Figure 1.--The boys in this unidentified family look to be about 8-15vyears old. Only the younger boy wears knee pants. The stufio was Beedy in Postville, Iowa. In a lasrger city, more of the boys probabnly woukld have worn knn pants by the 1890s.

American boys mostly wore long pants in the 19th century. In fact it was boys who first began wearing long pants at the turn of the 19th century. By the 1890s this had changed. Shortened-length pants appeared at mid-century, mostly knee pants. But knee pants were mostly for younger boys. Only by the 1890s do we begin to see older boys wearing knee panrs, especially by the the ed of the decade. Knee pants were fairly standard for younger teens and by the end of the decade we also see older teens weearing knee pants. This varied from fasmily to family. The boys in some familes began wearing long pants earlier than in others. This was especially the case in rural areas. Social class was a factor here. It was also more prevalent in working-class families where children did not continue their education beyond primary schools which by the 1990s meant the 8th grade or about 12-13 years of age. Boys who left school and began working were more likely to wear long pants suits thasn boys still in school. We see a good bit of variation. Knee pants suits had become standard for American boys, but not universal.

Created: 6:07 AM 11/16/2022
Last updated: 6:07 AM 11/16/2022