Figure 1.--Tunic suits were a popular style for younger boys. These Ucanttear suits were offered in the Sears Fall-Winter 1912-13 catalog. These suits were made for boys 2 1/2 to 6 years of age. These suits were described as Russian blouse suits and the pants as bloomer pants. |
American mail order catalogs offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends. Boys commonly wore flat caps which were called golf caps. We have pages from the Sears catalogs showing a range of junior suits. We have pages from the National Cloak & Suit Company for 1912. This is not a company that we know very much about. The catalog offers a full range of adult and children clothing. Several pages offer clothing for younger and older children providing a useful glimpse of childrens clothing during 1912. We see flat caps. There are a variety of romper and kneepants suits for younger boys. There are knicker suits for oldr boys. We also see waists to hold up long stockings, a range of underwear, and night shirts.
Headwear was much more common in 1912 than today. Sailor caps and hats were worn by younger boys. The most common type of cap worn by school-age boys was the flat cap, commonly referred to as golf caps. Boys wearing suits might have a flat cap matching their suits.
A variety of toddler styles with simple casual styles appear. They were often done with kneepants. The button-on style appears to have been very popular for boys. We also notice tunic suits, common referred to as Russian blouse suits, done in sizes ranging from toddlers to youngr primary school boys.
Sailor suits were still available in 1912. We also notice tunic suits done with sailor styling.
Boys still commonly wore suits in the 1910s. And we note quite a range of different suit styles offered for boys in 1912. We even see many boys wearing suits to school, at least in the cities. We notice many knickers suits in 1912. Kneepants suits were still available, but seem to have been made increasingly for younger boys. Knickers suits were becoming increasingly popular. We do not yet notice short pants suits as had begun to be worn in Europe. Younger boys wore tunic suits. American boys in 1912 primarily wore knicker suits. They were pictured as being buttoned just at the knee. Norfolk styling was very popular. Most had belted waists.
American boys in 1912 were wearing both kneepants and knickers. Knickers seem to have been increasingly common for older boys. We also notice long pants. Knee pants were quite common in the 1900s. By the 1910s, knickers had become the dominant style for boys. A National 1912 catalog page provides a good indication. Long pants and knee panrs were aailable, but the emphasis was already on knickers. Many of thge kneepants we do see are for younger boys. We do not yet note short pants being offered.
Quite a range of underwear styles were available for children in 1912. The styles were still quite different from modern styles. There were shirts, drawers, and combination or "union" suits with the shirts and pants combined.
There were also waists, a support garment worn by women and children. Also sometimes combined with the waists are worn separately were stocking supporters for the still commonly worn long stockings. One of the most prominent items advertised in the Ladies' Home Journal for the years 1911 and 1912 were three different competing types of suspender waists and hose supporters for boys. All three variations appear repeatedly in successive copies of the magazine, and it is clear that the manufacturers were trying to convince mothers to
buy them for their sons--especially their teenage sons. We think the reason for this new specificity about suspender waists in 1911-12 is that these garments were a relatively new invention at the time--a genunine innovation in boys' wear--and the
three competing firms were trying to corner the market on garments that
were just beginning to catch on and that were much more popular with
boys than the conventional underwaists, skeleton waists, and pin-on
supporters that had dominated the market theretofore. In earlier years
boys wore pretty much the same kind of support garment
We note nightshirts for boys. The styles appear to be vurtually ankle length.
Children wore a wide range of socks and stockings. Long stockings were still very common and worn with various types of stocking supporters.
Boys still wore mostly high-top shoes, although low-cut oxfords were abailable. . Younger boys might wear strap shoes, often done up with bows. We also note sandals.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing catalog/magazine pages:
[Return to the Main American mail order 1910s page]
[Main photo/publishing page]
[Store catalogs]
[Fashion magazines]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Cloth and textiles]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellite sites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Flat caps]
[Sailor hats]
[Buster Brown suits]
[Sailor suits]
[Eton suits]
[Rompers]
[Tunics]
[Smocks]
[Pinafores]
[Knee pants]
[Knickers]
[Long stockings]
[Underwear]