Figure 1.- |
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The history of boys’ underwear in North America (both the United States and Canada) is essentially the same as that for adult men’s underwear until the latter part of the 19th century. Boys simply wore smaller versions of what their fathers wore—either two-piece undershirts and drawers or the all-in-one union suit. A major
change came in about 1870 when boys, often as old as 18 or 19 years old, began wearing knee pants with long stockings. At this point modifications in boys’ underwear were introduced to accommodate the wearing of shorter trousers and over-the-knee stockings. The new devices invented to hold up the stockings are usually classified under the general heading of “waists” although these came in a variety of styles and underwent various modifications and developments over time. In North America before the Civil War (1861-65), the standard underwear for men and boys was two-piece—undershirts and long drawers, either ankle or knee-length. The fabric was usually wool flannel but could also be cotton. With the industrial revolution and the arrival of the water-powered spinning machines and the cotton gin, knitted cotton fabrics could be mass-produced and widely purchased rather than made at home.
The history of boys’ underwear in North America (both the United States and Canada) is essentially the same as that for adult men’s underwear until the latter part of the 19th century. Boys simply wore smaller versions of what their fathers wore—either two-piece undershirts and drawers or the all-in-one union suit. With the industrial revolution and the arrival of the water-powered spinning machines and the cotton gin, knitted cotton fabrics could be mass-produced and widely purchased rather than made at home. The Industrial Revolution began in England during the mid-18th century. Many of the ealy inovations centered on weaving cotton which had been an expensive fabric. Gradually the proce of cotton fabric began to fall and became more and more used in all kinds of garments, ikncluding underwear.
We notice younger children wearing pantalrettes, both boys and girls. These could be quite fancy, although the ones worn by boys could be plainer than those worn by girls. Pantalettes were worn in the early 19th century, but because dresses were at first quite long, they were often not noticeable as dresses were so long.
We also notice combination garments, although we are unsure how common they were. An example is a combination that English boy Ambrose Turner wore about 1839.
In North America before the Civil War (1861-65), the standard underwear for men and boys was two-piece—undershirts and long drawers, either ankle or knee-length. The fabric was usually wool flannel but could also be cotton.
A major change came in about 1870 when boys, often as old as 18 or 19 years old, began wearing knee pants with long stockings. At this point modifications in boys’ underwear were introduced to accommodate the wearing of shorter trousers and over-the-knee stockings. The new devices invented to hold up the stockings are usually classified under the general heading of “waists” although these came in a variety of styles and underwent various modifications and developments over time.
We do not have much detailed information about underwear worn in the 1980s yet. We believe that the one-piece union suit (usually long-sleeved and ankle length) was commonly worn by men and boys. At the time American boys commonly wore long stockings. Thus we note that stocking supporters were worn.
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