Figure 1.--After the Japanese attacked Pear Harbor on December 7, 1941, America entered the War and many scences from the home front show the role of children. Note the boys at this school about 1942 wear shorts, knickers, and long pants.

Quite a diversity of pants were worn in the 1940s. Boys might wear short pants, knickers, or long pants. Both shorts and knickers declined in popularity during the decade. It was long pants which were emerging by the late 1940s as the standard for Amerucan boys--even in hot summer weather. Most American boys wanted to wear long pants. Jeans began to become more common.

Chronolgy

Looking at an exhibition of photos of 1930s New York recently, I noticed that boys well into their teens were wearing dress-up knickers in the 30's. But I don't remember ever having seen an actual pair when I was a kid in the late 1940s and 1950s. The great dividing line then was between little boys who wore shorts (even in northern winters) and big boys who wore long pants.

Types

Quite a diversity of pants were worn in the 1940s. Boys might wear short pants, knickers, or long pants. Both shorts and knickers declined in popularity during the decade. It was long pants which were emerging by the late 1940s as the standard for Amerucan boys--even in hot summer weather. Most American boys wanted to wear long pants. Jeans began to become more common.

Knickers

Knickers began to become less common by the early 1940s. Although they were widely worn in the 1930s, even by younger teenagers, they became were worn less during the early 1940s. They were not commonly worn by 1945, although they did not entirely disappdear until the early 1950s. This was a major change in America boys' clothes. Knickers and kneepants had been worn by boys for nearly a century. Knickers were still widely worn in the 1930s, although no longer bu older boys. The 1940s was, however, the last decade for this long-lived style. This and other developments makes the 1940s in many ways the decade when many modern boys' clothing styles appeared. HBC is not sure why knickers declined in popularity during the 1940s. One noticeable trend was the increasing tendency for the boys who did wear knickers to wear them with ankle socks instead of kneesocks.

Figure 4.--The shorts pictured here were made in sizes from 4-9/10 years. The colors were grey, blue, and brown. The materials were all-wool flannel, wool blends, worsted and cotton serge. The better shorts were lined. Note the button down collars.

Short pants

Many American boys in the 1940s still commonly wore shorts, although there was a real age divide here. Some American boys never wore short pants and began wearing long pants as toddlers. Other American boys wore shorts until there early teens. Much younger boys wore short pants than in Europe. In addition shorts were not as common as in the 1930s. The shorts pants worn by younger (pre-school age) and older (school age) could be quite different. Little boys might wear shorter cut shorts, while knee-length shorts were considered more appropriate for older boys. Shorts were not yet regarded as purely summer wear. Some boys would wear shorts even when it was chilly enough for a sweater. Older boys, however, increasingly wanted long pants. Many styles of short pants were only available in sizes up to about 9 or 10 years of age. Summer shorts were available in sizes up to 12 or 13 years.

There were any number of special styles for younger boys. One style for younger boys was a kind of bib-front shorts which during the summer might be worn with or without a "T" shirt. During the winter there were coveralls. Often the shorts by younger boys were suspender shorts. This was especially true of dress shots, such as the ones worn with Eton suits.

Many special styles of short pants for younger boys:
Button-on: These shorts buttoned on to the shirt or blouse to hold it up. The button-on style was mostly for younger boys, but shorts for boys as old as 12 were made in the button-on style.
Suspender: Some shorts came with suspenders of the same material as the the shorts. The suspenders were attached to the shorts or buttoned on. These were generally dressier shorts rather than the ones for play.
Self-belt: Some shorts came with a belt made as the same material as the shorts. This was a very popular style in the 1940s as is a good indicator to help date images.

Figure 5.--Boys in the 1940s still wore shorts for play, jeans had not yet become a virtual uniform for American boyhood.

Long pants

GI's returning from the war, brought back jeans. It was not long before boys were asking form them. At the time they were called dungarees. Boys wanted them to play in. Many boys much preferred them to short pants for play. While many mothers insisted on shorts. Short pants were more common in some areas such as the South and California. They were also more common for boys from affluent families, especially if they went to private school. More affluent boys would often have a short pants suit for dress occasions, but rarely for boys over 11 or 12. Older boys did generally not wear shorts, even for casual wear in the 1940s or 50s.

Slowly jeans and long pants began to make inroads. By the end of the decade, boys were commonly playing and going to school in jeans or corduroy trousers, but might have a short pants suit for dressup occasions. The increasingly popular jeans were not considered fashionable, however, and secondary prohibited the boys from wearing them to school.

Ages

Material

Regional Differences

Created: November 22, 1998
Last updated: January 24, 2001