Figure 1.--The usefulness of photographs as historical documents is strongly correlated with their provinence. They are most useful if we know who the people are and when they were photographed. Often HBC acquires images with no provinance. All that HBC knows about this image, for example, is that it is American. We can only guess the date, probably about 1880. Note the boys' small collar and lapel and his watch fob. Also note the checkered stockings. |
Patterned stockings were primarily made in horizontal stripes. There were a wide variety of striped patterns, but most of the available patterned were horizontal stripes. A much less popular style was various checkered pattens. There were also a variety of other patterns used, but they were not very common. These patterned stockings were most common in the late 19th century, especially the 1870s and 80s.
These patterned stockings were most common in the late 19th century, especially the 1870s and 80s. They were also worn in the 1860s, but we have less information on how common they ere at tht time. Long stockings were not as common in the 860s and kneepants were not yet a standard for boys.
Stripes were by far the dominant pattern for long stockings, but they were not th only pattern.
Patterned stockings were made in horizontal stripes. HBC know of no vertical stripes. There were a wide variety of striped patterns, but most of the available patterned were stripes. The stripes varied in width. There were both wide and narrow stripes, usually two colors with white or other light color commonly one of the colors. Other patterns were stripes with different width bands, including narrow lines. We have noted vertical stripes as well, but they were not very common and not as far as we know worn by boys.
A much less popular style was various checkered pattens. These patterns varied widely. Generally they had a solid background in a dark color with a variety of horizontal and vertical lines, somewhat similar to plaid.
A reader writes, "I notice there is no mention made there of the argyle pattern
(a sort of plaid worn diagonally so it looks diamond rather than rectangular shaped). It was a very common pattern with short socks and knee socks -- especially knee socks worn with kilts. Do you know if there were argyle pattern stockings, or was the
argyle pattern reserved for knee- and ankle-length socks?" This is interesting. Of course Argyles became one of the most come sock patterns I remember that boys used to very commonly wear Argyle ankle socks. But we have never noted Argyle long stockings. We are not sure why this pattern was not used.
We have occasionally noted boys wearing kother patterned stockings, but am not precisely sure at this time how to describe the platterns. Boys wearing these patterened stockings are generally yoinger boys not yet breeched or boys wearing fancy Fauntleroy suits. This is largely a late 19th century fashioin, although some boys may have worn these other patterned stockings in the 1900s, but we have not noted them in the 1910s.
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