Figure 1.-- Here we see an unidentified American boy wearing an early sailor suit. Unfortunately it is not dated. The striped long stockings are generally associated with the 1870s, but the set, background and pose look more like the 1860s. Thus this could have been taken in the lae-1860s or early-70s. Notice the very un-sailor winterized Glengary cap. This probably reflects blustery northern winters. The Studio was E.L. Brand & Co. in Chicgo, Illinois.

Because knee pants appeared for the first time as an important style we are able to get some idea about hosiery. Of course long pants were still common so we only get to see the hosiery that some of the boys are wearing. We see a lot of the boys wearing knee pants wearing white long stockings. White long stockings are strongly associated in the 1860s. We do not see boys wearing white long stockings to any extent in the 1870s. This was not only for sailor suits, but other suits as well. Long stockings were very common and white long stockings were the most common. Unfortunately much of the available studio photography is not dated. So to use these images we are forced to assess the dates. We welcome input from readers on these assessments. We see some boys wearing striped stockings by the end of the decade. Without dates we can not identify with any precision about just when the striped stockings appeared.

Other Related Pages:
[Sailor suits] [Kilts] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Sailor Hats] [Blouses]
[Ring Bearers] [Long hair] [Ringlet curls] [Hair bows] [Bangs] [Collars] [Bows]

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to clothing styles]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]

Created: 8:56 PM 12/10/2025
Last updated: 8:56 PM 12/10/2025