Figure 1.--Knee pants and short pants were commonly worn by German boys in the first half of the 20th century. The actual length of the pants varied. These three unidentified German boys were photographed around 1930.

Knee pants were widely worn by German boys at the turn of the 20th century. I don't think knee pants were as common for older boys as was the case in America, but I need to persue this topic in more detail. After World War I short pants became increasingly common, gradually replacing knee pants. Some teenagers might wear knicketrs. We note, however, that many boys for their Konfirmation portraits at age 13 wore knee pants suits which appararently seen as more formal than short pants although the length was essentially the same. Families differeed on this and with the age conventions associated with the different types of pants. Some families bought long pants suits while other knee or short pants suits. Knickers were normally worn by older boys at school, often boys 15 year or older. Before World War II most German boys wore short pants until about 14-15 years of age, although this differed from family to family. Throughout the 19th and 20 centuty long pants were also worn, but became increasingly common during the 1950s, especially the late-1950s. We see many teenagers wearing short pants in the 1950s, but this was much less common in the 1960s. American jeans in particular became popular, but mant German parents did not believe they were appropriate boyswear. Long pants including jeans became more and more popular in the 1960s. Short pants began to be seen as casual or sports wear. German boys by the 1970s were wearing much less destinctive clothing as Europe began to make the transition to a kind of pan-European fashion.

The 1900s

Knee pants were widely worn by German boys at the turn of the 20th century. I don't think knee pants were as common for older boys as was the case in America, but I need to persue this topic in more detail. We also see boys wearing bloomer knickers.

The 1910s

The 1920s

After World War I short pants became increasingly common, gradually replacing knee pants. Some teenagers might wear knicketrs. We note, however, that many boys for their Konfirmation portraits at age 13 wore knee pants suits which appararently seen as more formal than short pants although the length was essentially the same. Families differeed on this and with the age conventions associated with the different types of pants. Some families bought long pants suits while other knee or short pants suits. Knickers were normally worn by older boys at school, often boys 15 year or older. Before World War II most German boys wore short pants until about 14-15 years of age, although this differed from family to family.

The 1930s

Knee pants declined in popularity during the 1920s, but we still see themm in the 1930s, mostly for formal wear with suits. Short pants were the dominant type of trousers worn by German boys during the 1930s. Thdey were almost universal for school-age boys and ecven younger teenagers. Short pants were still quite long in the early-30s, looking rather like knee pants. Most boys wore short pants into their younger teens. This seems a continuation of the conventions for knee pants. The Hitler Youth organization whiv became mandatory was a factor here. And boys wearing short pants into their mid-teens was not unusual. This varied from family to family. Even after getting a long pants suit many boys still often wore shorts for casual or even schoolwear. Some boys got long pants suits for their confirmation at age 13 years. Most but not all boys got long pants suits by age 15 yeats. Some pazrents use knickers as an intermediasry step for teengers. The length of the short pants became much shorter in the 1930s, but you see considerable variation through the mid-30s. German boys commonly wore shorts with knee socks, although many boys wore long stockings, especially during the winter months. We also see abkle socks or boys rolling down their knee socks during the summer. Seasonality seems more associated with hosiery thn the pasnts. Unlike Americas, we do not notice any social class distinctions involving short pants.

The 1940s

German boys in the 1940s continued to wear mostly short pants in the 1940s. We see some boys in the winter wearing ski-type pants, probably bcause this was a Hitler Youth uniform style. After the war conditions were terrible. Families were hard pressed to even find the food needed. Little was left over for fashion. Often boys had to wear clothes that they had really outgriwn. We see quite a number of teen agers wearing short pants, in part because their parents could not afford to buy new long pants and long pants suits.

The 1950s

Germany went throuh a major transition in the 1950s. The German Economic Miracle transformed Germany from a devestated country to one of the world's most prosperous. This meant that German parents once again had the discressionary income to not only buy basic necesities, but to afford fashionable clothing. And we see major fashion shidts in the 50s. We still see German boys commonly wearing short pants. School age boys mostly wore shorts, although by the end of the decade we begin to even see some younger boys wearing long pants. We see more boys wearing long pants in the 50s. Throughout the 19th and 20 centuty long pants were worn by German boys. Their popularity varied substantially over time. This trend was especially notable by the late-50s. German mothers in particuklar began to shidt to long pants in the witer, even for younger boys. We see many teenagers wearing short pants in the 1950s, but this was much less common in the 1960s. Short pants suits in particular became less common for teenagers, but we still see them wearing shorts for casual wear. This was particularly true before jeans became standard teenwear. This included Lederhosen as well as other types of short pants. The older boys in particular were less likely to wear shorts with knee socks. American jeans appeard in the 50s, but many German parents did not believe that they were appropriate boyswear. We also see girls wearing pants in the 1950s. This was a trend we first saw in the 1940s, but then it was more of an austerity development which developed during the World War II. Pants for girls were still not very common, but it was an acceoted style of casual wear.

The 1960s

Long pants including jeans became more and more popular in the 1960s. Short pants began to be seen as casual or sports wear.

The 1970s

German boys by the 1970s were wearing much less destinctive than had been the case earlier. Clothing in Germany as in the rest of Europe was beginning to make the transition to a kind of pan-European fashion with styles ironically strongly influenced by American fashions. We see many more boys wearing long pants in Germany, even younger boys. Suits were less commonly worn, but were mostly made with long pants except for very young boys. We no longer see boys wearing short pants during cold winter weather. We see boys mostly wearing long pants to school. Teenagers were commonly wearing jeans. Lederhosen were rarely wirn by teenagers. We do see mostly pre-teen boys commonly wearing short pants during the summer. Shorts were very common for play or casualwear. The shorts that wee worn tended to be cut very short, a style popular throughout Europe. We note very kinds of short pants, including jean shorts. Even boys that commonly wore shorts during the summer would often put on long pants when dressing up. We see some boys wearing travht, both short and knicker-length Lederhosen.

The 1980s

The 1990s

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Created: 3:23 PM 11/5/2008
Last updated: 5:39 PM 12/20/2010