Figure 1.--This French boy looks to be wearing bib-front short pants in his primary class during the 1950s.

HBC is not sure what kind of pants boys wore in the early 19th century, but after mid-century, kneepants became increasingly common. Knickers were also popular. They were often worn with three-quarter socks. I believe they were primarily below-the-knee knickers. Short pants appeared after the turn of the century and after World War I had mostly replaced knickers, except for older boys. Some teenagers wore knickers, especially during the colder winter months. Kneesocks were common in the colder months. French boys commonly wore short pants through the 1960s. Younger boys commonly wore suspender shorts and also bib-front shorts. After World War II (1939-45), shorts became shorter and began to be worn mostly by younger boys. French boys by the 1970s began to wear mostly long pants. The boys that did wear shorts began wearing mostly longer-cut ones.

Created: January 2, 2001
Last updated: January 2, 2001