Figure 1.--These Wisconsin brothers were photographed in bib-overalls and long-sleeve striped "T" shirts about 1946. Notice the "V" symbol one boy was wearing. That may have been the World War II "V" for victory symbol.

Several HBC readers have contributed details on their personal experiences during the 1940s. These have included accounts about hair styles and various clothing styles. Some readers have traveled or gone to school in other countries, providing interesting cross-cultural insights. There are also accounts on buying clothes as well as experiences at school. Several published accounts also add valuable insights on boys wear during the 1940s. We have a variety of contribution from HBC readers desribing both experiences at home and at school. Many boys remember disliking knickers. Some boys wore sailor suits. Quite a few boys were Cub and Boy Scouts. Catholic boys often had some different experiences than Protestant boys. One reader desribes his and those of a friend from Germany.

Short Snipits

Here we have short comments by a number of HBC readers. "I was a boy in the '40s. We wore little double breasted coats. Knickers were still being worn. And during the war much militasry inspired stuff. My favorite outfit as a little boy was a sailor suit. Of course, the ubiquitous Navy blue suit." Joel "I remember those knickers also. Awful things, of nasty brown corduroy. I guess they were a casualty of World War II. I hope nobody ever puts up a monument to them...." Tom Parsons "I hated those knickers. Thinking like a 7-year-old. They looked stupid. In fact I still think they look stupid. I didn't like those cut down "jughead" hats with the buttons all over them either. And there's a bunch of stuff out there today that I don't like--starting with Tommy Hilfiger street trash." Joe

My Brother and I

I can offer not very original experiences of my yourh and clothes which you still might enjoy. I have several distinct memories of childhood clothes. I can remember--this was early 1940s. My pre -school years, e.g. when I wore a sailor suit, were early 1940s. I entered first grade in l945, so my more grown-up youth days were late 40s, e.g. when I was a Cub. I was raised in the northeastern United States. We were a middle class family.

A Philadelphia Boyhood

Let me give you some of my recollections of the clothes my brother and I wore in the early and mid 1940's in suburban Philadelphia. My family was mid-middle class, and I presume my experiences are not unique or different than others of my age.

A Catholic Boyhood

When I was a student at a Catholic parish elementary school, back in Rhode Island in the late 1940s and early 50s, I was an altar-boy, and my best friend Brian was a choir-boy. The Catholic Church did not allow girls to be altar-servers at the time, and likewise there were no women or girls in the parish choir--there were boys for the soprano and alto parts and men for tenor and bass. All the choir members wore floor-length red cassocks in the Roman style--that is, with buttons from the collar to the hem. Over the cassock they wore white surplices with square-yoked necklines; the surplices were mid-thigh length and had wide full sleeves. In addition to the cassock and surplice the boys (but not the men) wore stiff white starched linen (later some kind of plastic/cloth composite) collars and large red satin bows at the throat.

A Sailor Suit

I may have been the one of the last sailor suit wearers. I remember having one in the mid 1940s just before kindergarden. It was white and i believe the material was silk. I remember questioning Mom about it but acceptd it since my uncles were in the navy and wore whites too. The issue of the non-military material was apparently resolved. As far as the rest of the outfit there was no hat, a whistle on a lanyard that I never was able to make work and white laced shoes. I probably would have been wearing strap shoes if there wasn't some sort of concern about my feet needing extra support. My hair at that time was a mass of ringlets but "never below my ears" according to Mom.

One Room School

I was born in 1939. I can remember a bit about my early years and when I started school in New York state during 1944. We eventually moved to Pennsylvania. I particuilarly recall a blue wool sailor suit mother bought for me. It was kind of like my dress outfit as I didn't have a suit. I wore it a few times to school.

My German Friend and I

I was raised in America, where I was born in 1940. Until the end of that decade, the old custom of dressing boys in short pants was still a vogue to be seen where I lived, though it was by then a rapidly disappearing fashion. My mother prefered me in short pants, especially the shorter style that younger boys wore at time. I didn't mind although I began to feel a little self-conscious as I got older. When I was 10 a boy from Germany came to my school, being of a war refugee family who were what then was ignominiously called "D.P.'s" (Displaced Persons). His folks were quite traditional and this resulted in his being dressed in lederhosen of the briefly cuffed style, this fashion still being the customary dress for German boys then.

Wisconsin Brothers (1940s and early 50s)

A HBC reader has provided us some images of her brother-in-laws family. There were three boys born in 1941, 1943 and 1945. Their father is a Lutheran pastor in rural Wisconsin. The boys were commonly dressed in similar outfits, sometimes idential garments. Available images show the boys were photographed in bib-overalls and long-sleeve striped "T" shirts as young boys and then in colorful sweaters at a slightly older age.

Created: March 12, 1998
Last updated: December 12, 2002