Figure 1.--This unidentified oval cabinet card portarit, we think from New York. We see three cghikdren. The oldest two boys wear matching Fauntleroy blouses with ruffled collars. Thecboys look to be abiout 3-5 years old. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 18990s to us.

Francis Hogson was born in Manchester England (1849). After her father died, he mother took the family to America when she was 4 years old. She married Swan Burnett (1873). He became a doctor and the family spent 2 years in Paris. Upon returning to America, she began writing sentimental novels. It was there she saw boys wearing fancy suits, probably the origins of Cedric suits in Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy (1885). We notice fancy blouses earlier, but the really fancy ones suddenly became enormously popular after the publication of her book. The suit itself tend to be a plain cut-away jacket and knee pants. The fancy part was the blouses worn with it. The Fauntleroy or fancy blouse is strongly associated with Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. Actually Cedric's clothing is not described in great detail by Mrs. Burnett in her book. What became the Fauntleroy suit was more due to the illustrations in the book than her descriptions. The Fauntleroy style was distinctive in many ways, but one of the most interesting, is that the outfits that the boys actually wore can be more fancy than the descriptions are even the illustrations. Commonly the boys outfits in illustrations and magazines are more idealized than what boys wore in reality--not the Fauntleroy suit and blouses. We see boys wearing fancy blouses both with and without Fauntleroy suits in the late-19th and early-20 century. A good example is the Harrison boys in America about 1890. They began to decline in popularity after the turn-of-the 20th century. And go out of style style in the 1910s, especially after Wold War I (1914-18). But we continue to see scaled-down outfits for younger boys echoing the Fauntleroy style into the 1930s.

The 1860s

American boys veryb small collars in the 1860s, often only just peaking out from the suit jackets boys wore.

The 1870s

We see American boys wearing siojewahtbklarger collars in the the 1870s. The size of the collars graually increased duting the decade, but was still gererally modest by theend of the decade. Francis Hogson was born in Manchester England (1849). After her father died, he mother took the family to America when she was 4 years old. She married Swan Burnett (1873). He became a doctor and the family spent 2 years in Paris. Upon returning to America, she began writing sentimental novels. It was there she saw boys wearing fancy suits, probably the origins of Cedric suits in Little Lord Fauntleroy suits.

The 1880s

Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy (1885). It was serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine. We notice fancy blouses earlier, but the really fancy ones suddenly became enormously popular after the publication of her book. The suit itself tend to be a plain cut-away jacket and knee pants. The fancy part was the blouses worn with it. The Fauntleroy or fancy blouse is strongly associated with Little Lord Fauntleroy suits. Actually Cedric's clothing is not described in great detail by Mrs. Burnett in her book. What became the Fauntleroy suit was more due to the illustrations in the book than her descriptions. The Fauntleroy style was distinctive in many ways, but one of the most interesting, is that the outfits that the boys actually wore can be more fancy than the descriptions are even the illustrations. Commonly the boys outfits in illustrations and magazines are more idealized than what boys wore in reality--not the Fauntleroy suit and blouses. The Fauntleroy suit would be the firstv Amerivan fashion to make its way to Europe. Until the 1880s, Amerian fashions were largely adopted from European trends. We don';t aways getr tionsee all ofvthe Fauntleroy bliuses in the 80sm because the boys so coomomlynwirevsuitb jackets,

The 1890s

We see boys continuing wearing fancy blouses both with and without Fauntleroy suits in the 1890s. Fauntleroy fasshions only appeared in themid-180s, but dominated thev 1890s A good example is the Harrison boys in America about 1890. We begin to see Fauntlroy suits and blouses appearing in Europe, especially England, but it was in America that the Fauntleroy fashions prevailed in all its glory. We see more noys wearing Fauntkeroy blouse without their suit jackets. A good example is George Gunkle, we think in the late 1890s.

The 1900s

There was a notable change by the turn of the 20th century. Fauntleroy suits begin to decline. We sill see them, but they were being worn by increasingly younger boys. There was clearly a decline in popularity of Fauntleroy suits after the turn-of-the 20th century. But we comtinue to see Fauntlroy blouses. We even see younger-teens wearinng them, althouh they were different than thevclassic blouses worn by younger boys with Fauntleroy suits. .

The 1910s

And go out of style style in the 1910s, especially after Wold War I (1914-18).

The 1920s

The 1930s

We continue to see scaled-down outfits for younger boys echoing the Fauntleroy style into the 1930s.

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Created: 1:08 AM 5/29/2023
Last updated: 4:54 AM 8/10/2024