Figure 1.--This postcard back portrait is undated, bnut looks like the 1930s. All we know is that for sure is that the boy was named John and his little suster is Christine. John wears a single-breasted sdhort pants suit with patterned topped knee socks. He looks to be about 9 years old. Christine looks to be weariug a romper suit. .

The ages of English boys wearing short pants suits has varied over time. Short pants are primarily a 20th century style. Boys in the second half of the 19th century wore related shortened pants styles, both straight leg knee pants and knickers. In the early-20th century these terms in England were sometimes used interchangeably. Short pants suits have generally been worn by school age boys up to about 12-14 years of age. Throughout the inter-War era, short pants suits were standard boys' wear. And they were worn widely, not only to dress up, but commonly for every day wear. Thus phototographic record shows boys of all ages wearing short pants suits into the early-teens. Older boys also wore shorts, but mostly as a school uniform. This usully meant blazers and grey shorts, but some schools adopted grey suits as the school uniform. Many secondary schools required shorts for 1st and 2nd year students, meaning boys bout 12-14 years old. Some private schools required shorts for even senior boys of 17 and 18 years. However, short oants suits were not common for boys beyond 14. After the 1950s, short pants suits became increadinly less common as did suits in generl. Only quite young boys wore shiort pants suits, even though they still commonly wore short poants school uniform. Begining in the 1970s even shorts at school began to become less popular even for promary-age boys. Some schools continued requiring short oants in the 1980s and 90s, although by the 1990s only the younger boys were required to wear shorts.

Created: 8:04 PM 1/15/2022
Last updated: 8:04 PM 1/15/2022