Figure 1.--This family snapshot is undated. e believe it ws pebaby tken un thelate-1910s, but the early-20s is poosible. Notice that allthechilren ar weaing knee socks. That is something you do not see in the 1900s. Long stokings were, howeverr, still mre common,especially when drsing up.

American boys continued to wear mostly long stockings. Knickers declined in Europe, although some older boys wore them, mostly with knee sicks. We this do not see knickers nearly as commonly in Europe. This was the first major departure for fashions between American and Europe. At about the same time another major difference occurred, American boys in rural areas began to commonly wear overalls. This is very notable in school photography. We are not sure what kind of hosiery these boys wore because the overalls were a kind of long pants. Going barefoot was common in rural areas as long as the weather stayed warm. but as they often had to walk some distance, was not as common as one might think. Younger boys in urban areas might wear coveralls where we also could not see the hosiery. Many boys in rural areas came to school barefoot during the warmer months. Younger boys might wear three-quarter socks with knee pants outfits, especially during the summer. Most American boys, however, continued wearing long stockings. We see some boys wearing knee socks with above-the-knee knickers showing their knees, but this was not very common. Black long stockings were close to universal and widely worn by boys and girls. Girls and younger boys might wear white long stockings when dressing up. Most boys , however, mostly wore black long stockings. Most school photographs show boys coming to school in knickers and long stockings. Knickers and long stocking were almost universal.

Created: 6:59 AM 6/13/2025
Last updated: 6:59 AM 6/13/2025