Figure 1.--In America both pre-teen and teen-age boys wore knee pants during the 1900s. Not all teenagers wore them, but it was very common. They were normally worn with long syockings. The boys here look to be about 8 and 13 years old. We would guess here that the boys were photographed on Sunday just before church. They seem to have on their best long stocking. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

We do not have much information on wear, but I suspect many boys wore out their stocking at the knee. Active children are also on their knees playing on the floor or running around and falling down. All this leads to holes at the knees. A reader writes, "I suspect that this was a major problem--especially for younger boys who crawled around on their knees a good deal." We believe tht many mothers darned the holes if they were not to large. I'm not sure, however, just how this worked. The home knitted stockings mat have been easier to fix than store bought stockings. We note a German boy with holes in his stockings also--but he is somewhat older than we might expect. Notably period catalogs advertized long stockings with reinforced knees. We do not see too much of this in the photographic record, presumably because mum made sure the boys wore their best stockings for the portraits. Also families having formal portraits taken were also the more affluent families or at least families in comfortable stockings. For the most part they could easily afford to replace worn out stockings. Here families may have varied somewhat. We suspect that even affluent families, especially fmilies with a lot of boys, may have allowed the children to wear worn stockings for play. An example here is Archie Roosevelt, the president's son. Some images on HBC are not easy to assess in terms of holes. Some obviously show holes. It is less clear in other images.

Wear Points

We do not have much information on wear, but I suspect many boys wore out their stocking at the knee. Active children are also on their knees playing on the floor or running around and falling down. All this leads to holes at the knees. A reader writes, "I suspect that this was a major problem--especially for younger boys who crawled around on their knees a good deal." We note a German boy with holes in his stockings also--but he is somewhat older than we might expect. Notably period catalogs advertized long stockings with reinforced knees. When hose supporters were first introduced in the last quarter of the 19th century, the buttons were metal and often had the disadvantage of tearing the stocking tops. But then the "velvet grip" technology came along in the early 1900s with the metal buttons covered with rubber so that they didn't tear the tops of the stockings when attached. Velvet Grip even became a trade term. Details are available in contemporary catalogs and magazine advertisements. A good example is a Velvet Grip ad in 1911. Rubber buttons became standard in all American hose supporters from at least 1905 onwards. So the main place that stockings tended to wear out were the heels and toes (which were often reinforced) and also the knees which often were made with double thread to make them more durable for children hard at play. The stocking ads never talk about reinforced tops to counteract the wear occasioned by the attachment of the supporter clasps. This was a problem, however, for women who wore silk stockings and who sometimes complained of stocking runs, started often at the point where they attached their garters.

Repair

We believe tht many mothers darned the holes if they were not to large. I'm not sure, however, just how this worked or how easy it was to repair stockings with holes. The home knitted stockings mat have been easier to fix than store bought stockings.

Photographic Record

We do not see too much of this in the photographic record, presumably because mum made sure the boys wore their best stockings for the portraits. Also families having formal portraits taken were also the more affluent families or at least families in comfortable stockings. For the most part they could easily afford to replace worn out stockings. Here families may have varied somewhat.

Social Class

Well gto do families would have insisted on boys wearing stockings without hose when dressing up. We suspect that even affluent families, especially families with a lot of boys, may have allowed the children to wear worn stockings for play. Keeping a large family in stockings must have been an ongoing struggle. Thus for play some families may have been flexible. We expect this was particular true for boys more than girls. An example here is Archie Roosevelt, the president's son. Of course with poor families this must have been much more common.