Figure 1.--Here we see Germany boys in the late-1930s wearing different types of hosiery. One boys wears sandals without socks. This was not very common. |
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We note German boys wearing a variety of hosiery with short pants. We know more about the hosiery worn with short pants because it is easily observable in the photographic record. Determining what hosiery boys wearing long pants are is much more difficult because the hosiery is covered up.. We note boys wearing ankle socks, three-quarter socks, knee socks, long stockings, and tights. Long stockings and knee socks were very popular in the eary 20th century. We note ankle socks increasing in popularity during the 1950s. Tights were not commonly worn with shorts, largely because by the time tights appeared, short pants were becoming warm weather, casual wear. We do note tights being worn with shorts for sport. The popularity of these different types varied over time. We also note age and seasonal variations which also affected the type of pants worn. There were differences from family to family, but social class seems a minor factor, except for long stockings and children going barefoot. We see fewer German boys going barefoot, dxcept during the early 20th century and it was an indicator of poverty. A complicating factorwas the fact that mothers, aunts, and grandmoters often crocheted socks at home. These were commonly knee socks, but in many instances did not come up to the knee.
We note German boys wearing a variety of hosiery with short pants. We know more about the hosiery worn with short pants because it is easily observable in the photographic record. Determining what hosiery boys wearing long pants are is much more difficult because the hosiery is covered up.. We note boys wearing ankle socks, three-quarter socks, knee socks, long stockings, and tights.
German boys did not commonly wear tights with short pants, largely because by the time tights appeared in the 1950s, short pants were becoming warm weather, casual wear. This had become the case by the 1960s. There was an exceoption here. The principal reason for wearing tights (as for long stockings) was for warmth. Many but a decreasing number of boys still wore short pants year round in the 1950s. We note boys wearing tights at home, both with and wihout short pants in informal suituations during the late-50s and early 60s. These would have been winter photographs although it is not always obvious in indoor photographs. There was another reason--formlity. Thus we see a few boys in the 1950s ad early 60s wearing short pants suits and tights for formal occassions. And for formal dress, tights were not just worn during the winter. So boys were more likely to be wearing short pants, at least in the 1950s and 60s. Here in formal situations we see boys wearing white tights. A good example is an unidentified German boy wear white tights with a white suit for his First Communion. German boys did wear tights in the 1960s, but not commonly with shors. This was because by the 1960s boys were wearing long pans in the wintr. We do note tights being worn with shorts for sport anf this has continued into the modern age. This seems especially the case of boys playing soccer un the winter.
Long stockings and knee socks were very popular in the eary 20th century.
We note ankle socks increasing in popularity during the 1950s. Knee socks were worn into the 1960s, but even in the 50s we see large numbers of boys wearing ankle sicks. A first there was a seasonal element, but by the 1970s, ankle socks had becon=me the dominant hosieret worn by boys, even with short psants.
A complicating factor was the fact that mothers, aunts, and grandmoters often crocheted socks at home. These were commonly knee socks, but in many instances did not come up to the knee.
We see fewer German boys going barefoot, dxcept during the early 20th century and it was an indicator of poverty.
he popularity of these different types varied over time.
We also note age and seasonal variations which also affected the type of pants worn.
There were differences from family to family.
Social class seems a minor factor, except for long stockings and children going barefoot.
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