American boys have worn a wide variety of pants, including knee breeches, kneepants. knickers, short pants, and long pants. We have begun to collect basic images on eacxh of these different types of pants. Some are still worn by boys while others have now largely disappeared. Knee breeches were commonly worn in America throughout the 18th century. While knickers are an English creation, probably no where were they more widely worn than in America. HBC begins to notice knickers in America during the 1870s, but they did not become popular as a boys' garment until after the turn of the 20th century. American boys began wearing kneepants after the mid-19th century. We see younger boys wearing kneepants in the 1860s, but the fashion did not become widespread for even older boys until the 1890s. Younger boys commonly wore bloomer bloomer knickers. They were most common with garments like tunics, especially from the late 1890s through the eraly 1920s. Short pants first appeared in the 1900s, primarily as a European export, especially British. They did not prove as popular in America as in Europe. Some young boys wore them, but most older boys insisted on knickers. Long pants in American towns and cities rapidly replaced knee breeches for boys in the early 19th century, although it took longer for men to make the transition.

Knee Breeches

Knee breeches were commonly worn in America throughout the 18th century. Some long pants made have been worn by frorntiersmen, but men and boys in polite sociey throughout the colonial and early republicam era wore kneebreeches, normally with three buttons at the hem. Only during the late 18th century, mostly in the 1790s did some boys begin wearing long pants as part of skeleton suits rather than knee breeches.

Pantalettes

Pantalettes were commonly worn by American boys, especially boys still wearing dresses and younger boys wearing tunics during the first half of the 19th Century. Older boys wearing tunics would wear long trousers. Of course boys wearing dresses never wore trousers under them. Boys in skeleton suits also occasionally wore pantalettes. I believe the American fashion trends with pantalettes were mostly a reflection of European styles, probably English or perhaps French. Pantalettes were still worn after mid-century, but they became less increasingly less common. In the latter oart of the CEntury the boys still wearing pantalettes were boys wearing dresses are the increasingly common kilt suits and other kilted outfits. There are many literary references to pantalettes in America. A good example is Mark Twain's description of Becky Thacher. Almost always they are described as part of a girl's outfit. Tom Sawyer of course would not have been caught dead in them. We know from available images, however, that they were worn by American boys as well as girls.

Drawers

Tounger boys wore pantalettes, both with skirted garments and kneepants. Pantalettes could be quite fancy. Drawers were a plainer version. Boys sometimes wore drawers as a kind of transition between pantalettes and proper trouswrs. They were normally made of a lighter material than the material used for trousers. A good example is an unidentified American boy in the 1850s.

Romper Suits

Romper suits became popular for younger children in the early 20th century. We notice them being worn in the 1900s and 20s. There was some similarity with the bloomer knickers wirn by boys with tunic suits. Romper suits were, however, one pice suits. We note both boys and girls wearing them, but we are unsure about the gender conventions. They were worn by pre-school children. We are unsure to what extent this was a an American fashion or a fashion imported from Europe. Rompers evolved into a girl tyle, worn at summer camps and as gym suits. It also became a casul summer style for girls. Rompers also became an infant style.

Figure 1.--These three boys in the 1900s wear knee pants with black long stockings.

Knee Pants

American boys began wearing knnepants after the mid-19th century. We see younger boys wearing kneepants in the 1860s, oftern rather long knee pants cut at calf level. The the fashion did not become widespread for even older boys until the 1890s. Early kneepants were long, often cut at calf level. Kneepants by the 1880s began to be cut shorter at knee level. By the 1890s even older boys were wearing then. This varied, however, from family to family. Not all boys wore knee pants, although they were very common. Social class factors were involved. In the 1910s knickers began replacing kneepants, but kneepants were still worn in the early 1920s, but primary by younger school-age boys. Knee pants were commonly brought as part of a suit. They could be purchased separately. But the area of catalog space devoted to suits as compared to just the trousers suggest that knee pants were mostly purchased as suits. Wearing suits was much more common at the time than currently. Early kneepants were long, often cut at calf level. Kneepants by the 1880s began to be cut shorter and by the 90s knee level was the standard. The cut of knee pants tended to be rather form fitting. They were often referred to as straight-leg knee pants into contrast to the more baggy knickers. The age of American boys wearing knee pants varied over time. At first in the mid-19th century they were worn by younger boys. By the 1890s even older boys were wearing knee-length knee pants. This began to change again during the the 1910s when mostly younger boys wore knee pants, older boys more commonly wore knockers or long pants. In the 1910s knickers began replacing kneepants, but kneepants were still worn in the early 1920s, but primary by younger school-age boys. Knee pants were very widely worn by American boys. This varied, however, from family to family. Social class factors were involved. Some boys wore long pants even in grade school. Demofraphics was also a factor. We see more rural boys wearing long pants than in the city.

Figure 2.--Most American boys wore knickers during the 190s-30s. This boy with his sister was probably photographed in the 1920s.

Knickers

While knickers are an English creation, probably no where were they more widely worn than in America. HBC begins to notice knickers in America during the 1870s, but they did not become popular as a boys' garment until after the turn of the 20th century. Even through the 1900s kneepants were more common than knickers. By the 1910s, however, knickers were beginning to replace kneepants. Knickers were tghe dominate trousers for American boys in the 1920s and 30s. Unlike Europe where short pants were more common, Americam boys wore knickers--even Boy and Cub Scouts wore them. Through the early 1920s they were mostly worn with ling stockings, but by the mid-1920s, kneesocks had become more popular. The age of boysearing knickers varied substantially over time. Although knickers had once been pervasive for boys, they declined in pipularity very quickly in the early 1940s. It is unclear to HBC just why this major fashion shift occurred so abruptly

Figure 3.--American boys commonly wore bloomer knickers with tunic suits. Many had bodies and elasticized knee hems. They were commonly wirn with long stockings. This boy's named was Arthur. He was born in 1909 so this photograph was taken about 1914.

Bloomer Knickers

Younger American boys commonly wore bloomer bloomer knickers. We also see them being widely worn in Europe. Here the pattern varied chronolgically. American trend in the mid-19th century seem basically a refection of European trends, We see younger boys wearing a variety of fancy suits with bloomer knickers. By the late-19th century we see destinctive Anerican trends. We note many American boys wearing bloomer knickers with tunic suits at the turn of the 20th century. Tunic suits with bloomer knickers were one of the most popular styles for younger boys. We believe that many were made with bodicies, although that can not be determined by the photographic record. The elasticized knee hems are easier to make out. Almost always American boys wore their tunic suits with bloomer knickers. They were wudely wirn from the late 1890s through the eraly 20s. Bloomer knickers were commonly worn with the same above the knee long stockings worn wuith knee pants, but some boys wore them with socks. HBC is not precisely sure what the contemporary term for these pants was. We notice catalogs using various terms. At the time that tunic suits became popular at about the turn of the 20th century, most American boys wore knee pants, but by the 1910s, knickers were more common, especially for older boys. We are not sure to what extent bloomer knickers were worn other than with tunic suits. We see boys of all ages wearing knickers, but it is not always clear if they are bloomer knickers or regular knickers.

Short Pants

Short pants first appeared in the 1900s, primarily as a European export, especially British. They did not prove as popular in America as in Europe. Some young boys wore them, but most older boys insisted on knickers. Even Scouts in America wore knickers rather than short pants. Theu were generally seen as a garment for younger boys. There were also reguional and social class differences. Only in the 1960s did the attitudes of American boys begin to change and shorts began to become acceptable for casual wear by boys of all ages. American boys did not commonly wear the short pants that became widely accepted in England and Europe, especially in the years after the 1920s. American boys much prefered knickers. Some American boys, however, did wear shorts. They were acceptable for little boys, especially before they began school. They were also more accepted in the southern states and California where the weather was warmer--especially during the summer. Notably, even in the South, shorts were not commonly worn in rural areas. Short pants were also worn by boys from wealthy families more intuned with European fashions and able to send their boys to private schools, some of which required short pants uniforms. Families from European immigrant families were also more likely to dress their boys in shorts. This began to change in the 1960s when short pants as casual wear became increasingly accepted. The introduction of cutoffs and the increasing popularity of soccer and bnasketball (sports with short pants uniforms) were important factors. American boys by the 1980s commonly wore shorts as casual wear, elementary boys would even wear them to school. Quite short styles were popular. Styles began to change in the early 1990s as influenced by hip-hop fashions, shorts begame long and baggy.

Figure 4.--American boys commonly wore long pants during the 19th century, except by the 1890s. This boy was 13 years ols in a perforated cabinent card, probably taken in the 1870s.

Long Pants

Long pants in American towns and cities rapidly replaced knee breeches for boys in the early 19th century, although it took longer for men to make the transition. America at the time had a very rural population. Long pants were more common in riral areas than breeches even before this fashion shift was made in the towns. Long pants were particularly prevalent on the frontier. American boys commonly wore long pants through the 1950s. Kneepants began to appear in the 1850s, especially for boys from affluent city families influenced by Eiropean fashion. The average American boy did not begin wearing kneepants, however, until the 1870s. By the turn of tghe 20th century it was common to see even older tennagers wearing kneepants or knickers. A boy's first pair of long pants became a major ecent--at least for the boy. Fashion choices for boys varied among families. Some quite young boys might wear long pants, but until the 1940s many American boys did not wear long pants until they were 13-16 years old.

Created: 7:40 PM 11/9/2006
Last updated: 2:32 AM 8/9/2007