Figure 1.--Tghis snap shot is undated, but was probanly taken during the early 1930s. These print dresses weee popular for girls. Long stockings were becoming less popular, but still worn. This girl wears them and it is not particularly cold out. Notice the pigtails.

Long stockings were worn by both boys and girls. In fact the same stockings were worn by both genders. We know of no significant gender differences for many years. The principal exception to this seems to have been color. White stockings were worn more by girls than boys. But even this varied chronologically. Images from the 19th century show most boys and girls wearing long stockings. Some younger boys wore white stiockings, but even for them the darkstockings were more common. As long stockings began declining in popularity during the 1930s, I think that girks were somewhat more likely to wear them than boys, but our information is too limited at this time to make any definitive assessment. Many girls began to see long stockings as unfasionable, even dowdy and didn't want to wear them. Boys were less concerned about fashion, but more their image so for the most part only hyounger boys wore them. In addition the increasingly usage of long pants made them less important to keep wore than had been the case when knickers and short pants were more common. This may be part of the reason why girls who mostly wore skirts wore long stockings more commonly than boys.

Gender Conventions

Long stockings were worn by both boys and girls. There were no gender conventios associated with long stovkings. In fact the same stockings were worn by both genders. We know of very few exceptions to this. The photographic record shows many families in which the children are wearing the same stockings. A good example is an unidentified family, probably in the late 1920s. We also note countless school and other group photographs in which the children are wearing long stockings. Black long stockings were common for both genders for quite a long time. We note no significant gender differences for many years.

Color Exception

The principal exception to the fact that there were few gender conventions associated with long stockings seems to have been color issues. This is most apparent with white stockings, although this varries chronologically among countries. Unfortunately the black and white photography of the date does not permit us to use the photographic record to assess color conventions. We know there were colors from catalogs and the variety shades in photographs, but we can not identify the colors. We can, however, see black and white stockings. We see a lot of white stockings when large numbers of photographic images appeared with the CDV (1860s). And the striped stockings become very commom (1870s). Black stockings became standard, but there were other darl colors and eventually light colors as well. And there were definite gender conventions associated with black and white stockins, although this caried from country to country. Age was also a factor, at least for boys. Both boys and girls wore black sockings. White stockings were worn more by girls than boys and became asociated wih girls at least in some countries. America and Germany were two countries where long stockings were especilly important and we have a substantial photographic archive for both countties. Not only did this vary chronologically. Some younger boys wore white stockings, but even for them the dark stockings were more common. We see some younger American boys wearing white long stockings in the early-20th century, but they were mostly worn by girls. White long stockings were some what more common for German boys, but again they were more common for girls. This was the same in most countries, although there were differences. The colors that became popular after World War I such as brown, flesh, and grey did not have gender conventions, only white stockings.

Chronology

We note both boys and girls wearing long stockings in both the 19th and 20th centuries. Images from the 19th century show most boys and girls wearing long stockings. There may have been age differences, byt thus is a little difficult to follow in the photograpgic record. A major problem is that mostly younger boys wore knee pants until th the 1890s. We suspect though that long stockings were not commonly worn by boys wearing long trousers. Both boys and girls commonly wore long stockings through the 1920s. As long stockings began declining in popularity during the 1930s, we think that girls were somewhat more likely to wear them than boys, but our information is too limited at this time to make any definitive assessment. Many girls began to see long stockings as unfasionable, even dowdy and didn't want to wear them. Boys were less concerned about fashion, but more their image so for the most part only hyounger boys wore them. In addition the increasingly usage of long pants made them less important to keep wore than had been the case when knickers and short pants were more common. This may be part of the reason why girls who mostly wore skirts wore long stockings more commonly than boys.

Created: 8:30 PM 11/23/2006
Last updated: 8:53 PM 8/19/2015