Figure 1.--This postcard back AZO postcard portrait shows a boy with his graduation diploma scroll photo postcard of handsome young boy wearing knickers and holding diploma. Notice the combed-back hair. He seems to have been a good student as he has a ribbon award. The writing on the back identifies him as 'George, age 13 years'.

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.

Created: 3:17 AM 3/19/2014
Last updated: 3:18 AM 3/19/2014