Figure 1.--This American boy is involved in a World War II tin can drive. He wears Scout knickers, notice how the kneesocks are worn over the knickers. He also wears a sailor cap. I don;t think he was a Sea Scouy, I think these caps werecjust popular during the War.

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. The 1940s was 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.

Popularity

Knickers began to become less common by the early 1940s. HBC has little information at this time on what boys actually thought about knickers, it is clear that it was long pants that most American boys wanted to wear.

Chronology

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.

Style

HBC at this time does not have enough information to assess the different styles in which knickers were made.

Ages

Knickers in the 1940s were mostly worn by boys of elementary school page. This would be boys from about 6 or 7 to about 12 years of age. Some younger tennagers wore them, but fewer and gewer after the first few years of the decade. Some boys might wear short pants during their first years of school, but most switched to knickers or longpants as soon as possible. There were some regional differences with short pants more common in the Southern states.

Major Change

This was a major change in America boys' clothes. Knickers and kneepants had been worn by boys for nearly a century. The 1940s was 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 and disappeared so quickly in the early 1940s. HBC speculates that perhaps with dad away from home in the military, they boys were more able to insist that mother but them long pants. An HBC readers, however, does not think that many boys of an age to be arguing about what they wore would have had fathers in the army. (Most members of the armed forces were in their late teens and twenties). He wonders if knickers hung on in the '1930's because many people during the Depression could not afford new clothes and dressed their kids in hand-me- downs. Knickers perhaps diusappeared so rapidly in the 1940s because people suffenly had j good paying jobs and could afford tomspend more ion clothes. He also speculates that they may have dissapeared during 1940's because this transition type garment (worn only from the ages of say 8-14) was increasingly seen as a frivolous luxury in wartime.

Socks

One noticeable trend was the increasing tendency for the boys who did wear knickers to wear them with ankle socks instead of kneesocks. Younger boys or boys from an affluent family might wear lneesocks with a suit, but more and more American boys were wering ankle socks.

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