19th century, but also to some extent in the very early-20th century. The popularity of the sailor suit to some extent coincided with that of ringlet curls.

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Created: 4:07 AM 10/14/2013
Last edited: 6:30 AM 2/13/2015