Figure 1.--Period school portraits provide a wonderful overview of what children axtually wore from day to day. Studio portraits often overemphasize the well-to-do. This portrait is undated, but we believe was taken about 1900. Notice that none of these boys are wearing overalls. This did not become commonplace until the late 1900s.

We note some of the major garments worn by American boys in the early 20th century. We see some mjor changed in headwear during the early 20th century. The wide-brimmed sailor cap popular in the late 19th Century continued to be worn with formal outfits for younger boys after the turn of the century. We no longer see boys commonly wearing the rounded crown hats popular in rural areas. Some boys wore boaters and we see a felt hat that had an only slightly peaked crown. The major development was the increasing popularity of caps. There were everal styles, but gradually gthe flat cap emerged by the 1910s as the standard American boys' cap. The fashion of outfitting boys in dresses continued to be quite common at the turn of the century. Little boys in 1900 continued to wears dress, although as the decade progressed they no longer wore the more girlish styles with elaborate lace and ruffle trim. The age of boys wearing dresses began to decline. While the practice of outfitting boys in dresses, continued in the 1910s, it was becoming much less common. Rompers were widely worn by boys after the turn of the century. They may have appeared before 1900, but they were not widely worn in the 1980s. They were a style for generally younger boys. Many of the boys outfitted in rompers might have worn dresses before the turn of the century. American boys mostly wore kneepants at the turn of the Century. As the decacde progressed knickers became increasingly popular and were the dominant by the 1910s. Short pants began to apeear in the 1910s, but they were not nearly as popular in America as they proved to be in Europe. American boys in the 1900s mostly wore long stockings with knee pants, even during the summer. Dark black stockings were the most common, but dark brown was also worn. Light-colored long stockings were not common. Younger boys might wear white long stockings on dressy occasions, but black was more common. Younger boys might wear their kneepants with socks, usually three quater length socks, especially during the summer. Older boys, however, did not wear such socks with either kneepants or knickers.

Headwear

We see some major changed in headwear during the early 20th century. The principal change sas a shift from hats to caps for boys. The wide-brimmed sailor cap popular in the late 19th Century continued to be worn with formal outfits for younger boys after the turn of the century. Increasingly popular in the new century, however, was a wide variety of sailor caps. Although many styles had no brims, many had elongated, flatened crowns which themselves could be quite large. We no longer see boys commonly wearing the rounded crown hats popular in rural areas. Some boys wore boaters and we see a felt hat that had an only slightly peaked crown. The major development was the increasing popularity of caps. There were everal styles, but gradually gthe flat cap emerged by the 1910s as the standard American boys' cap. The variety of cap styles observavle in the early 1900s was significantly narrowed by the 1910s.

Dresses

The fashion of outfitting boys in dresses continued to be quite common at the turn of the century. Little boys in 1900 continued to wears dress, although as the decade progressed they no longer wore the more girlish styles with elaborate lace and ruffle trim. The age of boys wearing dresses began to decline. While the practice of outfitting boys in dresses, continued in the 1910s, it was becoming much less common.

Rompers

Rompers were widely worn by boys after the turn of the century. They may have appeared before 1900, but they were not widely worn in the 1980s. They were a style for generally younger boys. Many of the boys outfitted in rompers might have worn dresses before the turn of the century. They were an informal style in the early 20th Century, but some dressier styles appeared in the 1920s and later period.

Tunics

One of the most characteristic styles of the early-20th cebtury in America was the tunic. These tunic outfits are a destinctive style of the early 20th century. We see them primarily in the 1900s and 10s, but sime were also worn in the early-20s. They were not commonly worn to school in part becaise they were most common wih pres-school childrem. Thus they do not show up much in school portrairs, but we see a lot studio portraits wutybthese tynics. They weere very commom in the early 20th century, especially in America. Tunics were not an ecclusively American style, but they were very popular in America. Many mothers who might have dressed their boys in dresses, instead appear to have chosen the related tunic style. To many boys, tunics were preferable to dresses as they good wear knicker-like bloomers that showed they were no longer wearing girlish dresses. There were several types of tunics including sailor, Russian blouse, and Buster Brown styles were some of the most popular. ll kinds of detailing was enoployed . We see both very plain tunics as wella s tunics with alll kinds of features lkike pockets, often highlighted with contrastiung colors. The longer lngth tunics were especially popular in the 1900s and the shorter tunics in the 1910s. Unfortunately, many of the available photographs are bnot dated, complicating creating a stylistic time line. And in the late-1910s we begin to see tunics styled like jackets. Most tunics were done with bloomer knickers, but in the 1910s, especially the late 10s we begin to see tunic suits done with kbnee pants. Hosiery varied. Boys commonkly wore them with socks even though long stickings were common at the time. wee also msee long stockings which were more cimmoin foir formal occassions or in cooler weather.

Blouses and Shirts

Pants

American boys mostly wore kneepants at the turn of the Century. As the decacde progressed knickers became increasingly popular. Short pants began to apeear in the 1910s, but they were not nearly as popular in America as they proved to be in Europe. Even American Boy Scouts during the 1910s mostly wore knickers. Knickers in the new century were widely worn by an increasingly wide cross-section of boys. It was not just elementary-school boys. Teenagers including older teenagers in highschool commonly wore them. Long pants for American boys were not unusual, althogh kneepants and by the 1910s, knickers, were much more common. Rural boys, however, did commonly wear long pants--usually blue jeans, which were then called overalls. We begin to see them in substantial numbers in the late 1900s. Bib front overalls were the most common style. They were not much worn in the cities.

Hosiery

American boys in the 1900s mostly wore long stockings with knee pants, even during the summer. Dark black stockings were the most common, but dark brown was also worn. Light-colored long stockings were not common. Younger boys might wear white long stockings on dressy occasions, but black was more common. Younger boys might wear their kneepants with socks, usually three quater length socks, especially during the summer. Older boys, however, did not wear such socks with either knee pants or knickers. Even as knickers became more common in the 1910s, boys mostly wore long stockings. Toward the end of the decade some boys were wearing their knickers with kneesocks, but long stockings were much more common. Styles with bare knees were much less common in America than Europe--especially during the colder winter months. One famous American even commented on this when he was in France. Many younger boys would go barefoot during the summer, especially in rural areas. This became less common in the teen years.

Created: 3:45 AM 1/30/2008
Last updated: 3:57 AM 2/9/2021