Figure 1.--This American boy wears a knee pants suit for a formal cabinent card portrait. He was from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the late 1880s or early 90s. He looks to be about 13 years old. Note the length of the knee pants, well below the knee. Teenagers generally wore long pants suits in the 1880s, but we see many teenagers wearing knee pants suits in the 1890s.

Knee pants appeared in the mid-19th century . We note younger boys wearing fancy suits with both bloomer knickers and knee pants. Knee pants in the 1860s became an increasingly important type of pants for boys. Theyv were commonly worn by younger boys with cut-away jackets. Early knee pants were often quite long, looking more like long pants that the boy had outgrown. A good example is a Boston boy, probably in the late 1860s. Knee pants increased in popularity as the 19h century progressed, especially in urban areas. We see many boys wearing knee pants suits in the 1880s, but mostly younger boys. Fauntleroy and sailor suits were commonly worn with knee pants. Knee pants became standard (1890s). Knee pants were very widely worn at the turn of the 20th century. We notice most American boys wearing knee pants suits in the 1890s and 1900s. Boys of all ages worn them inclulding teenagers. 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. Knee pants began going out of style in the 1910s as boys began to more commonly wear knicker suits. 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. 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. 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. Some suits came with two pairs of pants. We think this usually meant two pairs of knee pants, but this was not always the case with knickers.

Chronology

Knee pants appeared in the mid-19th century . We note younger boys wearing fancy suits with both bloomer knickers and knee pants. Knee pants in the 1860s became an increasingly important type of pants for boys. Theyv were commonly worn by younger boys with cut-away jackets. Knee pants increased in popularity as the 19th century progressed, especially in urban areas. We see many boys wearing knee pants suits in the 1880s, but mostly younger boys. Fauntleroy and sailor suits were commonly worn with knee pants. Kneepants were very widely worn at the turn of the 20th century. We notice most American boys wearing knee pants suits in the 1890s and 1900s. Amd for the first time we see older boys wearing them. Knee pants were paticularly common in the 1890s and 1900s and even older teenagers wore them. Knee pants began going out of style in the 1910s as boys began to more commonly wear knicker suits.

Style

The basic stlistic elements of knee pants are length and with. These elements varied chronologically. Early American knee pants were often quite long, looking rather like long pants that the boy had outgrown. A good example is a Boston boy, probably in the late 1860s. Knee pants cut at calf-level were common. Some even approached ankle length. These longer lengths, especially calf lengths, were also common in the 1870s. We begin to see shorter cuts in the 1880s and they became standard in the 1890s. This length continued into the 1900s until knee pants were generally replaced by knicketrs in the 1910s. Knee pants were commonly called "straight-leg" knee pants in the United States. Unlike knickers, they were never cut in a voluminous manner, although we do see variations in with as well as length. Wide styles seem popular in the 60s when knee pants first brcame popular, at least for younger boys. Slim cuts were particularly popular in the 90s.

Age

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. 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 sxtill see knee pants suits them into the 1930s in Europe. The age conventions in America varied from famiky 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.

Extra Pants

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. Some suits came with two pairs of pants. We think this usually meant two pairs of knee pants, but this was not always the case with knickers.

Hosiery

American boys almost always wore knee pants suits with long stockings. We see European boys commonly wearing knee pants with three-quater socks, depending on the country. This was not at all commom in America. Boys in the late 19th century wore long stockings that went above the knee with knee length pants. By the 1870s most boys were wearing kneepants and they were almost always worn with long stockings. The stockings were mostly black in the late 19th century or some dark color. A fashion of horizontal striped stockings was fashionable in the 1860s-70s. Younger boys might go barefoot during the summer for play, but all boys wore long stockings when dressing up. The length of the stockings varied. Some were thigh high while others only came just over the knee. The longer stockings were held up by a suspender waists worn by the boys. Short pants were not worn until after the turn of the cenury. In the winter the long stockings helped keep them warm, but the boys also wore long stockings in the summer. Boys at the time did not wear shorts in summer and longs in winter. Instead they wore knee pants all year round.

Created: 12:33 AM 11/19/2007
Last updated: 10:47 PM 10/29/2010