Figure 1.-- This boy in 1926 wears sailor pants with a front button flap based upon naval uniforms. It seems to be some kind of one-piece outfit, although it is a little difficult to tell from the image. We think the pants are bell-bottoms, but we can't be sure. Most sailor suits wre made with shortened-length pants, but we see some done with long pants.

The first sailor suits for boys were made with long pants because they were made to emulate Royal Navy uniforms. The British Royal Family dressed the princes in sailor suits styled like Royal Navy uniforms which of course meant long pants. American mothers followed this precedent when they began dressing their boys in long pants. And knee pants were noy universally worn when sailor suits first began to be worn in America. Interestingly, some sailor suits were available in long pants at times in which younger boys rarely wore long trousers. Thus the variety of pants worn with sailor suits was more varied than with standard sack suits. Presumably long pants were acceptable because this was what actual sailors wore with their uniforms. We see many boys in both the late-19th century and the early-20th century wearing long pants sailor suits at a time that most boys did not wear long trousers. There were many different variations. These primarily concerned the waist and the ankle hem. The waist was done with regular closings. We also see flasp fronts which is how early Royal Navy and American uniform pants were done. We are not sure why the pants were done like this. We also notice a variery of button-on arrangements. The one here is not standard front-flap pants, but looks to be sone kind of one-piece garment with the front flap used as part of a button-on arrangement. We also see the ankle hems done differently. We see both bell bottoms and regular atraight leg long pants, some made with stripes. Bell bottoms of course come from the style of trousers worn by sailors. The choice seems to have depended on individual family preferences. An example of long pants with stripes are the St. Clar boys.

Chronology

The first sailor suits for boys were made with long pants because they were made to emulate Royal Navy uniforms (1840s). The British Royal Family dressed the princes in sailor suits styled like Royal Navy uniforms which of course meant long pants. American mothers followed this precedent when they began dressing their boys in long pants. And knee pants were not universally worn when sailor suits first began to be worn in America. Interestingly, some sailor suits were available in long pants at times in which younger boys rarely wore long trousers. Thus the variety of pants worn with sailor suits was more varied than with standard sack suits. Gradually knee pants suits became more common, but long pants suits never disappered. Presumably long pants were acceptable because this was what actual sailors wore with their uniforms. We see many boys in both the late-19th century and the early-20th century wearing long pants sailor suits at a time that most boys did not wear long trousers.

Variations

There were many different variations in the long pants American boys wore with sailor suits. These variations primarily concerned the waist closings and the ankle hem. The waist was done in various ways. There were some sailor pants done with regular closings. We also see button fronts which is how early Royal Navy and American uniform pants were done in the mid-19th through the early-20th centuries. Gradually in the 20th century we see fly fronts, but only as the sailor suit began to dercline in popularity. We also notice a variery of button-on arrangements. The one here is not standard front-flap pants, but looks to be sone kind of one-piece garment with the front flap used as part of a button-on arrangement. We also see the ankle hems done differently. We see both bell bottoms and regular straight leg long pants. This is often hard to see in many available photographs. We think some Bell bottoms of course come from the style of trousers worn by sailors. Some pants in the mid-19th century had stripes. We think some uniforms had pants with stripes. We mostly see boys with the striped pants in the late-1860s and 70s. After this the detailing was almost entitrely on the blouse.

Age

The type of pants boys wore in the late-19th and early-20th century was commonly age related. Younger boys wore shortened-length pants while older boys wore long pants. Age seems to have been less a factor for sailor suit pants. Of course sailor suits were generally worn by younger boys. But for several decades, as knee pant became standard, sailor suits were the only outfits which younger boys commonly wore with long pants. We rarely elmentary age boys wearing long pants in the late-19th and early-20th century. The one major exception was the sailor suit. Most boys wore sailor suits with shortened-length pants, but we do sequite a number of boys wearing long pants with sailor suits. Many of the long pants suits seem rather dressy suits, in contrast to nplay suits or even school wear suits. We see a lot of sailor suits at schools in the late-19th and early-20th century, but very few of thise suits were long pants suits. Older boys tended to wear long pants, but few oldr boys wore sailor suits.

Family Preferences

The choice seems to have depended on individual family preferences. An example of long pants with stripes are the St. Clar boys. We are not yet sure what determined the choices. There may have been social-cl;ass conventions involved.

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Created: 12:29 AM 3/31/2010
Last updated: 9:42 AM 3/21/2018