Figure 1.--Most American boys by the 1870s were wearing kneepants suits. They were not just made for juvenile styles like Fauntleroy and sailor suits, but also more mature styles like double breasted suits. We thought this unidentified image might be a 1870s portrait, but the 1880s might be more likely. Kneepants in the 1870s were often a littl;e longer than the ones here. We are unsure what color the stockings here would have been. A reader, however, writes, "I feel confident that the stockings here are black. Sometimes old photography makes black stockings look a bit faded, but I think we can be quite sure that this boy is wearing black stockings to match his suit. For a boy of this age, anything but black would have been quite unusual."

Boys in the late 19th century wore long stockings that went above the knee with knee length pants. By the 1870s most boys were wearing kneepants and they were almost always worn with long stockings. The stockings were mostly black in the late 19th century or some dark color. A fashion of horizontal striped stockings was fashionable in the 1860s-70s. Younger boys might go barefoot during the summer for play, but all boys wore long stockings when dressing up. The length of the stockings varied. Some were thigh high while others only came just over the knee. The longer stockings were held up by a suspender waists worn by the boys. Short pants were not worn until after the turn of the cenury. In the winter the long stockings helped keep them warm, but the boys also wore long stockings in the summer. Boys at the time did not wear shorts in summer and longs in winter. Instead they wore knee pants all year round.

Chronology

Boys in the late 19th century wore long stockings that went above the knee with knee length pants. At mid-century long pants were still common, but began to appear in the 1860s. As a result, the fashiion history of long stockings is well covered in the photographic record. HBC believes that it was at this point that boys began commonly wearing long stockings. By the 1870s most boys were wearing kneepants and they were almost always worn with long stockings in the cold weather or when dressing up. Short pants were not worn until after the turn of the century so boys in the late 19th century almost always wore kneepants. They continued to be worn with long stickings until the 1910s when they began going out of style. Younger boys in the 1910s becgan wearing three-quarther length socks with kneeoants, but older boys would wear long stockinfs.

Age

There does not seem to have been many age destinctions as to which boys wore long stovkings with kneeoants. In the late 19th century all boys wore long stockings with knee pants, both younger and older boys. This only changed after the turn of the century. HBC notes some younger American boys wearing three-quarter length socks with kneepants. Older boys, however, always wore long stockings.

Color

The stockings were mostly black or other dark colors in the late 19th century. This is based primarily on observations of available images. Of course the colors do not showe from the black and white photography of the day. HBC hopes to acquire information on color from store catalogs. Rather than black, dark colors matching suit colors may have sometimes been worn. White long stocvkings were available, but rarely worn with kneepants by boys in the late 19th cebntury. Some boys wore white long stockings with kneepants in gthe earloy 20th century--but mosdtly younger boys.

Patterns

Most boys wore solid colored long stockings with kneepants. The only patterned long stockings were horizontal stripes. Clothing catalogs and available photographs show that a variety of horizontal striped stockings was fashionable in the 1860s-70s. I am not yet positive how common they were in the 1880s. They were worn in the early 1880s, but HBC believes that they were mostly replaced by solid colored stockings during this decade.

Seasonality

Younger boys might go barefoot during the summer for play, but all boys wore long stockings when dressing up. In the winter the long stockings helped keep them warm, but the boys also wore long stockings in the summer. Boys at the time did not wear kneepants just in the summer and longs in winter. Instead they wore knee pants all year round.

Bare Feet

American boys commonly went barefoot during the summer in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Ill fitting shoes probably made going barefoot more comfortable. This varied regionally. Certainly wearing lock stockings in the South during the summer would have been very uncomfortable. There were also differences between urban and rural areas. Going barefoo, even tio sdchool, was more common in rural areas. There was an element of socail class incolved. Going barefoot in urban areas probably would have been a sign of poverty, although ther were regional variations here.

Length

The length of the stockings varied. Some were thigh high while others only came just over the knee. The longer stockings were held up by a suspender waists worn by the boys. HBC does not at this time have details of stocking length worn with kneepants. The fact that kneepants were made to be worn at knee-length suggests that they were not generally made at lengths much above the knee.

Created: May 18, 2000
Last updated: 12:40 PM 12/25/2004