Figure 1.--Short pants were very common in Europe during the 1930s. I'm not sure where this photograph was taken, but suspect France. Shorts were still cut relatively long in the 1930s. Some boys also wore knickers. Usually it was the older boys who wore knickers, but this varied from family to family. Notice the boy in the center. He is dressed just like Tintin, the world renowned xharacter created by the Belgian illustratot Hergé. He always dressed Tintin like that, although Tintin was older than the boy here.

Boys during the 20th century wore several different types of pants. Some were major fashion items while other proved to be short-lasting fads. Kneepants were a major style for boys by the late 19th century and were widely wornuin the early 20th century. Knee pants at the turn of the century migh be worn by boys in their upper teens, but tyhids gradually declined as the decade progressed. Some boys wore long pants. This varied by country, social class, as well as family preferences. Short pants for boys had appeared in the 1890s, but were not very common, mostly worn by younger boys. There use by the British Army in tropical postings and then by the Boy Scouts and Wandervogel had by the 1910s made them increasingl popular for older boys in Eurpope. Knickers also became important inthe early 19th entury, especially in America. Knickers varies substabntiall. Some were short above the knees, others were worn so low that you can hasrdly see the ankles. Knickers were especially populasr in America for boys of all ages. They were more commonly worn by older boys in Europe. Long pants began to increase in popularity after World War II. We see both dress and casual long pants. An especially important fashion phenomenon was denim jeans. A variety of play outfits for younger boys such a romper and overalls in the 1900s. We also notice style like Capri pants and shortalls.