Figure 1.--Here we see an American boy wearing a fancy blouse at the turn of the 20th century. The snapshot is unidentified, but the younger child looks to be his brother still wearing a dress. click on the image for a fuller discussion.

The primary difference between a blouse and a shirt is that blouses do not have shirt tails. HBC is unsure about whay American boys wore in the early 19th century. The first blouses that we can be sure about are the middy blouse and the Fauntleroy blouse. We noted sailor styles appearing in America by the 1850s, but they do not become a major style until the 1880s. Likewise, boys wore fancy blouses in the 1870s well before Mrs. Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy, but it was in the 1880s and 90s that the Faintleroy-craze occurred and the collars of the blouses reached enormous sizes and level of frills and other detailing. Eton collars were not worn on blouses but rather as detachable collars for shirts or waists. Blouses with Peter Pan and other large collars appear at the turn-of-the 20th century. It is only after World War I (1914-18) that blouses with somewhat modified Eton collars begin to appear. Some American boys wore blouses until about the 1980s when they became less common. A few school age boys to about 6 or 7 might wear blouses. Most of the older boys wearing blouses wore ones with Peter Pan collars often with Eton suits. By the 1920s school-age boys began to object to the idea of wearing bloses. They wanted to wear shirts with more adult styling.

The 19th Century

The primary difference between a blouse and a shirt is that blouses do not have shirt tails. HBC is unsure about whay American boys wore in the early 19th century. We notice blouses in the mid-19th century. They were often covered by jackets, but we can make out some details. Generally the collars were realatively small--sometimes so small that they can barely be seen. We also notice sleeves that balloon out worn with jackets that were cut below the elbows. A good example is the blouse worn by an unidentified boy in the mid- or late-1850s. We still see fairly simple blouses in the 1870s. A good example is an unidentified Philadelphia boy. Some of the early blouses that we can be more definitive about are the middy blouse and the Fauntleroy blouse. We noted sailor styles appearing in America by the 1850s, but they do not become a major style until the 1880s. Likewise, boys wore fancy blouses in the 1870s well before Mrs. Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy, but it was in the 1880s and 90s that the Faintleroy-craze occurred and the collars of the blouses reached enormous sizes and level of frills anf other detailing. A good example is an unidentified American boy in the 1890s. Another example is two New York City boys at the turn of the 20th century.

The 20th Century

We still see boys wearing fancy blouses in the early 20th century. Boys might wear blouses without suit jackets iat the turn of the century, but men were still expected to wear suit jackets. We notice boys still wearing fancy Fauntleroy blouses in the early 20th century. A good example is an unidetified American boy. Blouses were very common for boys in the1990s. A good example is John Conway in 1906. Blouses began to decline in popularity during the 1910s. Eton collars were not worn on blouses but rather as detachable collars for shirts or waists. Blouses with Peter Pan and other large collars appear at the turn-of-the 20th century. It is only after World War I (1914-18) that blouses with somewhat modified Eton collars begin to appear. After the War shirs began to replace blouses for boys. The button-on style was popular in the inte-war era. Boys commonly wore shirt styles with these button-on suits, but the shirts did not have tails. Some younger American boys wore blouses until about the 1980s when they became less common. A few school age boys to about 6 or 7 might wear blouses. Most of the older boys wearing blouses wore ones with Peter Pan collars often with Eton suits. By the 1920s school-age boys began to object to the idea of wearing bloses. They wanted to wear shirts with more adult styling. A ood reflection of that trend was a Procter & Gamble ad in 1926.

Created: 6:00 AM 6/2/2006
Last updated: 5:38 AM 10/8/2009