Figure 1.--The snapshot of these two unidentified boys was taken in 1928. They wear sweaters with knickers and brightly patterned knee socks. One boy has ticked his weater into his waistband. The boys look to be about 10-11 years old. |
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We do see American boys wearing knee socks in the 20th century, mostly after World War I. Knee socks also appeared in America as an import from England. They were popularized in Europe by the Boy Scouts which adopted them as part of the uniform. Knee socks were commonly worn by boys throughout Europe in the 1920s. European boys commonly wore them with shorts pants, but shorts were not nearly as well received by American boys as European boys--even American Boy Scouts for decades declined to wear shorts. Although they did wear knee socks wih knickers-like breeches. While knee socks appeared in America about the same time, but were not as well received as in Europe. American boys continued to wear long stockings with knee pants and knickers. Younger booys wearing knee pants were more likely to wear the-quarter length stockings. Knee socks in America did not begin to commonly replace long stockings until the mid-1920s. THey were worn worn with short pants as in Europe, but were more commonly worn with knickers. The knee socks we see at first were flat colors without patterns or just patterns at the turn-over-top cuff. This chnged late in the decade and we see boys wearing brightly colored patterned knee socks. The type of hosiery is useful to destinguish between the 1920s and 30s with undated photograohs of boys wearing knickers. But as the shift from long stockings to these brightly paterned knee socks did not appear precisely with the turn-of-the decade, some care must be used in dating these images. We note some American boys wearing knee socks with shorts, but we also see ankle shorts, especially by the end of the decade. The knee socks were mostly the turn-over-top type, despite the fact that they were commonly worn with knickers.
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