Figure 1.--American boys wore many different kinds of pants as we can see in this band group. We see knee pants, knickers, and long oamys. Only short pants are missing. The postcard-back portrait is undated, but the clothing suggests the late-1920s. This is confirmed by the AZO stamp box (two triangles up and two down).

Knickers continued to be the prirmary type of pants worn by American boys in the 1920s. A major trend associated with pnts is that we see fewer bpys wearing suits in the 1920s, especially to school. To some extent, suits were becoming seasonl. There was also a definite trend toward more casual dress. This meant that were less suit pants sold and more stand alone pants being purchased. This would lead to the appearance of sets, most commonly short sets, meaning button-on shirts corrrdinated with the pants, usually by color. We rarely see kinicker sets. Knickers were no longer virtually universal as they were in the 1910s, but they were still very common. The primary difference was that fewer older boys were wearing them. We see some knee pants suits still being dome for younger boys in the early 20s, but that was less and less common. We also see short pants suits by the mid-20s. The shorts at first were often about the same length as knee pants had been. Knickers continued to be standard boys wear. This was a destinctive North American style. (Knickers were also commonly worn in Canada as well during the 1920s following the American pattern.) Knickers were not nearly as common in Europe. We do see some knickers in Europe, but they were mostly worn by teenagers and not very common. This fashion difference between Europe and America can often be used to identify American photographs. Boys mostly wore above-the-knee knickers at the beginning of the decade, but gradually longer styles became more popular with the boys. We seem some boys wearing long pants for play. Most boys wore knickers to school, except for older teenagers. We see fewer older boys wearing knickers in the 20s, but most boys wore them. Boys in rural areas still commonly wore overalls that became popilar at bout the same time as knickers. Short pants also appeared in the early-20th century and were widely worn by European boys. They were much less popular with American boys for reasons we do not entirely understand. We see some American boys wearing them, but mostly younger boys and boys from affluent families with British orientations. We do not yet see seasonlity having a major impct. They were much less common among middle-class and especially working-class families. We note different types of pants. We do not note suspender pants as commonly as in Erope, but we do note bib-front pants and button-on pants. Short pants became for younger pre-school boys and the early poriunary years. After that we mistly see knickers. Boys did commonly wear shorts at summer camps. Unlike European Boy Scouts, American Boy Scouts for the most part did not wear short pants--except at camp. Many camps had uniforms for the children. Generally knickers were the type of pants most American boys continued to wear. We still commonly see boys in rural areas wearing overalls. They were still a demographic phenomenon. They were not worn in cities, but were very common in rural areas. We do not yet see jeans. Hosiery did change. While long stockings were common in the early-20s, we begin to see knee socks becoming increasingly important by the end of the decade. Boys hated the stocking supporters that had to be wirn with long stockings. Knee socks did not require the restrictive supporters needed for long stockings. Ankle socks were still not very common.

Created: 11:31 AM 6/4/2021
Last updated: 11:31 AM 6/4/2021