Figure 1.--This boy's name was Kendall. He lived in Williamsville, Vermont. His mother used this photo postcard to send Christmas greetings, probably about 1910. Notice the above the knee knickers. |
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Note: Many of the images used in this and other HBC pages are undated. Thus HBC has been forced to estimate the date. Thus the HBC readers should exercise some caution because the dating may be slighly in error. This is especially true of the various time-line pages. Readers who can offer any refinements of the dating would be most appreciated.
The early 20th Century was an interesting period in the development of boys' clothing. In many ways it was a period of many varied styles. Late 19th century styles continued after the turn of the century. Many of
the new more casual styles of the 20th Century had begun to make real
inroads in American boys' fashions. Styles such as tunics and rompers
are characteristic of the period, other formerly popular
19th Century fashions had wined. The boys' kiltsuit was now little worn. The Fauntleroy suit was still worn at the beginning of the decade,
but had passed from fashion by the end of te decade. The emerging 20th Century styles like knickers and short pants were wellestablished in the 1920s. Long
ringlet curls were increasingly less common at the beginning of the decade and rarely seen at the end of the decade.
The most abrupt change in boys' fashions probably occurred in the 1910s. A more profound change in styles occured then that in any other decade. The reason was almost surely World War I (1914-18). The War of course transformed Europe shaking the foundations of the old order. The change in fashions was just one part
of the momentous changes under way. The changes were, however, pervasive. Some of the changes appeared in the late 1910s, but did not become widespread until the 1920s
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We note a variety of trends involving the various garments worn by American boys during the 1910s.
The fashion of outfitting boys in dresses continued to be quite common at the turn of the century, but by the 1910s it was becoming less common. Little boys more commonly wore the newer fashions like rompers, tunic suits, and short pants. The custom of little boys wearing dresses did not disappear entirely. The style of the dresses increassingly were plainer frocks and not the
more fancy girlish styles with elaborate lace and ruffle trim. The age of the boys wearing dresses had declined signifantlty. While the practice of outfitting boys in dresses, continued in the 1910s, it was becoming much less common and by the end of the decade after the
War it was no longer a common practice except for infants.
Rompers were widely worn by boys after the turn of the century. They may have appeared before 1900, but they were not widely worn in the 1890s. I am not sure preciselt when rompers first appeared. I'm also not sure how they varied in the 1900s and 1910s. (Any insights HBC visitors might have would be most appreciated. They were a style for generally younger
boys. Many of the boys outfitted in rompers might have worn dresses before the turn of the century.
They were an informal style in the early 20th Century, but some dressier styles appeared in the 1920s and later period.
One of the most characteristic styles of the early 20th Century in America was the tunic suit. This style was most popular in the 1900s, but still widely worn at the beginning of the 1910s. By the end of the
decade, however, it had passed from the fashion scene. Many mothers who might have dressed their boys in dresses, instead appear to have chosen the related tunic style. To many boys, tunics were preferable to dresses as they good wear knicker-like bloomers that
showed they were no longer wearing girlish dresses. There were several types of tunics, Russian tunics and Buster Brown tunics were some of the most popular. The sailor style was also very common. One characteristic feature of all these styles was
a decorative belt that had no real use. It could be the same color as the tunic or a contrasting color. Tunics by the 1910s were mostly worn with short hair cuts. Ringlet curls, especially as te decade progressed, became increasingly less common.
Many boys still wore Buster Brown bangs with their tunics, but increasingly common were short hair cuts.
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A variety of outfits appeared for younger boys not yet deemed old enough for more mature looking suits. These outfits usually were made with short pants, usually cut rather long at knee-length. Shorter short pants did not begin to appear until the 1920s. These suits were often worn with white socks, but long stockings were still worn. Some still had the belted-styling of the tunic suit. Both colored and stripped material were common. The outfits varied greatly. Most were functional, plain suits much more practical than the fussy Fauntleroy suits once worn by little boys. Some were made for dressy occasions while increasingly more were made as play suits--a harbinger of the casual styles to come.
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American boys mostly wore kneepants at the turn of the century. As the decade progressed knickers became increasingly popular, but during the 1910s kneepants were still very common. younger boys still wore kneepants and by the end of the decade some boys were wearing the new short pants that had become popular in England. Younger boys also wore a kind of above the knee bloomer pants that were worn under tunic suits. Older boys as the decade progressed increasingly were wearing knickers, but there are many images showing older boys wearing kneepants during the decade. Knickers were not knew. They had been worn in England for decades. The were also worn in America during the 19th Century, but were much less common than kneepants. The short
pants that were increasingly worn in Europe at this time never proved as popular in America. Younger boys wore shorts, but not older boys. Even American Boy Scouts during the 1910s mostly wore knickers--the only group of Scouts in the world not to wear shorts. American boys wore knickers various lengths. The knickers most popular in the 1910s buckled
above the knee. Boys much preferred the style that buckled below the knee.
Some arguments ensued with mothers who insisted that their sons buckle their knickers
above the knee. Many boys would rebuckle them below the
knee as soon as they left the house. Knickers were worn by a large cross section of American boys, including older teenagers. It was not unusual to see high-school aged boys, even the upperclassmen wearing knickers. Long pants for American boys were not unusual, althogh kneepants and by the 1910s, knickers, were much more common. Rural boys, however, did commonly wear long pants--usually blue jeand which were then called overalls. Bib front overalls were the most common style. They were not much worn in the cities. Boys might wear white knickers during the summer.
This was the only decade in which white knickers were commonly worn. Younger boys might wear white short pants. Adults also wore white pants during the summer--usually flannels. Boys in Europe during the 1910s began wearing suits with short pants. The knicker fashion was much less common. American boys did not, however,
begin wearing short pants suits. Youngervboys did begin wearing various short pants outfits, but not suits. Almost all American boys in this era wore knicker suits.
Boys by the age of about 8 years wore suits, with jackets often styled like thiose worn by adults. Younger boys might have casual looking open collars. One of the most popular style was the Norfolk suit with all kinfs of pockets and belts. Other more modern looking single and double breasted styles were also worn. Older boys would usually wear ties--the first decade in which modern ties appeared. Almost all of thee suits were worn with knickers. Even older boys commonly wore knicker suits.
Younger boys still wore wide-brimmed hats. The extremely wide-brimmed straw hats worn by very little boys in the 1900s were now less common. Some sailor hats had the brims turned down. Boys also wore sailor caps with rhe still popular sailor suit. Older boys might wear straw boaters. The most common style had by the 1910s, however, become the flat cap.
Younger boys might wear strap shoes for dressy occasions. High top shoes continued to be commonly worn. They were mostly lace up shoes because button shoes were increasingly less worn. The low-cut
oxford shoe began to increase in importance.
American boys in the 1910s still commonly wore long stockings with knickers. Yonger boys commonly wore white stockings which was considred a rather dressy look. Long white stockings were very fashionable for youngr boys and girls early in the decade, but were
not commonly worn by boys by the end of the decade. Yonger boys might go barefoot or wear socks, but until the 1910s it was not common to see older boys in socks. This was most common in the summer. The uncomfortable long stockings were increasingly replaced with socks, often three-quarter length socks. Rompers became very popular for younger boys. Increasingly as the decade progressed, some boys began wearing their knickers with socks--usually three-quarter length socks.
Kneesocks were introduced in the 1910s, but were not commonly worn until the 1920s. Long stockings were still much more common.
The early 1910s marked a major shift in boys' clothing styles. The old formal styles had declined in importance during the 1900s and the the new more casual styles became increasingly important as the 1910s progressed.
Little Lord Fauntleroy suits were decling in popularity, but still worn. Most Fauntleroy in the 1910s suits still had knee pants, but some were now made with short pants. They were
increasingly worn with white stockings or white three-quarter socks. The size of the jackets increased to cover the blouse entirely. In addition large lace collars began to be replaced with ruffled collars and smaller bows. Many Fauntleroy suits were now worn with no bow at all. Some ruffled collars were wore with open necks, emphasizing the new more casual styles even in formal clothes. Note how all
late 19th Century Fauntleroy suits were worn by tightly button collars with large bows.
Sailor suits continued to be worn in the 1910s, but began to decline in popularity. The style by the 1910s, however, was beginining to become a fashion for little boys. The kneepants that predominated before the war had began to be replaced with knickers and to a lesser extent short pants.
American school children in the 1910s dressed differently depending on where they went to school. We still see a lot of rural one-room schools. Rural children commonly wore dungares to school and went barefoot. This was especially true of
the South which was the poorest part of the country. Boys in the North were more likely to dress up, at least for the school photograph. We see youngr boys in the early 1910s still wearing blouses with wide collars. Kneepants were common and when the boys were not barefoot commonly worn with dark long stockings. Many boys not
wearing overalls wore suspenders. Boys in the cities dressed differently most wore shoes to school and overalls were not common. Many boys wore suits to school.
Kneepants were common, but we also see boys wearing knickers. Some boys wore ties, but mostly in city schools. We see some boys wearing sailor suits, but not very
many. We do notice girls wearing sailor dresses. Some boys wear coveralls, but they were not very common. They were especially rare in rural schools. Many boys wear flat caps, but we also see beanies. We note Catholic boys dressed up in
suits for First Cmmunion.
America was a much more rural society in the late 19th and early 20th century tha it is now. Many Americans live on the farm or in small rural
towns. When they dressed up they followed the same dressy styles as boys in the cuties wore--although the latest styles probably took a little
longer to reach rural America in the days before television. Fashion magazines and mail order catalogs made sure that rural America was never
to far removed from the latest fashions. Most of the time rural boys would be likely to wear work clothes like overalls. They would often
wear such clothes to school--at least elementary school. They were not called jeans at the time, and of course the idea of designer jeans could not even be conceived
in the early 20th century, but Levi Straus dungaree overalls were widely worn by men and boys.
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Americans began thec1910s with great optimism about the new century. The sinking of the Titanic (April 15, 1912) brought a realization concerning the limits of technology. The Progressive Era began about 1895. Major progressive reforms were enacted during the Roosevelt Administration in the 1900s. Taft continued actions against monoploles. A split in the Republican Party resulted in the elelection of Democrat Woodrow Wilson (1912). The Wilson Administration enacted further progressive reforms. The Progressive Movement essentially ended with America's entry into World War I. Progressive was made on major issues like child and women labor. A Federal Reserve was created. Labor unions while growing were still unable to effective negotiate with major corporations. Progress was made in state legislatures while Congress proved unwilling go dress many issues involving work plsace issues. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire tragically illustrated often unsafe working conditions. A Commission found that the status of children in America was still apauling with inadequate nutrition and housing. As bad as conditions were, they were preferable to those in Europe and untill the outbreak of World War I (1914), immigrants continued to flood into the counyty. American had become greatest undustrial power in the world. A major factor here had been the mass production of automobiles. Ford introduced the first moving assembly line (1914) and in 1915, the one millionth Model T (costing $345) rolled off the assembly line. Industrial expansion had created huge numbers of jobs and great propsperity. Rising incomes had profound social consequences and the continued expansion of the middle class. Whole new industries appeared to capitalize on expanding purchasing power, including motion pictures and phonographs. Expanding trade and internation events like the Olympics were also seen as harbingers of a new age. im Thorpe, an American Indian, electtrified American by winninning gold medals at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. The increasing integration and prosperity in Europe to many meant that a major war was no longer possible. America was shocked with the outbreak of World War I and the terrible killing. German resumtion of unrestricted subnmrine warfare brought America into the War and sealed German's defeat. This prevented Germany from dominating Europe, but after the War American involvement becme widely viewed as a mistake. At the end of the decade amendments were passed providing for women's suferage (1919) and initiating an unprecedented national campaign--prohibition. Oppression of black Americans continued in the South an many fled north to major indudstrial cities. The end of the decade also brought the National Park Service. The Girl Scouts of America were formed to provide oportunities compsarable to the Boy Scouts. The Russian Revolution (1917) led to a Red Scatre sand demands for limits om immigration. America's inolvement in Europe ended when the Senate rejected President Wilson's Treaty and the League of Nations leading to two decades of isolationism.
We are compiling some information about individuals in the 1910s. In some cases we have some information about their lives. In other cases we have just the name or an especially interesting photograph. Also included are aricles about the fashions of the era.
The 1900s: An Ohio boyhood
1911: Raymond Bykes: America--messenger boy
About 1915: Unidentified teenager
1916: Harold Walker: America--agricultural laborer
The 1920s: First long pants suit
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