Figure 1.-- This studio portrait was taken at a very basic studio, note the primative background. All we know for sure it was taken in 1913. he boys are wearing identical three-piece suits, double-breasted, with vests (waistcoats), and knee trousers. The long dark stockings were standard in America. We think this is an American photo, even though by 1913, knickers were more common than knee pants. The flat caps look American to us, they were also worn in Europe, but not so common. The boys are wearing stiff white detachable collars with their shirts and bow ties. The boys surely were brothers, about 12-15 years old. The hightop shoes were still common in the 1910s.

We begin to see boys wearing knee pants suits in the mid-19th century. At first knee pasnts were not a very apt description because they were often cut well below the knee, often at calf level. We not only see straight-leg knee pants, but bloomer knickers at this time. The two styles competed with each other. They were worn by younger boys at first, especially boys in fashionable, well-to-do city families (1850s). We see many more examples as knee pants became increasingly popular for younger boys (1860s). Trends varied somewhat from country to country. American suits generally followed European trends, except that knee pants were much more popular than bloomer knickers in America. The first major American split from Europe was the Little Lord Fauntleroy suit (1889s). This was a reflection of the massive economic expansion and ikncreasingly wealth og the United States. Almost all American boys wore their Fauntleroy suits with knee pants while in Europe we see many boys wearing bloomer knickets. Quite a few British boarding schools had uniforms with knickers rathers than knee pants. Until the 1890s we see mostly yonger boys wearing knee pants to about age 8-10 years. This changed dramatically (1890s). This change varied from country to country. It was especially dramatic in America where by the end of the decade we see even older teenagers wearing knee pants. The same trend occurred in Europe, although we do not see boys as old as in American wearing knee pants suits. This same trend continued after the turn of the 20th century. Most boys wore knee pants suits, although we see European boys wearing knicker suits as well. Then all of a sudden American boys behan weraring knicker suirs rather than knee pants suits (1910s). The change was not as dramatic in Europe where knee pants suits were not as universal as as in Ameerca. Knicker suits were not as widespead in ERurope as in Amnerica. We still see knee pants suits in the 1910s. After World War I, younger boys including younger teenagers in Europe tended to wear short pants suits, but many boys had a formal knee pants suits, especually on the continent. Sime teenagers began wearing knicker suits for a few years before graduating to long pants suits, but this varied from country to country. Knee pants suits gradually disappeared, although the time line varied from country to country. We no longer see knee pants by the World War II era (1940s)