Figure 1.--Here we see John wearing a suspenderwaist and long black stovkings. This was very common at the time. A year or two later John would probably stopped wearing a suspender waist. He might have continued wearing long stockings and kneepants for several more years. This varied from family to family.

John might have worn a suspender waist. These garments were commonly worn by older boys. This garment is a little bit complicated because it is a combination of suspenders for the boy's knee trousers and hose supporters for the stockings. The three leather attachments (one in back and two in front) button on to John's trousers. So if you show John without his trousers (for the underwear only), the three attachments would just be hanging loose and unattached. But the black hose supporters would be attached to the stockings. His knee pants were attached to the suspender fasteners (one in back, two in front). When John is wearing his shirt and tie, the suspender straps would go on top of the shirt. But of course the illustration shows the suspender straps only going over the union suit because he hasn't put the shirt on yet. John would put the union suit on first, then the suspender waist, then the stockings, then the dress shirt, then the knee pants. A bit complicated, isn't it? John would have long blacl long stockings, not only during the winter, but also during the Summer.

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Created: 2:24 AM 2/8/2005
Last updated: 2:24 AM 2/8/2005