Figure 1.--This little German boy in the early 1950s is dressed up for his first day of school. Note the patterened long stockings.

We note German boys wearing a variety of patterened long stockings in the 20th century. While we see many different patterns, we no longer see the horizontal stripped patterns that were popular in the 19th century. A German reader confirms that patterened long stockings were not common at the turn of the 20th century. The first impage we have noted dates to 1900. It is a portrait of Kurt Malkhe in 1900 who wears long stockings with a simple pattern. These patterened stockings do not seem to have been very common, but we see them more in Germany than other countries. We have another image from the 1930s just before World War II with a more complicated pattern. We do not know when these more complicated patterns first appeared because we see so few boys wearing them. Perhaps they were more expensive than plain stockings. We see a German boy in 1938 wearing long patterenened long stockings. We also notice them after the War in the 1950s. A good example is a little boy at school in the early 1950s.

The 1900s

While we see many different patterns, we no longer see the horizontal stripped patterns that were popular in the 19th century. A German reader confirms that patterened long stockings were not common at the turn of the 20th century. The first impage we have noted dates to 1900. It is a portrait of Kurt Malkhe in 1900 who wears long stockings with a simple pattern.

The 1930s

These patterened stockings do not seem to have been very common, but we see them more in Germany than other countries. We have another image from the 1930s just before World War II with a more complicated pattern. We do not know when these more complicated patterns first appeared because we see so few boys wearing them. Perhaps they were more expensive than plain stockings. We see a German boy in 1938 wearing long patterenened long stockings.

The 1950s

We also notice them after the War in the 1950s. A good example is a little boy at school in the early 1950s. A German reader tells us, "I had relatives who owned a small specialised mechanical enginering factory near Stuttgart, in Denkendorf. One of their products were weaving machines for stockings. I visited them very seldom. I can remember that in 1950 or 1951 they gave me as a gift a pair of such patterned stockings, in a size which had fitted for me. It was a new invention how to produce them on their machines. At that time (15+ years of age) I didn't wear long stockings anymore. So I gave them to my mother returning home. I didn't remember what she did with them."

The 1960s

We no longer see boys in West Germany wearing long stockings in the 1960s. So of course there were no patterened stockings. Long stockings were still worn to some extent in East Germany. We do not know if the patterned long stocking were available.