Figure 1.--Sailor suits continued to be popular in the 1920s, but kneepants were replaced by short pants in the first few years of the decade. |
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HBC is developing detailed information ion the garments commonly worn by Americam boys diting the 1920s. This is complicated to some extent by the fact that many omages are mot dates, but we do have some dated images.The practice of outfitting little boys in dresses, declining but still common in the 1910s, virtually ended after World War I. By the mid-1920s it was very rare to see boys beyond the infant stage still in dresses. Smocks were increasingly less worn by American boys during the 1920s. Some mothers used them for very young boys, but they were not common. Good indicator of this is the absence of available images and the fact that they were not aadvertise in mail orer catalogs. More common for boys than smocks were one piece romper suits. I have little information on this style in the 1920s. I believe that the age of the boys wearing them declined during the 1920s. A wide variety of rompers were available in mail orer catalogs, especially in the early 1920s. The tunics common after the turn of the century were still worn at the beginning of the 1920s, but were declining in popularity by the middle of the decade. This had been a very popular style in the 1900s and 1910s, but had generally disappeared by 1925.
The Fauntleroy suit with velvet kneepants and lace or ruffled collars that boys had worn since the 1880s also did not survive World War I. Some younger boys in the 1920s might wear fancy collars and bows, but it became increasingly less common. Sailor suits continued to be popular for boys in the 1920s. They were worn by boys from about 3 to 10 years old. Kneepants and long stockings were still worn at the beginning of the decade, but after only a few years they were mostly worn with short pants and knee socks. The shorts were at first knee length, but became shoirter by the end of the decade. Wide brimmed sailor hats were no longer worn. Boys continued to dress more formally than is common today. American boys mostly wore knicker suits. Suits and jackets were worn for many occasions that would call for casual clothes today. Suits that look much like the suits worn today appeared. Single breasted styles were the most popular. One of the most popular styles were Norfolk jackets or jackets with some Norfolk styling. As the decade progressed, double breasted styles became increasingly popular. Toddlers still wore rompers which became popular in the 1910s. The Levi Stauss company was marketing Coveralls, their first child's style. Overalls were still commonly worn by rural boys, but not commonly in the city. The long stockings that boys had worn for decades disappeared in the early 1920s as boys began wearing their knickers below the knee. Instead boys wore kneesocks. Patterned kneesocks were the most popular, in contrast to the solid color kneesocks more popular in England and Europe. They were mostly worn with knickers, but boys wearing shorts also wore them. Boys mostly wore leather shoes. Canvass shoes with rubber sneakers apeared for the first time in the 1920s. Many boys, especially in the country, went barefoot in the summer.
Caps and hats were commonly worn by both men and boys. One of the most popular style of caps was the flat cap.
We know a great deal about American headwear in the 1920s. The photographic record clearly shows that headwear was common. Photography in the 19th century was primrily studio based. Photography clearly moved outside the studio with the advent of the Lodak Brownie and the advent of family snapshots (1900). But the 1920s, snapshots far outnumbered studio photgraphy. We see both caps and hats, but caps were clearly dominant. Hats were not very popular for boys in the 1920s. Some boys wore hats, but most boys wore caps and one style dominated. Boys wore a variety of caps during the 1920s. The flat cap, however, became a universally popular style for boys after World War I (1914-18) in the 1920s. While there were several different styles, none were even approached the popularity of the flat cap. And there were no social class associations. Boys from all social classes wore them. While not universal, the flat cap was by far the dominant cap style. There were also specialized winter styles with ear flaps and fur, probably fake furs. Stocking caps continued to popular winter caps. Some boys from affluent families might wear British-styled peaked caps. By the 20s peaked caps had acquired an upper-class association. Younger boys might wear berets, but we do not see them at school, except among girls. After Lindberg solo flight across the Atlantic (1927), aviator-style caps called hemets became popular. Both boys and girls wore stocking caps. Girls wore tams or more traditioinally styled berets.
The practice of outfitting little boys in dresses, declining but still common in the 1910s, virtually ended after World War I. By the mid-1920s it was very rare
to see boys beyond the infant stage still in dresses. I am not sure why this long-standing practice disappeared so quickly. Part of the reason is that rubber
pants made it easier to deal with small children. It was much easier to change small the diapers of small children when they were wearing dresses. Rubber pants helped to make constant changes less critical. There are, however, almost certainly deeper sociological processes underway which caused this change.
The fancier styles popular at the turn of the century like the Fauntleroy suit also disappeared. I think it must be tied up with the loss of idealism after the horrors of World War I. But I can't say I fully understand what happened. Hopefully some HBC readers might have some ideas here.
Smocks were increasingly less worn by American boys during the 1920s. Some mothers used them for very young boys, but they were not common. Good indicator of this is the absence of available images and the fact that they were not aadvertise in mail orer catalogs.
More common for boys than smocks were one piece romper suits. I have little information on this style in the 1920s. I believe that the age of the boys wearing them declined during the 1920s. A wide variety of rompers were available in mail orer catalogs, especially in the early 1920s.
The tunics common after the turn of the century were still worn at the beginning of the 1920s, but were declining in popularity by the middle of the decade. This had been a very popular style in the 1900s and 1910s, but had generally disappeared by 1925.
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The Fauntleroy suit with velvet kneepants and lace or ruffled collars that boys had worn since the 1880s also did not survive World War I. Some younger boys in the 1920s might wear fancy collars and bows, but it became increasingly less common. The Fauntleroy suit did continue in the form of short pants velvet suits, often in the Eton style. Some short pants early in the 1920s still had the three buttons at the hem. Often the outfit was worn without a fornal jacket, espcially during the summer. The lace collars, however, were rarely worn. Some boys had ruffled collars, but were replaced with other collars, commonly Eton or Peter Pan collars. Some
Fauntleroy suits were worn with long stockings, sometimes white ones. White knee socks though were becoming increasingly worn. This style ecentualy evolved into velvet suits with Eton or sinle breasted suits worn by
younger boys for the next several decades.
Sailor suits continued to be popular for boys in the 1920s. They were worn by boys from about 3 to 10 years old. Kneepants and long stockings were still
worn at the beginning of the decade, but after only a few years they were mostly worn with short pants and knee socks. The shorts were at first knee length, but became shorter by the end of the decade. Wide brimmed sailor hats were no longer worn. Sailor suits continued to be worn as a kind of casual dress outfit and were mostly worn with short pants. By the 1920s the sailor suit was worn by increasingly younger boys and became more of a play suit. This diverged from conventions on Continental Europe where quite old boys were still wearing sailor suits, even short pants sailor suits. Sailor suits were worn with both short and long pants, but not with knickers. As the style became more of a little boy style, long pants sailor suits in the United States became less common.
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American boys in the192\0s continued to dress more formally than is common today. We still see many boys wearing suits, even to school. Suits were, however, much less common than in the 1910s. And many boys increasingly dressed informally. This was especially true for younger boys. We see a range of outfits for younger boys that did not require suit jackets. American boys mostly wore knicker suits. Suits and jackets were worn for many occasions that would call for casual clothes today. Suits that look much like the suits worn today appeared. Single breasted styles were the most popular. One of the most popular styles were Norfolk jackets or jackets with some Norfolk styling. As the decade progressed, double breasted styles became increasingly popular. Younger boys wore Norfolk suits, some at the beginning of the decade with Eton collars. Older boys wore single or double breasted suits, little different than those worn by adults. What Americans now refer to as Eton suits for little boys appeared for the first time in the 1920s. These suits with collarless jackets and short pants (mostly suspender shorts) were usually blue or grey were loosely based on the suit worn by schoolboys at Eton College. The style came to be a classic style worn by younger American boys for several decades and is still worn by some very young boys. Some of the first Eton suits in America had stiff Eton collars, but shirts with Peter Pan collars became more popular.
Most boys at the beginning of the decade, even high school age boys, wore suits with knickers rather than long pants. At the beginning of the decade quite old boys wore knicker suits, even boys of high school age. By the end of the decade, however, it became rarer for high school boys to wear knickers--except for the incoming freshmen. Knickers in the 1910s were commonly styles which buckled above the knee. Boys at the beginning of the 1920s still wore the above the knee style which were worn with long stockings. Increasingly though the below the knee style was becoming more popular. The below the knee style which dominated by the end of the decade came to be worn with kneesocks instead of the long stockings so common in the 1910s. The kneesocks, unlike the long stockings were patterned, often in argyle styles. Some knickers were worn with the kneesocks pulled up over the bottom of the knickers. Knickers became more fully cut as the decade progressed. The age of boys wearing knickers changed considerably during the 1920s. High school boys still commonly wore them in the early 1920s. By the end of the decade they were being worn more by younger boys. Jacket syles varied.
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Toddlers still wore rompers which became popular in the 1910s. The Levi Stauss company was marketing Coveralls, their first child's style. Overalls were still commonly worn by rural boys, but not commonly in the city. American boys also wore short pants for play, but mostly younger boys. They were most common with affluent families which were more apt to follow English and other European styles. Shorts were most common in the Southern states and California. A variety of play clothes for little boys such as rompers and coveralls were also worn. Most older boys wore knickers for both school and play. In the early 1920s knickers were worn with long stockings or kneesocks, but by the 1930s it became common to wear them with ankle socks--especially during the summer. Overalls and long pants were commonly worn by rural boys, but city boys had not yet begun to wear what we now call jeans and mostly wore knickers.
The long stockings that boys had worn for decades disappeared in the early 1920s as boys began wearing their knickers below the knee. Instead
boys wore kneesocks. Patterned
kneesocks were the most popular, in contrast to the solid color knee socks more popular in England and Europe. They were mostly worn with knickers, but boys wearing shorts also wore them.
Boys mostly wore leather shoes. Canvas shoes with rubber sneakers apeared for the first time in the 1920s. Many boys, especially in the country, went barefoot in the summer.
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