248. LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

Now, here's a 109 year old photo of a snazzy-looking Filipino boy, another nice find from my usual Cubao junkshop. I thought I had found the Pinoy version of  Little Lord Fauntleroy, the character made famous by novelist Francis Hobson Bennett. The novelist introduced us to a style of dress that is at once a page boy costume and a boy-man suit---worn with a lacy collar,  knee pants and black stockings. I was told by the dealer that this photo came from the house of the Paternos in Quiapo, which counts Malolos Congress head, Pedro Paterno as member--but of course, you just have to take claims like this with a grain of salt. Complete with a straw boat hat on his tousled mop of hair and a dandy stick, our Pinoy kid cuts a smart, princely figure indeed, one who could very well win a Fauntleroy Lookalike Contest!