Figure 1.--These two American brothers about 1925 wear tan long stockings with short pants, albeit rather long shorts. They look to be about 4 and 10 years old. The younger brother wears a silk shirt. His brother wears a double breasted suit. Click on the image for a more detailed assessment. Image provided courtesy of the RS collction.

HBC has only limited information on the type of short pants worn with long stockings. While we have been unable to find much written information, an examination of available images, offers some information. We have noted boys casual shorts as we as short pants suits with long stockings. The ones we have noted have primarily been single breasted suits, although double breasted suits were still quite common in the 1920s as well as other styles like Norfolk suits. Younger boys also wore them to school in a variety of short pants outfits, such as sailor suits or white shirts and ties. We also notice German teenagers wearing long stockings with short pants, although this was less common. An example here is an unidentified teenager in 1933. We have noted fewer photographs of boys in play shorts. This may have been in part the seasonality of long stockings. Mothers were more likely to insist on long stockings when boys were least likely to be wearing shorts for outdoors play. ome boys still worn short pants all year round in the 1920s, but this was becoming less common in the 1930s--especially in America.