Figure 1.--This American boy, probably in the 1900s seems to be hilding his long stockings up with an above the knee elastic band or garter. We have no information about the boy pictured here. We believe he was from Cleveland Ohio. Note he is older than the age of boys currently riding trikes.

There were three basic types of garters. One was an elastic band worn around the leg above the knee. This was used to hold up long stockings. Women who wore long stockings tended to wear them above the knee. This was the simplest and least expensive approch to holding up long stockings. We believe that many children used these elaric bands to hold up their long stockings, especially in Europe. There were smaller bands worn below the knee. Men and boys wearing knee socks wore round elastic garters under the turnovers of the socks to hold the socks up. Garter flashes, which can be seen, became the ornamental aspect of such garters.This type was commonly used by children to hold up kneesocks. Scouts were noted for adding a colored tab to the garter. It was commonly used before kneesocks with elasticised tops became popular. Another type was an elastic strap suspended from an undergarment such as a waist suit or elatic leg strap.

Above the Knee Bands

Women who wore long stockings tended to wear them above the knee. This was the simplest and least expensive approch to holding up long stockings. We believe that many children used these elastic bands to hold up their long stockings, especially in Europe. In fact this is very difficult to assess because most images of children wearing long stockings do not show how they were supported. In America we see all kinds of complicated garments such as waist suits and suspender waists. We know they were wideky used. We suspect, however, that because long stockings were so commonly worn by children of all social levels, that many children used elastic bands to hold up their stockings. The practice in America was discouraged for health reasons. I believe this did have some impact in convincing partents to purchase waists. Here we see an American boy in the early 1900s wearing above the knee elastic bands. We also notice Canadian boys wearing these bands. Some examples are the Gagnon boy who wears round gartersand the Ross boy. This approach was also used in Japan. We see a Japanese boy in the 1940s wearing garters buckled below the knee, and the other seems to have them above the knee. Long stockings, apparently, in both cases, but the older boy wear them as knee socks. We see a another Japanese boy in 1962 wearing elastic bands. I'm less sure about Europe, but believe these elastic bands were also commonly worn there.

Below the Knee Bands

Men and boys wearing knee socks wore round elastic garters under the turnovers of the socks to hold the socks up. Garter flashes, which can be seen, became the ornamental aspect of such garters. The flashes were also worn at some schools, but were more common in Scouting. They are still worn in Scotland with kilts and by Boy Scouts who wear knee socks with their shorts. When knee socks started being made with elasticized tops, the turnovers were often omitted and boys supposedly no longer needed the round garters, but the socks tended to fall down even so. We note that in Britain that boys in state primaries often wore the elasicized kneesocks while boys in the private schools tended to wear the more expensive turn-over-top socks with elastic garters.

Suspended Strap

In the 1920s and 1930s when boys graduated from knickes to long trousers, they often adopted the style of adult male garters to hold up calf-length socks. These were elasticized straps worn around the leg just below the knee with a pendant and clasp for the sock. The means of attachment was exactlyh the same as that used for children's and women's hose supporters with the button and loop. This style of boys' garters went out of style in the 1960s when ankle socks became more commonly worn with long trousers and when socks were made with tops that were supposed to stay up without garters. The modern hose supporter or "suspender" (the British term) is a modern invention that dates from the later 19th century. It was invented to replace round elastic garters worn around the upper thigh as both more comfortable and more healthful because round garters tended to restrict circulation in the legs. The hose supporter is an elastic strap connected at the top to a corset or waist and connects to the stocking by a clasp consisting of a metal or rubber button that goes under the stocking top and is then help in place by a metal loop that fits over the button to hold the stocking securely. Originally these buttons were metal, but they were soon replaced by rubber-covered buttons which didn't damage the stocking. One of the standard brand names for this type of clasp was "Velvet Grip" used by the Stein Company and other manufacturer of hose supporters. From about 1875 to 1945 children wore hose supporters to hold up the long stockings (usually black) that were standard wear for both boys and girls, although gradually knee socks and anklets began to replace the long stockings in the 1930s and 1940s. Hose supporters (often referred to simply as children's garters) came in both black and white and were made in various sizes to fit children as young as 2 and as old as 18. Larger sizes were available for women. The size difference was strictly a matter of length. Originally boys' and girls' hose supporters were attached to underwaists or garter waists by means of buttons or were permanently sewn on. A bit later the safety pin was invented so that they could be pinned onto waists through a "pin tube" or "tape loop" sewn onto the waist or waist union suit. Length could be adjusted by a buckle on the upper part of the strap. The most common model of hose supporter had a double pendant attached to the upper part of the strap so that the supporters could be fastened to the stocking top in two places, thus destributing the garter strain. But the Y-shape or double-pendant hose supporter is strictly an American and Canadian style. In Europe (especially Germany, Poland, Russia, Scandanavia, the Baltic countries, etc.) the hose supporters were attached to Leibchen or bodices with single-strap supporters. These garments sometimes had four garters (two in front and two in back)and sometimes only two in front. The American style hose supporters tended to be worn at the sides over the hips. Originally, when boys' and girls' long stockings extended only a little bit above the knee, the supporters had to be fairly long. Later during the 1920s and 1930s when children began wearing long stockings under much shorter suits and dresses, the stockings were knit much longer to cover almost the entire upper thigh and the supporters becme correspondingly shorter. We see many advertisements for these garters. An example is Hickory garters (1916).

Garters Worn with Long Trousers

While kneepants and knickers were very common for American boys in the early 20th century, quite a number of boys wore long trousers. Here conventions varied from family to family. Thuus we note garters for boys wearing long trousers. An example is Boston Garters (1926). This was essentially a boy's version of men's garters.

Created: 6:29 AM 2/15/2006
Last updated: 6:57 PM 5/21/2006