Figure 1.--After World War I, most German boys wore short pants. Some older boys wore knickers. Boys often wore shorts with kneesocks and in colder weather long stockings. I'm not sure where in Germany this snapshot was taken. Perhaps our German readers will recognize it. Notice the Iron Cross the little boy is wearing. It could well be that is father was killed in the War. Even without the Zephelin cap tally and Iron Cross, one might guess that the children here were German. The often destinctive national clothes of the early 20th century evolved into more pan-European fashions of the late 20th century.

Boys in the early 20th century wore styles of pants that varied significantly from country to country. The differences between American and Europe were especially significant. Many younger boys wore bloomer knickers, commonly with tunic suits. Older boys usually wore kneepants. By the 1910s American boys were increasingly wearing knickers although younger boys still wore kneepants. In Europe there was also change with boys increasingly wearing short pants. Some older boy wore knickers, more on the continent than England. We also see suspender pants in Europe, although this style was not as popular in England. These trends continued after World War I. Short pants became very common in Europe and knickers in America, although some boys wore shorts in America as well. On the continent boys by the 1930s were beginning to werar shorter cut short pants. English boys continured wearing knee-length shorts. After World War II knickers quickly disappeared in America. Boys increasingly wore long pants. Denim jeans became very popular. Yhe same basic trends occured in Europe, but more slowly. Boys were still commonly wearimng short pants in Europe. German boys wore Lederhosen. We also notice ski-pants in Germany. Boys in Europe were more commonly wearing long pants in Euope by the 1960s. Many schools in England resisted this trend by reqwuiring short trousers. Many of the destinctive types of pants began to disappear by the 1970s when a kind of pan-European style evolved, increasingly similar to American styles. One difficulty in working with this section is that so many of the availanle images are undated.

America

Boys in the early 20th century wore styles of pants that varied significantly from country to country. The differences between American and Europe were especially significant. Many younger boys wore bloomer knickers, commonly with tunic suits. Older boys usually wore kneepants. By the 1910s American boys were increasingly wearing knickers although younger boys still wore kneepants. In Europe there was also change with boys increasingly wearing short pants. Short pants became very common in Europe and knickers in America, although some boys wore shorts in America as well. After World War II knickers quickly disappeared in America. Boys increasingly wore long pants. Denim jeans became very popular.

Belgium

Canada

Knickers were very common in Canada during the 1920s and 30s, but by the 1940s long pants became inceasingly important. Pre-teen boys from affluent families often wore short pants. I'm less sure about French-Canadian boys who often came from low-income families. Boys that wore short pants commonly wore them with kneesocks or even long stockings. Modern Canadian fashions are today little different than American fashions, although the summer clothes, especially short pants, are somewhat less common because of the climate. Candian boys continued wearing knickerts longer than Amertican boys. Photographs sunbitted by Canadian readers show boys wearing knickers in 1955 when they were no longer worn in America.

England

English boys in the early 20th century mostly wore short trousers. Here Baden Powell's Boy Scout uniform was a strong influence as were military uniforms where short trousers were often adopted in tropical postings. One might ask why this affected boys' clothing in much cooler Britain, but it apparently did. Short trousers became almost universal after World War I. Knickers for older boys were less common in Britain rhan on the continent. Beginning in the 1930s, European boys began wearing shorter-cut shorts. This was less true in England where boys continured wearing knee-length, often baggy shorts. Many schools in England resisted this trend by reqwuiring short trousers.

France

French boys commonly wore kneepants during the early 20th century. Some boys wore bloomer knickers, but straight leg kneepants were more common. Many boys wore smocks so in many school portaits it is difficult to make out details of the pants that they are wearing. Short pants became more common after World War I (1914-18). French post cards show boys wearing a range of fancy outfits. We are insure just how common these outfits were. We see few actual snapshots of boys actually wearing these fancy blouses and usually short pants. We do see many images of boys wearing short pants, but not with the dressy outfits shown in the post cards. Shorter cut short pants began to appear in the 1930s. Sailor suits could be bought with either short or long pants. Older boys might wear knickers before switching to long pants. Some suits were made with both shorts and knickers. We first see long pants being commonly worn durung the colder months in the 1940s. This becomes much more common in the 1950s. The short-cut shorts worn in France became known as continental-styled shorts in Britain during the 1950s. Some younger boys were allowed to wear knickers during the winter. Long pants became more common in the second half of the century. Jeans appeared in the 1950s. French boys still commonly wore short pants in the primary years during the 1960s and the 70s, increasingly during the summer. By the 1980s, shorts cut to knee level became fashionable. Boys by the 1970s were adopting the pan-European fashions developing throughout Europe.

Germany

Most Germn boys wore kneepants at the turn of the 20th century. German boy gradually shifted from kneepants to short pants in the early 20th century, especially after World War I (1914-18). Both kneepants and short pants were garments that boys wore year round, regardless of the weather. Long stockings were often worn with boy kneepants and short pants when the weather turned colder. Some older German boys wore knickers before beginning to wear long pants. We also see suspender pants in Europe, especially in Germany. Boys by the 1930s were beginning to wear shorter cut short pants. German boys after World War II (1939-45) continued to wear short panrs. Many German boys wore Lederhosen. We also notice ski-pants in Germany. Shorts were still popular in the 1950s, but we begin to see more boys wearing lonf pants, at first mostly in the colder months. Long pants were increasingly popular by the 1960s. Shorts were increasingly seen as warm-weather, summer wear. Many of the destinctive types of pants began to disappear in Germany and other European countries by the 1970s when a kind of pan-European style began to evolve, increasingly similar to American styles.

Italy

(The) Netherlands

Russia

Sweden

Our information on Sweden is still quite limited. We suspect trends in Sweden were similar to those in other Scandinavian countries. As best we can tell, most Swedish boys in the early 20th century wore kneepants. After World war I we see boys wearing short pants, often with long stockings because of the climate. Older boys might wear knickers. After World war II we see more boys wearing long pants, but some boys still wore knickers into the 50s. Short pants became casual summerwear. Sweden of course is lovated at a northern lattiude and thus has a relatively short summer.