Figure 1.--Hennessy's clothing store in Butte, Montana offering boys' and youths' clothing. Their ad appeared in the "Anaconda Standard" (August 17, 1904) and offered boys' and youths' suits and youth's trousers in sizes up to 20 years. We are not sure why boys' trousers were not also specifued. Only very basic information was offered about the clothing. Some of the different types of suits were specified. The trousers are not described. A subscription to "The American Boy" was offered as an enducement to customers.

Hennessy's clothing store in Butte, Montana offering boys' and youths' clothing. Their ad appeared in the Anaconda Standard (August 17, 1904) and offered boys' and youths' suits and youth's trousers in sizes up to 20 years. We are not sure why boys' trousers were not also specifued. Only very basic information was offered about the clothing. Some of the different types of suits were specified. The trousers are not described. A subscription to The American Boy was offered as an enducement to customers.

Newspaper Ads

We noted this ad from the Hennessy's Clothing Store in the Anaconda Standard, a newspaper in Butte, Montana (August 17, 1904, p. 8). We are not sure just when in the 19th century that clothibg stores began using newsppers for afvertising. It was clearly a well-established practice in the early 20th century. The point of the Hennessy advertisement is to encourage mothers to purchase new suits and trousers for their sons in mid-August, just before school starts in September.

Hennessy's Clothing Store

The ad was placed by the Hennessy's clothing store in Butte. We do not know a lot about the store. It must have been a large store as there were at least two floors. The name suggests that it was a general clothing store. We know it offered boys' and youth clothing. The ad features the picture of a young teenager wearing a boldly checked summer (?) knee pants suit with hightop shoes and black long stockings. He is reading a copy of The American Boy.

The American Boy

The American Boy was a highly popular monthly magazine for boys. It cost 15 cents a copy. It was published from about the turn of the 20th century century up through at least the early 1940s. At the time of this ad, it was a new, but rapidly growing in popularity. It was already one of the most popular youth magazines, in part because St Nucholas rapidly declined in popularity during the early 20th century. The content was largely dominated by fiction articles strssing adventure stories, but there was also non-fiction material and many regulat deparments appealing to boys.

Subscription Offer

The store offered customers this enducement. "The American Boy --Subscription Price One Dollar a Year. The boys' most popular monthly. Magazine Given Free With each purchase of boys' or children's suits amounting to $5.00 or over, in boys' department, Hennessy's second floor. In Addition to Getting the Magazine Free you Get the Best Clothing for the Money to Be Had in Butte The purchase of one suit costing $5.00 or over, or two suits of $2.50 each or over, will entitle the boy to this splendid magazine for one year. Our Plan for This is Simple. Buy $5.00 worth of boys' clothing and receive a subscription card, properly filled out. Present this each month in our boys' department and receive the magazine. The card will be punched when the American Boy is delivered. Out-of-town customers purchasing suits as above stated will have the magazine mailed to their address each month." Note clients had to come into the store ech month to get gtheir copies. Cistomers were advised, "The September number of the American Boy magazine is here. boys, bring in your tickets and get a copy. Mail orders to Hennessy's, Butte."

Suits

The suits for boys are obvious knee pants suits (as shown in the illustration). The suits for "youths" presumably have long trousers, although this is not stated or illustrated. The age of "youths" is 15 to 20, but there is an overlap because some of the knee pants suis go as high as age 15. This gives us the age in 1904 when the transition from knee pants to long pants often occurred--i.e., at age 15 or 16. The ad copy read, "We have the best two-piece suits, the American Boy suits, at $5.00 each, in both the double-breasted and the Norfolk styles, and we have a wide assortment of suits covering the leading styles for children of 2 1/2 years up to youths of 20. Sample copies of the American Boy free for the asking."

Boys' Suits

Several different boys suits were offered.
Norfolk suits: The ad copy read, "Boys' Norfolk suits in medium and dark mixtures. Sizes 1 to 11 years. Well made and perfect fitting: $3.00 values for $2.15.
Double-breasted suits: The ad copy read, "Boys' double-breasted suits of medium and dark mixed cassimere, thoroughly well made and perfect fitting. Sizes 8 to 15 years. Prices, $2.25 and $2.75 per suit. Watch Hennessy's window display.
Double-breasted corduroy suits: The ad copy read, "Boys' Suits Double-breasted corduroy suits, extra well made. Sizes 8 to 15 years. This week's special price, $3.75.

Youth's Trousers

The ad copy read, "A new lot of youths' trousers [preseumably long trousers?] in the newest patterns of cassimere, cheviot and worsted, correctly cut as well as made. Sizes 14 to 20 years: $1.50 to $5.00 pair.

Youths' Suits

The ad copy read, "Single and double breasted school suits, made of fine cassimeres and cheviots, strictly all wool goods, now in design and colorings. Sizes for 15 to 20 years. Prices $3.50, $10.00, and $12.50 each."

Demographics

Montanna is a huge Wersten state with an important ranching and mining industries. Bote the title of the newspaper. Anaconda was a large copper mind. We have noticed that knee pants were not as common in rural areas or among working-class families such as mining families as in the more fashion concious Eastern cities. Many 15-year old boys, but not all, in the Eastern cities wore knee pants. W suspect that they were not as common for 15-year old boys in Mintana.

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Created: 7:41 PM 5/21/2008
Last updated: 7:41 PM 5/21/2008