Figure 1.--We believe tht many boys went to school with sweaters rather than a formal suit. We note that a similar weater set with knickers was available for older boys. |
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Sears offered two short pants suits in the Spring-Summer catalog. They were for boys from 3-9 years of age. On the page a knickers suit was also offered for this age group. There were many other knickers suits offered in large sizes. The rest of the page was devoted to invidiual pairs of shorts, some called "English shorts" and a button-on short for boys up to 10 years. It is interesting that only three suits were offered for younger children. This is an indication of the increasingly popular convention of dressing younger boys in casual styles.
The Sears, Roebuck and Co., huge merchandising firm centered in Chicago was founded by Richard W. Sears (1863-1914) and A.C. Roebuck (1864-1948). Sears had begun a career in mail-order business in Minnesota 1886. In Chicago he and Roebuck joined resources and formed a corporation in 1893 as a mail-order business under title Sears, Roebuck and Company. In 1895 Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) bought Roebuck's interest in firm and became president on Sears's retirement 1908. A retail-store system was added 1925. The first foreign store added in Havana, Cuba during 1945 and becane te first expropriated store in 1960. The Sears-Roebuck brought the production of industry to the fartherest corner of rural America, opening the cornucopia of the consumer age to rural America. All the
new things that were changing American life danced across their pages. Through it, a huge Chicago warehouse offers to modernize the farms and small towns of the
Midwest.
These suits were offered in the 1930 Sears catalog (Spring and Summer), p. 286.
We believe tht many boys went to school with sweaters rather than a formal suit. We note that a similar sweater set with knickers was available for older boys.
The ad copy read, " A new and stylish outfit the boys will like. Mothers, too, will like it
because it is really surprisingly low priced. The pants are the popular
straight style with self belt and buckle. They are full lined and have
two manly side pockets. The pants are made of a medium tan all wool and
silk cassimere with attractive and stylish Rayon stripes. The sweater is
rib knit of two-ply all wool worsted yarn in a Jacquard weave of tan and
blue. SIZES 3 to 9 years. State age size. 40 V 3338--Sweater and Pants.
Postpaid $2.98."
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