Figure 1.--Boys subjected long stockings to rough wear during active play. Thus stocking supporters were needed to keep them snugly in place.

Boys continued wearing long stockings and stocking supporters in the early 20th Century. Short pants appear after the turn of the century and some boys began wearing kneesocks. Long stockings continued to be worn even with the increasingly common knickers. Boys in the early 20th Century often wore above the knee knickers and mostly wore long stockings and stocking supporters with them. Even below the knee knickers, however, were generally worn with long stockings requiring stocking supporters. The popularity of long stockings wained after World War I (1914-18). Boys increasingly wore kneesocks with both short pants and knickers making stocking supporters unecesary. Long stockings did continue to be worn in some countries, especially in Scandanavia, Poland, and Germany where boys, even boys in short pants, wore long stockings during the winter. Presumably they wore them with stocking supporters, although I have no details on this. Tights appeared in the 1950s and finally replaced long stockings as children's wear, making stocking supporters unecessary. Long stockings in most countries afte World War II rapidly disappeared in most countries. They persisted a little longer in Germany and Scadinavia. They continued to be worn longer in the Soviet Union and the Soviet satellite countries of Eastern Europe.

Early 20th Century (1900-20)

Boys continued wearing long stockings and stocking supporters in the early 20th Century. Short pants appear after the turn of the century and some boys began wearing kneesocks. Long stockings continued to be worn even with the increasingly common knickers. Boys in the early 20th Century often wore above the knee knickers and mostly wore long stockings and stocking supporters with them. Even below the knee knickers, however, were generally worn with long stockings requiring stocking supporters. Hose supporters originally had metal buttons or studs over which the the loop clasp was fixed to hold the stocking in place. But the metal buttons tended to tear the tops of the stockings because of the strain put upon them. Early in the 20th century, the metal buttons or studs began to be covered with rubber, which did much less damage to the stocking tops. One of the most famous brands to adopt this improvement was called the "Velvet Grip" supporter, and was widely adopted by manufacturers such as Stein & Co. (the manufacturer of the well-known Hickory supporters and garter waists) as providing gentler treatment for stockings. Originally children's and women's hose supporters were buttoned or sewn onto waists or corsets. But by the early decades of the 20th century, children's hose supporters were made with safety pins at the top (at least in the United Strates) so that they could be fastened onto waists, corsets, or underwear by pinning to tape loops or metal pin tubes provided for the purpose. [Lester and Oerke] The pin-on method became standard in America by at least 1905 or so. Also the clasps changed--the metal studs or buttons of the clasp were damaging to the stockings, but rubber buttons fixed that problem. Notice the ads for Velvet Grip" supporters. And this innovation was quickly made standard by such companies as Stein & Co. that manufactured the well-known Hickory garter waists and hose supporters. Ses the ads for 1916 as an example.

The 1900s

The 1910s

A garment invented during the 1910s and much advertised and worn was the "suspender waist." This was similar in some respects to a garter waist but differed from garter waists by having a dual function--(a) the support of boys' trousers by means of the usual suspenders that would pass over a boy's dress shirt and thus be visible if he were not wearing a jacket, and (b) the holding up of long stockings by means of hose supporters that were attached to the suspender straps and indeed an extention of them. The suspender straps had attachments at waist level for the boy's trousers (like ordinary adult male suspenders), but the shoulder straps continued beneath the trousers and ended in two y-shaped supporters for long stockings. These garments were originally designed only for boys and were worn by boys as young as 6 and as old as 18. The Kazoo suspender waist, probably the best-known and most widely purchased brand, then developed alternative styles for girls and younger boys that were more like traditional garter waists and, having the shoulder straps hidden beneath shirts, blouses, and dresses, were actually merely undergarments. The styles for girls and younger boys usually had a waistband with buttons for the support of additional garments (such as pants, skirts, and bloomers) in addition to the hose supporters. See the Kazoo 1918 and the Kazoo 1920-21 ads.

Inter-War and World War II Era (1920-45 )

The popularity of long stockings wained after World War I (1914-18). Boys increasingly wore kneesocks with both short pants and knickers making stocking supporters unecesary. Long stockings did continue to be worn in some countries, especially in Scandanavia, Poland, and Germany where boys, even boys in short pants, wore long stockings during the winter. Presumably they wore them with stocking supporters, although I have no details on this. Tights appeared in the 1950s and finally replaced long stockings as children's wear, making stocking supporters unecessary.

The 1920s

Stocking supporters and related elastic supporters were widely sold in the 1920s. A good reflection of the variety of products available. These advertisements also provide a variety of information about those products. A bit later, Kazoo and perhaps other manufacturers, decided to modify the suspender waist as a garment for girls and younger boys. They were still called suspender waists because of the over-the-shoulder straps, but they did not literally function as suspenders (a device for holding up trousers). On these modified versions there were no leather attachments at the waist to be buttoned onto trousers as in the case of adult male suspenders.

The 1930s

Long stockings and stocking supporters were still prominently featured in American clothing catalogs throughout the 1930s. We suspect that fewer boys and younger boysd were weariong them, this can roughly be assessed by noticing the boys wearing long stockings in the photographic rercord. Note for example the Ward's garter waists in the 1933 catalog and a later more Ward's waists in a 1936 cataslog. The number of ads in catalogs is a clear indicator that they were beding purchased, we are somwhat less sure wsho was waring them or wehat boys thought of them. One American reader provides us some thoughts as to what he remembers as a boy.

Early 1940s

Long stockings were still being prominently advertised in the early 1940s and as a result there were still fairly notable ads for stocking supporters offering several different styles of supporters. The popularity of long stockings, however, had declined significatly in the 1930s. The early 1940s was the last time you see prominent adds for either long stockings or stocking supporters. While we have considrable information on stocking supporters in America during the early 40s. We have very little information on other countries.

Post World War II Era (1945- )

Long stockings in most countries afte World War II rapidly disappeared in most countries. They persisted a little longer in Germany and Scadinavia. They continued to be worn longer in the Soviet Union and the Soviet satellite countries of Eastern Europe.

Late 1940s

Stocking supporters were still being advertised in the mid to late 1940s. There was a declining range of different types of stocking supporters available. They had declined greatly in popularity, but were still worn. Sears offered them after the War. We note them in the 1946 and a few subsequent Sears catalogs. After the winter 1947-48 catalog, however, we no longer see children'underwaists used for stocking supporters, They are ntirely gone from the Sears catalogs. Suspender waists could still be found, but not underwaists. We believed that they were still available in the Wards catalog, but can not yet confirm this. We note them in Cananadian catalogs throughout the 1940s. An earample is the Eaton's catalog in 1948-49. We do not yet have European catalog information.

Early 1950s

Stocking supporters weht out of fashion in the 1950s. They were still worn and advertised in the early 1950s, but had become a rather minor item. I don't remember seeing them as a boy, but HBC has noted advertisements as late as 1951.

Sources

Lester, Katherine Morris and Bess Viola Oerke. Accessories of Dresss: An Illustrated History of . . . Frills and Furbelows of Fashion (Peoria, Illinois: Manual Arts Press, 1940).

Created: 9:01 AM 11/18/2005
Last updated: 4:56 PM 3/1/2008