Figure 1.--this tin-type portrait was probably taken about 1900. We have no information about the boy but would guess he was about 13 years old. He wears a blouse with a back flap. We have no idea what color the blouse was or the pattern being used. Notice the ruffled edgeing. Boys this age often did not wear the floppy bow with their blouses.

Boys age 13 commonly wore blouses in the 19th and early-20th century. Collars varied a good deal. We see very small collars in the mid-19th century, but many boys at the end of the decade were wearing large collars, including Funtleroy collars. The upper age range for Fauntleroy blouses was younger teenagers, meaning mostly 13-year olds. This may have included 14-year olds, but probbly not very many. Here school was probably a factor. Mnay primary schools were 1st=8th grades, meaning bits begining at 6-13 years of age. There were also 1st-6th grade schools but in this case there were probably junior high schools. But it needs to be noted that when these blouses were worn (1890s-1900s) that only a small minority of children attended high school (secondary school). Most children who finished their formal education did so at age 13-14 years in the 8th grade. Boys began senior high school in the 9th grade mening about 14 years. They would probably have not worn Fauntleroy blouses. The blouses we are talking about are not the classic white blouses with huge collars drippong with lace and ruffles that younger boys like the boy here is wearing (figure 1). The Fauntleroy blouses for older boys had large collars and back flaps, but only ruffles or trim around the edges. And there were no wrist cuff ruffles ot fanbcy front placket. Theu were also usually not white. They were normally dome with patterns and included both light and dark colors. They were not worn with the small classic cut-away jackets that the the younger boys wore.

Created: 11:17 PM 8/16/2022
Last updated: 11:17 PM 8/16/2022