Figure 1.--This unidentified group looks like friends about 4-12 years old. Tge photograph was taken during the summer in a new suburb, notice that threre are no trees. The boys wear various shirts with shorts. One boy weas a T-shirt. The younges boy wears a sailor set. the girls wear blouses/skrts and dresses. The snapshot is undated, but looks like the late-1930s to us. Here the car is a clue.

Short pants were commonly worn in America during the 1930s, but they were more common in the South than the North. Shorts had begun to become casual summer weat. The group here are obviously outfitted for summer (figure 1). This had begun to become pronounced by the end of the decade. In the 1920s age and not the weayher was the dominant factor. This became increasingly prevalent in the 1930s. Here there was an age factor. Shorts were morly worn by primaru school children, mostly boys about 12 years or younger. Most younger boys wore them. A good example is Ohio kindergardeners in 1935-36. Most older boys preferred knickers or long pants. Short pants were used for school wear, but knickers and long pants seem more common. This varied as the decade progressed. This can be followed in school portraits. They were also still worn as part of dress-up suits, although they were beginning to become more popular for warm weather wear. One popular style was self-belted shorts, often sold with coordinate shirts. A good example is the boy here in 1937 (figure 1). A reader writes, "In my own case the European influence was probably significant because my parents travelled abroad quite a bit and had friends in England and on the Continent in countries such as Germany and Switzerland. My mother particularly disliked knickers although I wore them occasionally. She thought the look was rather bulky and ugly, partly because the knee socks were always falling down. And the knee socks that kids wore then tended to be rather boldly patterned, which she thought a bit too flashy and conspicuous. She thought the German and British look was neater and dressier (including the formality of long stockings). But I had friends who wore both short trousers (for dress-up occasions) and knickers (for general school wear). As I recall, there was some variety in regard to knickers and short trousers in my part of the country (Pennsylvania and New England). But we didn't complain about short trousers in our childhood. They were less of a bother than the knickers and more comfortable to wear."

Prevalence

Short pants were commonly worn in America during the 1930s, especially by younger boys.

Regional Trends

Shorts were more common in the South than the North. This was a simple matter of temperature. The North has a relatively short perios og hot weather. As you move south you get longer and longer periods iof warm ewrather. In fact it was so hot imn much of the South that it limited the population. Long hot summers were noit very comfortavle. Air conditioning after Wirkd War II changed this and this was the nehinning of a popularion shift with peopole moving south and southern states repiorting pipulation growth. And of course as shirts became seen as comfirtable summer wear, more and more boys begam wearing shorts.

Seaonality

Shorts had begun to become casual summer wear. The group here are obviously outfitted for summer (figure 1). This had begun to become pronounced by the end of the decade. In the 1920s age and not the weayher was the dominant factor. Seadojality became increasingly prevalent in the 1930s.

Age

Here there was an age factor. Shorts were morly worn by primary school children, mostly boys about 12 years or younger. The younger the age, the more common were shorts. Most pre-school boys wore them. A good example is Ohio kindergardeners in 1935-36. Most older boys preferred knickers or long pants. Short pants were used for school wear, but knickers and long pants seem more common. This varied as the decade progressed.

Schoolwear

Short pants as schoolwear can be easily followed in school portraits. School photograph was fairly commmon by the beginning of the 20th centiury. And by the 1930s was widespread. We see private school boys still wearing coats and ties, but this was no longer very common at public schools. Boys were dressing increasingly casually for school, especially by the end of the decade. Knickers were still quite common at the beginning of the decade, but much less so by the end. Some primary boys wore short pants, especially the younger boys. This varied a good bit regionally and by social class. Knee socks were becoming less common for boys. Overalls were still worn in fural areas. Almost all of the girls wear dresses, often will puffed sleeves. Some girls wears skirts with blouses that had puffed sleeves.. Some children still came to school barefoot.

Dressing Up

Shirt pants were also still worn as part of dress-up suits, although they were beginning to become more popular for warm weather wear.

Styles

We see several different styles of shorts. One popular style was self-belted shorts, often sold with coordinate shirts. A good example is the tiunger boy here (figure 1). We see these self-belted shorts commonly in the 1930s and 40s. Better shorts were done with belt loops. Shorts for younger bit might be doine with sisoender straps. This was especially the casr with the shorts pat iof shoirt oants suits for younger boys. There were also boxers. These were inexpensive play shorts with elacticized waists. They were called coxers, becaise this was the styled actual cocers (prize fighters) mwore.

Hosiery

Boys in thw 1920s coomonly woore shoirts with long stockings and knee socks. There were also three quarer socks fir younger boys. These were generally worn with more casual outfirs and not suits. At the behinning of the 1930s we commonly see knee socks being worn with shorts. This was a continuation of 1920s trends. This was especually the case when dressuing up and wearing suits. But we even see boys wearing knee socks wgen dressed casually at the beginning of the decade. this declined as the decade ptogressed. Yonger boys might wear long stockings with shorts, mostly during the winter. This agradually changed during the decade. Knee socks were much less common by the end of the decade and we see boys mostly weaking anlkle socks. This was the result of sg=girts becoming seen increasingky as casual warm weather wear. Knee socks nade somne sence during the winrerm, but not dor summer wear. It is at this time that knee socks began to be seen increasingly as girls hosiery which comntinues today.

Personal Experiences

A reader writes, "In my own case the European influence was probably significant because my parents travelled abroad quite a bit and had friends in England and on the Continent in countries such as Germany and Switzerland. My mother particularly disliked knickers although I wore them occasionally. She thought the look was rather bulky and ugly, partly because the knee socks were always falling down. And the knee socks that kids wore then tended to be rather boldly patterned, which she thought a bit too flashy and conspicuous. She thought the German and British look was neater and dressier (including the formality of long stockings). But I had friends who wore both short trousers (for dress-up occasions) and knickers (for general school wear). As I recall, there was some variety in regard to knickers and short trousers in my part of the country (Pennsylvania and New England). But we didn't complain about short trousers in our childhood. They were less of a bother than the knickers and more comfortable to wear."

Created: 6:42 PM 1/29/2020
Last updated: 6:42 PM 1/29/2020