*** United States boys clothes: garments 1900s








United States Boys' Clothes: Garments (1900s)

HBC has considerable information on the garments worn by boys in the 1900s. 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. Rompers were widely worn by boys after the turn of the century. I am not yet positive about the chronolgical pattern. They may have appeared before 1900, but they do not seem to have been widely worn in the 1890s. One of the most characteristic styles of the early 20th Century in America was the tunic. The tunic styles of Russian blouses and Buster Brown suits became especially popular. Many mothers who might have dressed their boys in dresses during the Victorian era, instead appear to have chosen the related tunic style. American boys mostly wore kneepants at the turn of the Century. Knickers were no unknown, but became much more popular as the decade progressed. Short pants were little worn in the 1900s. Unlike Europe they did not prove popular. Even the new American Boy Scouts movement chose knickers for their uniform, rather than the short pants that English and European Scouts were wearing. Boys wore suits very commonly in the 1900s. Most boys did not have extensive wardrobes of casual clothing as is the case today. Many boys would have a suit for formal occasions and wear their older suit for school or casual wear. During the summer the jacket would often not be worn. One of the most popular styles was the Norfolk suit. Kneepants were very common, even for older boys. American boys in the 1900s mostly wore long stockings with knee pants, even during the summer. Younger boys might wear their kneepants with socks, but not older boys. Even as knickers began to become more common, boys mostly wore long stockings.

ringlet curls and hair bows
Figure 1.--Tunic suits were one of the most popular style for younger boys in the 1900s. Ringlet curls were still popular for boys. Notice that this boy wears a hair bow with his ringlets.

Headwear

We see quite a range of boys' headwear in the 1900s. Boys wore both caps and hats, but by the beginning of the 20th century, caps were definitely the dominant headwear type for boys. Girls mostly wore hats, including many highly decorated hats. We see boys wearing some hats such as boaters. Caps were much more common with boys. The style of caps was, however, varied widely. Sailor styles were popular in the early-20th century. There were both sailor hats and caps in a variety of styles. Younger boys still might wear huge wide-brimmed sailor hats. There were also various styles of sailor caps. Some boys wore peaked caps like British school caps. The crown of some of the caps seem a little fuller than the British style, but we also see caps styled like the British caps. The flat cap which appeard about the turn of the century. It may have been worn in the 1890s, but we see it much more commonly in the 1900s after the turn of the century. It was not yet uniqutous as would be the case by the 1910s. An enduring winter style was the stocking cap. This was a style from the 19th century which continued to be popular in the 20th century. They were a rare style worn by both boys and girls. We see some boys wearing boaters. Even by the end of the decade, the flat cap was still not the dominant style. We can see that in an Iowa school.

Skirted Garments

Skirted garments became lkess commom for boys after the turn of the 20th century. We see fewwe boys wearing dresses, skirts, kilts, kilt suits. The sole exception was tunic outfits.

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 had begun to decline by the end of the decade. While some older boys had formerly worn dresses in the late 19th Century, this was little seen in the 1900s.

Tunics

One of the most characteristic styles of the early 20th Century in America was the tunic. This was an older style that achieved new life at the turn of-the- 20th century. We do not see many in the 1890s, but suddently at the turn-of-the 20 century, tunics became a major boys' style. The tunic styles of Russian blouses and Buster Brown suits became especially popular. Many mothers who might have dressed their boys in dresses during the Victorian era, instead appear to have chosen the related tunic style. To many boys, tunics were preferable to dresses as they could wear knicker-like bloomers that showed they were no longer wearing girlish dresses. I have little information on the knickers/bloomers worn with tunics. I do not know if they had pockets, belt loops, and other features of normal knickers. They do, however, almays seem to have elasticised closures at the knee and not more boyish buckles. These details could bee quite important to a boy desiring to look like his father, or at least big brother. I think that they may have been made without pockets. This was quite important as any boy wanted pants with pockets so he could squirl away his little treasures, pieces of string, rubber ball, interesting rocks, shells, dead frogs, or what ever happened to interest him at the time.

rompers
Figure 2.--Its a bit difficult to tell for sure, but this is probably a boy. He is wearing the romper outfits that appeared in the 1900s. Note the ringlets that were still worn.

Rompers

Rompers were widely worn by boys after the turn of the century. I am not yet positive about the chronolgical pattern of rompers. They may have appeared before 1900, but they do not seem to have been widely worn in the 1890s. At least there are very few images of boys in rompers before the tutn of the century. Of course this could be because rompers were originally an informal play suit and boys were usually dressed up in their best part suit fior the still formal studio pohotography in the 1890s. Images of rompers do not become common until amateur snapshots begin to commonly appear after Eastman Kodak introduced Brownie in 1900. Rompers may have been more popular in the 1910s than the 1900s, but I am not yet positive. 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.

Pants

American boys mostly wore knee pants at the turn of the Century. We begin to see knee pants in the 1860s. And they were etandard even for older boys by the 1890s, at least in cities. Knickers were no unknown, but for several decaded we mostly see knee pants. This was still the case in the 1900s. At the turn of the century, except for tunic suits almost all boys wore knee pants. Short pants were little worn in the 1900s. Suddenly we begin to see knickers, we think in 1908. We are not sure just why. The new American Boy Scouts movement chose breeches/knickers for their uniform (1908). Scouts in Europe, first in Britain and than in other countries, introduced short pants uniforms. Long pants for American boys were not unknown, althogh knee pants had become standard. The shift we see beginnng about 1908 was one of the most precipitous fashion shift we have ever noted. It is so precipitous that it can be used to help date these images, many of which are not dated. The shift in very notiable in 1900s school portraits. Knickers by the end of the decade had become not only more common, but dominant. Rural boys, however, did commonly wear long pants usually overalls. Bib front overalls were the most common style. They were not much worn by city boys--although the fathers of working class boys might wear overalls as work clothes. Nothing like this shift occured in Europe.

velvet suit
Figure 3.--This is a difficult image to date. I would say the 1990s as the boy wears his elegant velvet suit without a lace collar. Lace collars were still worn in the 1900s, but there was much more variety in style than the 1890s. The cap also looks more like a 1900s style. This is, however, only a guess on my part.

Suits

Boys wore suits very commonly in the 1900s. Most boys did not have extensive wardrobes of casual clothing as is the case today. Many boys would have a suit for formal occasions and wear their older suit for school or casual wear. During the summer the jacket would often not be worn. One of the most popular styles was the Norfolk suit. Knee pants were very common, even for older boys.

Stockings

American boys in the 1900s mostly wore long stockings with knee pants, even during the summer. Younger boys might wear their knee pants with socks, but not older boys. The photographic record is very clear on this. Except for younger boys, mostly pre-school boys, American boys covered up their legs. Thgere was a curious exception here. Boys going barefoot could go without covering their legs. This was a practical concession as boys obvioully could not wear long stockings withoiut shoes. even as knickers began to become more common, boys mostly wore long stockings.

Footwear

Many younger school-age boys went barefoot in the 1900s, especially during the summer. High-top shoes continued to be the standard footwear for American boys. Most boys wore high-top shoes, both lace-ups and button-shoes were common. They were mostly worn with knee pants and long stockings. Socks were not yet very common except for the youngest boys. We see rerlatively few boys wearing low-cut oxfords. We do see girls and younger boys wearing strap shoes. Barefoot sandals were introuuced during the 1900s. We see boys of various ages experimenting with them, but they sid not prove nearly as popular in America as they were in Europe. Girls on the other hand seemed more amenable to strap shoes and sandals. We are not entirely sure why these differences developed, both between genders and the United States and Europe.





HBC






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Created: May 31, 1999
Last updated: 1:31 AM 6/7/2020