|
A range of different pants types were worn in the 19th century. Long pants appeared first and latter kneepants and knickers. Most bpys wore long pants in the first half of the 19th century. Boys began wearing long pants before men as part of skeleton suits, the first dedicated boy's outfit. Fashionable men did not begin wearing long pants until the 1820s. Younger boys from fashionable families began wearing bloomer knickers with fancy suits at mid-century, but long pants after breeching were still most common. By the 1860s knee pants appeared, but were still mostly worn by younger boys, especially boys from fashionable city families. Early knee pants were quite long, often calf-length. Even in the 1870s quite young boys might still wear long pants. Knee pants gradually became increasingly common, but it was not until the 1890s that they became standard and older boys began wearing them. The length also became shorter and by the 1990s were commonly worn at knee length. Here there were important social-class differences. We also notice some boys wearing knickers, but straigh-leg knee pants weree much more common. Theu were usually worn with long stockings.
A range of different pants types were worn in the 19th century. Long pants appeared first and latter kneepants and knickers. Most bpys wore long pants in the first half of the 19th century. Boys began wearing long pants before men as part of skeleton suits, the first dedicated boy's outfit. Fashionable men did not begin wearing long pants until the 1820s.
Younger boys from fashionable families began wearing bloomer knickers with fancy suits at mid-century, but long pants after breeching were still most common. The photographic record is a good example of how common long pants still were in the 1850s. And given the cost of Dahuerreotypes and even ambrotypes, long pants were probably even more common than indicated by the photographic record. A good example is an unidentified boy, we think in the late-1850s. He is wearing button-on pants.
By the 1860s knee pants appeared in greater number, but were still mostly worn by younger boys, especially boys from fashionable city families. Shortened length pants were most common in major cities. Long pants were much more common in less fashionable towns and rurl areas. We see younger boys wearing a variety of fancy suits in a wide variety of styles. The fancy suits almost always had bloomer knickers or kneepants. Boys also wore cut-away jacket suits, both with knee pants and long pants. Early knee pants were quite long, often calf-length. We still see many boys wearing long pants suits. The Vermont boys here are a good example of cut-away jacket suits with knee panrs (figure 1).
Most American boys in the 1870s wore either knee pants or long pants. The bloomer knickers we noted at mid-centurey are rarely seen in the 1870s. This contrasted with Europe where some boys did wear bloomer knixkers. Knee pants became increasingly common in the 1860s, at least among city boys. This trend became increasingly pronounced in the 1870s. It was, however, only among younger boys. Older boys above about 10 yeats of age did not commonly wear knee pants. Even in the 1870s quite young boys might still wear long pants, although this was becoming less common, especially by the end of the decade. Knee pants in particular were less common in rural areas and among working-class families. These boys mostly wore long pants in the 70s. While we see most portraits with pre-school boys wearing either dresses or ither skirted garments and knee pants, the pattern for school age boys is more varied, especially beyound the first few years od school. At rural schools even the youngr boys might wear long pants.
Knee pants gradually became increasingly common, but it was not until the 1890s that they became standard and older boys began wearing them. The length also became shorter and by the 1890s were commonly worn at knee length. Here there were important social-class differences. We also notice some boys wearing knickers, but straigh-leg knee pants weree much more common. They were usually worn with long stockings.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main U.S. pants type page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Essays]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
