Figure 1.-- Here we see a street scene in Stockholm during 1896 showing how both boys and girls dressed. The man is entertaining the children my making shadow images with his hands. Notice the childrens headwear. The military-style cap that two of the boys wear was a popular style for school. The other boy wears a straw hat with a slightly down turned brim. Note the straw hats the girls wear with high crowns. This is not a style we have commonly seen in other countries. Click on the image for a closer look at the boys' clothing.

We do not yet have much chronological information on Swedish clothing. We have virtually no information on the 19th century. We do have some information on the 20th century. The information we have gathered so far suggests that Swedish children wore basically the same styles that were popular in other European countries at the time. Sailor suits in particular were a popular style. Most boys at the turn of the 20th century wore knee pants. Long stockings were commonly worn, in part because of the climate. Children often went barefoot in the summer, especially in rural areas. British and especially German styles appear to have been influential. Sweden is located in northern Europe and this of course afected fashion and this impact has not changed over time. We notice knickers persisting in Sweden longer than in many other European countries, although by the 1950s they were commonly worn almost to the ankles. A French reader writes, "I remember a visit to Sweden when I was about 14 years old in June 1958. We stayed at a nice hotel in Stockhom. I remember noticing that the children were dressed rather the same as adults. The boys mostly wore long pants which was still not the case in France at the time."

The 19th Century

We do not yet have much chronological information on Swedish clothing during the 19th century. Our Swedish archive is very limited, especially for the 19th century. We have few paintings from the early-19th century and only a few 19th century photographs. The information we have gathered so far suggests that Swedish children during the 19th century in the cities wore the same styles that were popular in other European countries at the time. Swedish folk styles were more country in the countryside. We notice students wearing peaked military-stle caps. Younger children wore wide-brimmed hats. One especially popular style in Sweden was the sailor suit, a least among the urban middle class. Sailor suits were a popular style in the late-19th century. Knee pants became increaingly common in the late 19th century, usually wrn with long stockings. We note a wonderful rural scene painted in 1884 by Hugo Frédérick Salmson. We also notice beautiful genre scenes by Johan August Malmström.

The 20th Century

Most Swedish boys at the turn of the 20th century wore kneepants. Sailor suits were a popular style. Long stockings were commonly worn, in part because of the climate. British and German styles appear to have been influential, especially Germany. Sweden is located in northern Europe and this of course afected fashion and this impact has not changed over time. We notice knickers persisting in Sweden longer than in many other European countries, although by the 1950s but they were often worn almost to the ankles. Boys after World War I began wearing short pants during the briref Summer season. Many children had snowsuits fir the Winter. A French reader writes, "I remember a visit to Sweden when I was about 14 years old in June 1958. We stayed at a nice hotel in Stockhom. I remember noticing that the children were dressed rather the same as adults. The boys mostly wore long pants which was still not the case in France at the time."

Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers] [Blazer]
[School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]

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Created: 11:57 PM 2/22/2005
Last updated: 6:02 AM 2/23/2016