Figure 1.--Long stockings were very common in Germany during the early-20th century. They were not just for younger boys or girls. Here in this family it is the older boy that is wearing long stockings. Black long stockings were popular at the time. This slightly-serrated edge portrait is undated, but we would guess the early-1920s. Here the boy;s long stockings are being worn for formality because based on the outfits the other children are wearing, it was not winter. The children were from Köningsborg in East Prussia (modern Kaliningrad).

Long stockings were very popular in the 19th century and early- and mid-20th century. Both formality and seasonality were major factors affecting the popularity of long stockings. We do not know a great deal about the popularity of long stockings in the early-19th century, but with the appearance of the CDV in the 1860s, photographt provides a detailed record of long stockings and other hosiery types. Formality was a major factor in the 19th century. As knee pants become more important, seasonality begins to become a major factor. Knee pants were not, however, as popular for older German boys as they were in America. In the 20th century as short pants become increasingly popular, seasonality become an increasingly important factor. Long stockings were widely worn by boys German boys and girls in the first half of the 20th century. As boys often wore short pants year round, long stockings became very important, especially for winter wear. This only began to change as long pants began to be more common for winter wear after mid-decade. Several of our German contributors make the point in their accounts of personal experiences having to do with long stockings that even after they had begun to wear long trousers to school (often with long stockings worn underneath for warmth), they were required to wear shorts out of school by their parents (often with long stockings in the cooler seasons). Part of the reason was economic. Long trousers were more expensive than shorts, and thrifty mothers were minimizing the damage to long trousers by insisting on shorts for play outside of school hours and for general time spent at home.

Chronology

Long stockings were very popular in the 19th century and early- and mid-20th century. Both formality and seasonality were major factors affecting the popularity of long stockings. We do not know a great deal about the popularity of long stockings in the early-19th century, but with the appearance of the CDV in the 1860s, photographt provides a detailed record of long stockings and other hosiery types. Formality was a major factor in the 19th century. As knee pants become more important, seasonality begins to become a major factor. Knee pants were not, however, as popular for older German boys as they were in America. In the 20th century as short pants become increasingly popular, seasonality become an increasingly important factor. Long stockings were widely worn by boys German boys and girls in the first half of the 20th century. As boys often wore short pants year round, long stockings became very important, especially for winter wear. This only began to change as long pants began to be more common for winter wear after mid-decade.

Seasonality

Seasonality was one of the primary reasons for wearing long stockings. Many boys wore short psnts year round and thus the long stockings helped keep them warm in the cold winter weather. Several of our German contributors make the point in their accounts of personal experiences having to do with long stockings that even after they had begun to wear long trousers to school (often with long stockings worn underneath for warmth), they were required to wear shorts out of school by their parents (often with long stockings in the cooler seasons). Part of the reason was economic. Long trousers were more expensive than shorts, and thrifty mothers were minimizing the damage to long trousers by insisting on shorts for play outside of school hours and for general time spent at home.

Conventions

Formality, authority, and modesty were two other reasons for wearing long stockings. Some of these writers also point out that they were required by their parents to wear short trousers with long stockings to church even when they wore long trousers to school. This was part of a tradition of formality, of course, but it also a matter of parental authority, emphasizing and illustrating a boy's obedience to his parents and made the point that teenage boys were still children and dependent on their mothers and fathers. So the wearing of short trousers out of school was partly practical (saving the long trousers for school) and partly traditional (wearing short trousers to church and for "respectability" in front of elders and guests, especially if long stockings were insisted upon with the shorts). Modesty was more of a 19th century factor before short psntys were common. But modesty was a fsctor in formality.

Color

Age

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Created: 2:17 PM 12/21/2010
Last updated: 2:17 PM 12/21/2010