Figure 1.--This Amnerican boy looks to be about 5 years old. He wears a juvenile styled kneepants suit with a large floppy bow. Note how high up the pants leg the buttonsd are placed. The photograph was probably taken in the 1880s. |
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Shortened-length pants became standard for bots in the late-19th century. In Europe we see both knickers and straight-leg knee pants. In America we see mostly knee pants. Knee pants appeared before mid-century, but they did not become widely worn by boys untilmthe 1870s. And only universal by the 1880s, although just for younger boys. This changed substantially in the 1890s when we begin to see even older boys wearing knee pants, at least in America. It became increasingly common for quite old boys to wear knee pants. This was particularly true in America where we see even older teens wearing knee pnts by the the turn-of-the 20t century. This was not univrsal, but we seequite a number of older bits wearing knee pnts by the lare-1890s. Many boys still wore long pants suits with highly varied desisns in the 1860s. This changed significantly in the 1870s when knee pants became the standad suit type for boys. The jackets also took on an increasingly modern design. We see differences between Europe and america and between Eyropean countries. Knee pants were not as common in Eastern Europe as they were in Western Europe.
The wide variety of suit styles prevalent in the 1860s became much more standardized in the 1870s. Many of the novelty styles for younger boys disappeared, although the sailor suit grew in popularity. The suit jackets took on an increasingly modern look. There were still some destinct differences with modern suits. Many boys' suit jackets had collars rather than lapels. Breast pocket arrangements were not yet standard as were the number of front buttons. Jackets with six buttons were not uncommon. Suit jackets were often made to be buttoned at the collar and worn unbuttoned at the bottom as was the case for many 1860s jackets. Suits were often were much better fitting suits than thise worn earlier in the decade.Knee pants increased in popularity throughout the decade, virtually repacing long pants for boys. Kneepants in the 1870s were generally worn long, often at mid-calf length. A good example is Minnie Tamn, a Minnesota boy we think in the 1870s. Some boys wore suits with out white collars and bows, but increasingly boys began wearing larger collars with their suits and often bows--although fairly modest sized bows until late in the decade. Boys wore their suits with long stocking, often stripped stockings. Kneepants in the 1870s could be quite long, well below the knees. Many boys wore them at calf level. One example is a Boston boy.
There are numerous examples of boys wearing knee pants in the 1880s archived on HBC. Trouser types were still varied in the 1870s, but by the 1880s shortened-lenth pants were becoming virtually univrsal for younger boys in many European countriaes and and America. This was less true in rural areas, but this was also chnging. Knee pants could still be quite long in the 1880s, cut well below the knee. We see sone boys with shorter cut knee pants. Fauntlelroy suits for example were always worn with shoertened-length pants. good example is Charley Rosewater in 1881. Many, however, are not dated. A good example is an American boy photographed probably in the late 1880s or perhaps the early 90s.
Knee pants trends changed only gradually in the 1870s and 80s. Along with knickers they were becoming almost universal in the 1880s, although just for younger boys. There were some social-class differebces. working-class boys were more likely to wear long pnts. This changed substantially in the 1890s when we begin to see even older boys and working-class boys wearing knee pants, at least in America. And in Europe, knee pants were increasingly replacing knickers, although some private schools still had knicker uniforms. . It became increasingly common for quite old boys to wear knee pants. This was particularly true in America where we see even older teens wearing knee pants by the the turn-of-the century, at least the boys still in school. We do not see older boys wearing knee pants like we see in america. Most working-class boys wore long pants by the time they reached their teens.
