Figure 1.--This postcard-back portrait photograph of a boy identified only as Albert. He wears a vested knickers suit with an Eton collar. He holds a matching fkat cap. This was a style not commonly used as school uniform headwear. We think this was probaly his school suit, probably a uniform. Albert has written a message in the back about the train schedule. The portrait was dated July 30, 1914. Click on the image to see the message on the back.

We continue to see English boys commonly wearing suits. Suits were still standard boys wear. Eton collars were still commonly worn with suits. We see a transition from knee pants with long stockings to short pants with knee socks during the decade. We still see some boys wrearing vested knicker suits. We think these knicker were mostly school uniform suits, meaning boys attending public) elite private boarding) schools. This would bethe younger noys at these schools, usually boys about 13-16 years old. We do not see these knicker suits to many extent in the state primary schools. And state primaries did not have uniforms. What they wore was there ordinqary clothes. School portraits are a useful inducatoir od suit trends. This was the World War I decade (1914-18). We do not have enough images yet to assess just what happened during the war. We see a trend toward informality after the War. We are notbsure just what happened during the War.

Created: 12:22 PM 10/14/2020
Last updated: 12:22 PM 10/14/2020