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American boys of all ages worn knee pants suits, inclulding teenagers, but this varied chronologically. When knee pants first appeared in the mid-19th century, they were made for younger boys. This variedm but most boys after about 8 years of age began wearing long pants. This varied from family to family. We see even younger boyswearing long pants, but tyhis bcme less common in the 1870s. The age conventions were fairlt stable in the 1860s and 70s. Most boys continued to wear long pants. Age conventions gradually shifted uoward, but this was not really apparent until the 1880s. But only in the 1890s do we begin to see older boys wearing knee pants. At the turn-of the 20th century, knee pants were the standard trousers for boys. it was common, although not universal, to see even older teenagers wearing knee pants at this time. Knee pants continued to be popular in the 1900s, but by the end of the decade boys were switching the knicker suits. We still see some younger boys wearing knee pants in the 1910s, but for the most part they had passed from the fashion scene by the 1920s, at least in America. We still see knee pants suits them into the 1930s in Europe. The age conventions in America varied from family to family as well as demographically. At first knee pants and other shortened-length pants were a fashionable city style. Only slowly did the styles began to adopted for boys in rural areas, especially for older boys.
The pants boys wore with suits largely depnded ion the time period. We see many 5-year olds wearing knee pants suits. This varied, however, because when suits like cut-awat jackets first appeared, boys mostly wore long pants. It was not until the 1870s that shortened-length pants began to become widespread. Earlier it was very common for younger boys to wear skirted garments. unil about 3-4 years of age. And even when shortened-length became cpmmon, they were mostly worn by younger boys abot 4-8 years of age. Age 5 was the last year before most children began school. And boys ast at first wore primarily with long pants. But by the 1870s most 5 year olds were wearing shortened-length pants. Another factor is the length of the pants. The first straight-leg knee pabnts were misrly calf level. Only in the 1880s do we seen knee-lngth pants, but interestingly this has nothing to do with ages.
Most boys were breeched by age 6 years, in part because this was the age they began school. We see 6 year olds wearing knee pants from the time they became common (1860s). This is a realtively easy bage to momnitor because it was thevagev atb which many children began school. Not all boys a 6 years wore knee pants in the 1860s, but it became more common in the 1870s and virtually universal by the 1880s through the 1900s unil knickers became he sandard type of pants for boys.(1910s). While knickes became standard, we continue to see some 6 year olds contnuing to wear knee pants in the 10s, unlike older boys.
We note large numbers of American boys wearing knee pants suits at 7 years of age. We see many, but not all 7-year olds wearing knee pants suits in the 1860s. This was mnost common in cities and towns that were nost affected by fashion. We note many diffeent jacket styles. The knee pants were initially very long nd often worn with white long stokings. We see more 7-year olds wearing knee pants in the 1870s and they had become increasingly common as the decade progressed. We see striped long stockings replaning white stockings during the decade. Knee pants were virtually universal by the 1880s. We see tyhis very clearly in available school photographs which were becoming more common by the 1880s. And we see boys mostly wearing dark long stokings. American boys coninued wearing knee pants suits in the 1890s. By this time the knee pants were ctually knee-lngth. The same was the case in the 1900s when knickes became standard. A few boys continued to wear knee pants suits in the 1910s.
At first we do see boys older than about 8 years wearin knee pants. This unidentified boy wears a knee pahnts suit with a jacket that has Norfolk styling. He looks to be about 8 years old. The portrait is undated, but was probanly taken in the late-1880s. The studio was Brand in Chicago, Illinois. By this time knee pants were becomong standard for boys and we see most boys 10 years old are younger weaing them. During the 189s and 1900s virtully all 8-year olds wore them.
We see 10 years olds commonly wearing knee pants suits, but this varied over time. When knee pants first appeared they were mostly for younger boys. This varied from family to family and social class was a factor. They were much more common among fashionable urban families than in rural areas. Some 10-year olds may have worn them in the 1860s, but we mostly see long pants. By the 1880s, knee pants suits were fairly standard for American 10-year olds, but still not as common in rural areas as in the cities. The photographic record shows the great majority of 10 year olds wearing knee pants suits. By the 1890s, knee pants suits were almost universal. And this continud in the 1900s, although knickers suddenly replace knee pants at the end of the decade. Knee pants suits did not totally disappear in the 190s, but they were not common and we do not see boys oler than 10 years wearing them.
After appearing in the mid-19th century, we at first only see younger boys, often pre-school boys, wearing knee pants suits. This was at first a style adopted by fashion-concious mothers in the big cities. The age grdually increased in the later half of the century, but knee pants were mostly worn by boys up to about 8-10 years of age for some time. This varied from family to family as well as demographically. Long pants continued to be more common in rural areas. Sudenly in the 1890s we begin to see older boys wearing knee pants and the knee pants became shorter, actually reaching knee length. We do not know just what to atribute this shift. We have not seen it addressed in fashionn literature. Urbanization and rising affluence may be factors. We not only see younger teenagers wearing knee pants, but boys 13-14 years of age and by thevend of the decade even some older teens. While this was less common, by the the turn-of-the 20th century it was very common for younger teens to wear knee pants suits. This included 14-years olds beginning high school. While attending high scvhool was srillm for a minority of boysm, it was becoming more common. Teens in rural areas were slower to adopt this fashion. Older boys always wore knee pants suitys with long stockings. Younger boys might wear knee pants while going barefoot duringbthev summer, but older boys always wore long stockings and shoes.
Teen agers in the 19th century mostly wore long pants. This only began changing in the 1890s. We see younger teens wearing knee pants, at least in urban areas. And guring the 1890s we see more older teens wearing them. By the turn-of-the 20th century we see quite a number ofg older teens wearing knee pants. Unlike younger boys, knee pants were not universal for older teens, but the number we see are notale. This varied from counry to country, but are vke to follow it in greatrer dtail in Anerica becasuse of our subsdtantial Americn archive. Ny about age 15 at mid-century, long oants were more common. Many boys got long pants suits by about 15 years of age, but this was not always the case. It vriesfrom fnuky to fmily. We note G. Ward Hogan javing a graduation portrait taken with his sister in 1907. He was 14-years old, about to turn 15 years old. We do not knoe if he got his first long oatgs suit at 15 or a month later when he entered 9th grade and high school. Or it could have been even later.
Knee pants appeared fuing the mid-19th century. For most of the nearly century that lmee pants were worn, they were mostly worn by younger boys. This for whatever reason began to change in the 1890s. We have no ide why, but during the decade increasingly older teens began wearing knee pants. By the turn of the 20th century we see older teens wearing knee pants, mostly in urban areas. This included 16 years old and older, meaning high school boys. There was a social-class element here. Most older boys not in school with jobs wore long pants. Here with knee pants we are mostly talking about boys in high school. At the turn-of-the 20th-century this was a minority of boys. Most boys finishing elementary (primary) school began to work. It was primarily middle-class boys that continued their education on tom secondary schgoools. The percentage was, however, increasing as a result of ther phenomenal growth of the American industrial economy. As the age increased, the number of boys wearing knee pants declined, but boys wearing knee pants at age 16 years was not uncommon. This continued after ther turn-of-the cenbturty in to the 1900s decade, but by 1910 the number older teen wearing knee aonrs or knickers had declned notably. By this timne the major style of pants in America had changed from knee pants to knickers.
Around the turn of the 20th century from the late-1890s into the 1910s wer note quite old boys wearing knee pants suits, including older teens. Knee pants were most common with younger boys, but this varied from family to family. Beginning with 15-years olds we begin to see substantially more noys weating knee pants suits and this contunue with the remaining high school years (17 and 18 year olds). And each year after 15 we see fewer andfewer boys wearing knee pants suits. By the time of graduation at age 18-19 years of age, almost all boys were wearing long pants. While some boys at bage 16 years were wearing knee pants suits, the majority of boys by this age weer wearing long pants suits. We mention high school becausde the older boys wearing knee pants suits were virtually all boys still in school. And at the turnn of the 20th centiry and the 1900s decade, monly a minority of boys went to high schhool. Most children ended their education with 8th grade meaning 13-14 years of age. Many elementary (primary) schools were 8-year schools. Another complication is that around 1908-09 American boys began shifting from knee pants to knickers. This did not have an immediate impact on usage. We see older teens at the time wearing the new knickers style, but in the 1910s we see a gradual trend of more and more older teens wearing long trouser suits, but knickers into the early-20s were made for 17 and 18 years olds.
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