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The pants worn by boys at different times varied over time. The first destinctive suits for boys were skeleton suits. The pants at first were knee breeches like men wore, but by the turn of the 19th century, long pants became standard. This was the first time that boys after breeching began wearing different suit pants than their fathers who continued wearing knee breeches for some time. Thus age became a factor in the selection of suit pants. Long pants became standard for a while, but around mid-century we see various kinds of shortened-lenhth pants become stylish for younger boys, including knee pants and bloomer knickers. This was primarily for boys from fashionable fashionable city families. So we see boys to about years of age in some cases a little older wearing these pants. Gradually older boys began wearing knee pants and by the 1890s we begin to see some teenagers wearing them. And this time the fashion trend was much more widespread demographically. The knee pants shifted to knickers in the 1910s and we begin to see the age range decline slightly. The age range continued to narrow in the 1920s and by the 1930s many bous were wearing long pants suits like their fathers. Some younger boys up to about age 10 years wore short psnts suits. Here social class factors were involbed. Boys from well to dio familirscwere more likely to wear short pants suits. Knicker suits went out of style in the late-1930s and early-40s. More and more boys woee long pants suits in the 1950s and 60s and the age of boys wearing short psnts suits declined. Short pants suits largely disappeared in the 1970s.
Virtually all 1 year olds wore dresses in the 19th century. This began to change after the turn-of-the 20th cemtury, especially after World War I. Younger boys wore rompers in the early-20th century, but we also begin to see coveralls and evem little boys wearing various kinds of pnts after World War I.
We mostly see 2-years olds wearing dresses and other skirted garments in the 19th century.
Most American boys wore skirted garments at age 3 in the 19th century. The do, however, see some boys being breeched at age 3 years, especially by the late-19th century. The first destinctive suits for boys were skeleton suits. The pants at first were knee breeches like men wore, but by the turn of the 19th century, long pants became standard. This was the first time that boys after breeching began wearing different suit pants than their fathers who continued wearing knee breeches for some time. We know that some American boys wore skeleton suits, but we think they were less common thsn in Europe. This is difficuilt to tell because of the limited number of images before the invention of photography. We note European boys beginning to wear skeleton suits at abiut sge 3 years. We believe the same was true
We continue to see many boys at age 4 wearing skirted garments in the 19th century, but an increasingnumber are being brreched, especially by the late-19th century. All boys after breeching wore long pants during the first half of the 19th century. Shortened length pants first appeared at mid-century. we see various kinds of shortened-lenhth pants become stylish for younger boys, including knee pants and bloomer knickers. This was primarily for boys from fashionable fashionable city families. They were at first worn by younger boys and boys from fashionable, affluent families in the big cities. They gradually become very commin for 4-year olds.
Most but not all boys boys were breeched by age 6 years. This was particularly the case because age 6 was the age at which children began school. Their was no similar rite of passage for girls. We see boys to about years of age in some cases a little older wearing the new shortened length pants that appeared at mid-century, t least in the fashionsble cities. We notice the Lincoln boys wearing long pants. A factoir here was they came from Springfield, Illinois at not a fashionable northeastern city.
All boys wore long pants in the early-19th century. Mostly younger boys began wearing shortebned-length pnts at mid-century, bit only fashionablr families. We see 8-ydear olds commonly wearing knee pants in the 1860s, but many did not. This was up to the mothers to decide. By the 1880s it was almost universal, at least in the cities.
Boys at age 10 years wore long pants in the early 19th century and even when shirtened-length pants appeared t mid-century, ewmained dominant foir 10-year olds until the late-19th century. Boys at 10 began wearing knee pants more commonly in the 1880s, but modtly boys from fashionble big cities. Almost all 10-years old wore either knee pants or knickers during the 1890s-1930s. Some younger boys up to about age 10 years wore short pants suits when they appeared after World war I. Here social class factors were involbed. Boys from well to do familirs were more likely to wear short pants suits. Short pants werenot, however, as popular in America as in Europe. Knickers were much more popular especially for boys by age 10-11 years.
Age became a factor in the selection of suit pants after the mid-19th century. Long pants became standard for 11 year olds for a while, but gradually the type of pants became an issue as shotened-length pants became more standard for boys. The question arose as to when boys could begin wearing long pants.
Boys at 13-years of age mostly wore long pants during the 19th century. The shortened-length pants that appeared at mid-century were worn by younger boys. Gradually more and more boys wore knee pants. Then older boys began wearing knee pants and by the 1890s we begin to see some teenagers wearing them. Only in the 1890s do knee pants become almost universal for boys, including younger teens. And this time the fashion trend was much more widespread demographically. The knee pants shifted to knickers in the 1910s and we begin to see the age range decline slightly. Knickers were still very common for 13 year olds in the 1910s. A good example are the cash boys in a New Orleans department store during 1913. This was somewhat less common in rural areas, but most 13-years old wore knee pants, especially if they were still in school during the late-1890s and the 1900s. We see boys at 13 years commonly wearing knickers in the 1910s and 20s. A lot of chilren only attnded school for 8 years, and graduated from 8-year orimaries at age 13 yers. We see quite a few bys wearing knicker suits in these graduatin portraits in the 1910s and 20s. By the 1930s, age 13 became the age at which many families brought long pants for their sons. Knicker suits went out of style in the late-1930s and early-40s. More and more boys wore long pants suits in the 1950s and 60s and the age of boys wearing short pants suits declined. Short pants suits largely disappeared in the 1970s, but by thst time suits in generally had become much less common.
American boys at 14-years old mostly wore long pants suits in the 19th century. Age 14 was a pivotal age for boys. Boys at age 13 were entering their final year of primary school and some were 14-years old by the time they were finishing. This was a relatively small number of boys in the early-19th century, buy by the end of the century, this was a very substantial number. America had one of the finest public school systems in the world. And many boys even in rural areas were completing the 8 year primary program. Secondary education was much more limited, but increasing. And 14-years old was when children began high school in the 9th grade. It was still common for 14 year olds to wear long pants, even in the 1889s, but had begun to change by the late-1880s. We begin to see see many 14-year olds wearing knee pants in the 1890s and 1900s. And the same age conventions continued for knickers. It was still very common for 14-year olds in the 1920s to wear knickers, both boys who continued their education in high school or ended their education with primary school. This varied from family to family. The boy above looks to be about 13-14 years old, probably in the late-1920s (figure 1). The age range continued to narrow in the 1920s and by the 1930s many boys at age 14 years were beginning to wear long pants suits like their fathers. We see more boys wearing long pants at 14 years of age inthe the 1930s, especially the late-30s. By the 1930s, especially the mid-30s almost all of the boys in high school were wearing long pants suits. After World War II, high school dress began to become more casual and by the 1950s you no longer see many boys wearing suits to high school.
Teenagers for most of the 19th century mostly wore long pants suits in the 19th century. This changed dramatically in the late-19th century. Knee pants became much more common for boys in the 80s, but almost entirely pre-teen boys. This changed deamtically in the 1890s. Not only do knee pants become almost universal for boys, at least in the cities, but we begin to see teenagers wearing knee pants for the first time. While suits with shortened-length pants were worn by boys for something like a century, but teenagers 15-years and older wore knee pants and knickers for only a relatively brief pants of that period. A the turn-of-the-20 century we see teen agers commonly wearing knee pants. Unlike the youngder boys, knee pants were not universal for older teens, but we see quite old boys wearing knee pants. Age 15 appears to have been a kind of dividing point. We see many 15-year olds wearing knee pants in the 1900s and to a lesser extent knickers in the 1910s, but far fewer older boys. This is not to say that knee pnts were rare for 16-year olds, but they were much less common than for 15-year olds. Here we are talking bout boys still in school. And there was also a rural/urban dibude. Boys quiting school and working most wore long onts by ge 15 years. Knickers continued to be prevalent in the 2920s, but we see mny more 15-year olds wearing long pants and by the 1930s, long pznts weee almost universal for 15 year olds. The basic change for the rest of the century is that suits gradually become less and less common for boys of ll ages.
Around the turn of the 20th century from the late-1890s into the 1910s wer note quite old boys wearing knee pants suits, including older teens. Knee pants were most common with younger boys, but this varied from family to family. Beginning with 15-years olds we begin to see substantially more noys weating knee pants suits and this contunue with the remaining high school years (17 anf 18 year olds). And each year after 15 we see fewer andfewer boys wearing knee pants suits. By the time of graduation at age 18-19 years of age, almost all boys were wearing long pants. While some boys at bage 16 years were wearing knee oants suits, the majority at by this ager weerewearing long pants suits. We mention high school becausde the older boys wearing knee pants suits were virtually all boys still in school. And at the turnn of the 20th centiry and the 1900s decade, monly a minority of boys went to high schhool. Most children ended their education with 8th grade meaning 13-14 years of age. Many elementary (primary) schools were 8-year schools. nother complicvation is that around 1908-09 American boys began shifting from knee pants to knickers. This did not have an immediuate impact on usage. We see older tennes at the time wearing the new knicketrs style, but in the 1910s we see a gradual trens of more and moreolder teens wearing long troiouser suits.
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