Underwear Chronology: The 1910s

Figure 1.-

We note little change in underwear during the 1910s. We note both union/combination suits and waist suits. As long stockings were still commonly worn, children continued to wear stocking supporters. The tendency toward short pants had some impact on underwear, but it was limited as the short pants worn were no much shorter than kneepants. In addition, short pants in America were not as common in Amnerica as in Europe. American boys more commonly wore knickers and as far as underwear was concerned, there was no difference between kneepants and knickers.

Trends

Shirts and Drawers

Stuart’s Shirts and Drawers (1915)

In 1915 Stuart’s catalogue advertised shirts and drawers for children (both boys and girls). The color was gray. The knitted shirts have short sleeves and button half-way down the front. The drawers are knee-length and have simple button closure in front. [See Stuart’s image already on HB.]

Ward’s Shirts and Drawers (1915)

The same year as Stuart’s, Wards offered “Boys’ Shirts and Drawers” for boys from age 6 to 16. [See image not yet loaded.] These are made of wool and cotton combined. They are a mottled “natural gray” in color. The shirts are long-sleeved and button about three-quarters of the way down the front. The drawers have a three button yoke front. They have horizontal tape loops sewn at each side of the waistband so that the leather keepers at the end of boys’ trousers suspenders can be passed through. This helped keep the drawers in place before the age of elasticized waists. Chalmers Knitting company advertised a summer version of boys’ undershirts and drawers made of a porous light-weight material for absorbing perspiration in hot weather. The shirt has the standard button closure in front (half way down the chest) and short sleeves. The drawers have a yoke-front and a three-button closure in front with the suspender tapes at each side so that the boys trousers suspenders would keep the drawers from slipping down. Before the invention of elasticized waistbands drawers could slip down over the hips; the suspender tapes were the way of preventing this annoyance. The drawers are knee length. Knee length drawers were becoming popular, not only because they were cooler in the hotter weather, but because full-length long underwear made an awkward lumpy appearance under the long stockings that boys wore with knee pants or knickers. Here is the text for Ward’s undershirts and drawers: “Montgomery Ward's undershirts and drawers for men, boys, girls. "Boys' Shirts and Drawers. To the fabric from which the mens shirts and drawers are made we have added about 25 per cent combed cotton, which will prevent the garments shrinking when washed. 29L308--Shirts 98 c. 29L309--Drawers 98 c. Three shirts or drawers $2.80 For ages 6 to 16 years. State age wanted. "Girls' Vests and Drawers. Made of the same material as the boys' shrits and drawers. 29L2378--Vest 29L2377--Drawers 2 years 54 c. 4 years 62 c. 6 years 70 c. 8 years 78 c. 10 years 86 c. 12 years 94 c. 14 years $1.02 16 years $1.10 State age wanted. Average weight, per garment, 7 ounces."

Porosknit Summer Undershirts and Drawers (1916)

See HBC—Underwear Seasonality page. Here were see an option for summer mesh-style shirts and drawers invented for hot weather. The boy here is wearing drawers that come to just above the knee, but ankle-length underwear was still considered appropriate even for hotter weather, and Porosknit also offered the same drawers in long-legged styles. Again note the suspender tapes at the sides to prevent the drawers from slipping down. This new mesh fabric was also used for summer union suits as well as for shirts and drawers. [See related Porosknit page for 1917, not yet loaded.]

Union Suits

Stuart’s Union Suits (1915)

Stuart’s offered children’s union suits for both boys and girls and knee-length styles with short sleeves. Note that the girl’s model has buttons only half-way down the front. See Stuart’s HBC page. These were also referred to as “combination suits”

Ward’s Union Suits (1915)

These suits are smaller versions of men’s union suits. They are mottled gray and made in wool-and-cotton blend fabric. They have long legs and long sleeves with a three-button drop seat in the rear. [Not yet loaded] Text: “Wards Union Suit for Boys. Open all the way down the front. Collarette neck. Double cuffs at sleeves and on ankles. Closed crotch. Good pearl buttons. 29L329. Union Suit 49 c.; Three suits for $1.40. Ages 6 to 16 years. Weight per suit: 14 oz for age 14.”

Porosknit Union Suit for Boys (1917)

The boy shown riding his bike wears a mesh-knit, summer-weight union suit. Short sleeves but ankle-length. Long-legged underwear was still quite usual even during the summer months. [Image not yet loaded on HBC]

Munsingwear Union Suits for Children (1919)

This advertisement shows a father and his children. The boy wears a white long-sleeved, long-legged union suit identical in style to what his father is wearing. The girl wears a sleeveless model with no front buttons (a slip-on style). See HBC page.

Waist Union Suits

E-Z Waist Union Suits (1915)

These boys wear waist union suits with short sleeves and legs that extend just over the knees. There are reinforcement strips over the shoulders ending in waist buttons for knee pants and garter tabs (probably cloth loops) for fastening the pin of hose supporters. See HBC page.

Stuart’s Allheneeds Summer Waist Union Suit (1915)

This boy wears a summer waist union suit made of the new nainsook material—a light-weight cotton fabric of which adult BVD underwear was also made. The brand name “All-he-needs” is meant to show mothers that no additional waist needed to be worn with this union suit, which functions also as a waist. It has reinforcement straps and waist buttons for buttoning on short pants and garter tabs for hose supporters. The innovative garter tab here is notable. It allows the boy to wear his garters either inside his underwear or outside (because of a little opening on the tab itself that allows the garter just below the attachment level to be passed through the garment). The reason for this feature is that if the stockings came up higher on the leg than the hem of the union suit, a bunching up of underwear under the stockings would be caused. The new garter tab prevents this from happening. The boy is shown holding one of his supporters outside the underwear while he wears the other one inside. This style was designed mainly for very young boys, probably no older than 6 or 7 years old. See HBC page.

Underwaists

Stuart’s Cambric Waists for Boys and Girls (1915)

This Stuart’s ad shows a variety of styles of children’s underwaists. Some slip over the head and have no buttons while others button down the front. One model has a button closure at the shoulder to allow for a boy’s growth. These waists all have waist buttons, sometimes in more than one row, and garter tabs for supporters. Interestingly, the age limits are from 2 to 8. Some older boys wore underwaists also, but these tended to be of the knitted variety rather than the cambric, unknitted style. Notice that one model is wearing an underwaist with bloomers attached.

Eaton’s Summer Waists (1919)

Eaton’s catalog for 1919 shows waists for children. One model can be worn by either a boy or a girl. The other two models are gender-specific. The boy’s model (made for boys to the age of 12) is made of non-knitted cotton material and buttons down the front. It has the usual waist buttons for attaching knee pants or knickers around the waistband. The special feature of this underwaist, however, is the special arrangement for the hose supporters, which are attached to a reinforced strap, a “graduated strip” under the arm pits that extends over the boy’s hips. This is a feature that supposedly makes the supporters more comfortable to wear and prevents the elastic garters from rubbing against the thigh. The disadvantage is that the supporters are permanently attached to the underwaist so that they cannot be replaced if they wear out. Most other underwaists have tabs to which replaceable garters can be fastened. The girl’s model either slips over the head or buttons in back. These waists are designed to be cooler than the knitted style of waist often worn for an extra layer of warmth in the winter.

Suspender Waists

Samson Suspender Waists for Boys (1919)

These waists were designed specifically for boys only. They consist of suspenders worn over a boy’s shirt just like modern trousers suspenders but with additional hose supporters that attach to a waist band underneath the trousers for holding up long stockings. See HBC page.

Kazoo Suspender Waists (1919)

The illustration shows these waists being worn in various styles by both boys and girls. The girls’ styles have the suspender straps worn under outer clothing, whereas the older boy wears his suspenders over a shirt (as in the Samson style referred to above). There are leather attachments for fastening the suspenders to a boy’s knee pants with the hose supporters worn underneath the pants to hold up stockings. See HBC page.

The Wilson Garter (1919?)

This style of hose supporter is not, strictly speaking, a suspender waist. It is designed equally for both boys and girls, and the over-the-shoulder straps are not worn over outer clothing as in the Samson and Kazoo models. This is simply a form of garter waist without a waistband that supports the stockings entirely from the shoulder so as to prevent the stooping effect of some earlier models. See HBC page.

Garter Waists

Eaton’s “Dr. Parker’s Waist (1914)

This is the earliest illustration HBC has of the so-called “Dr. Parker waist”. It is similar in design to the Sears Combination Belt and Supporters referred to above. An interesting feature of this model is that the supporters seem to be quite short and the stocking quite long. Many boys of this period wore stockings that came only a few inches above the knee since knee pants came to just above the knee. But we know that some boys of this period wore longer stockings. The supporters therefore needed to be adjustable to different lengths. See HBC page.

Pin-on Garters

Stuart’s Hose Supporters for Children (1915)

On their page advertising hosiery for small children, Stuart’s also advertise pin-on supporters for stockings—but only in sizes 2 to 4. See HBC page.

Hickory Garters (1916)

Hickory (the name suggests strength and durability) was the best-known brand name for boy’s garters during the first four decades of the 20th century. They had elastic tops but non-elastic pendants, rubber-button clasps so as not to tear the stockings, and safety pins at the top for attaching to garter tabs on underwear or underwaists. They were available in both black and white. The usual boy’s color was black because of black wouldn’t show soil as easily. There was no gender distinction in pin-on garters. The same garters were worn by both boys and girls. These garters were advertised in Good Housekeeping Magazine. See HBC page.

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Created: 5:32 AM 10/13/2004
Last updated: 11:19 AM 10/15/2004