Figure 1.--This English brother and sister had their portrait taken in 1922. Notice the girl's ringlets and hairbow as well as the leading strap bows on her dress. The boy does not wear a suit a his jacket does not match his short trousers. Note the length of his shorts. He has a horizontally stripped tie which he tucked into his trousers. |
Most British boys wore short pants which they called short trousers in the inter-war years. They were worn for dress, school, and play. Conventions varied from family to family as to the ages boys wore shorts. Many boys got their first pair of long trousers at about 13 or 14 years of age. Some boys wore shorts longer. Many boys wore short until they finished school. Boys from wealthy families might begin wearing wear long trousers at an earlier age. Short pants replaced kneepants in the 1920s, but were generally quite long throoughout the interwar period. Flannel was a popular material as was corduroy. Boys commonly wore kneesocks with shorts, although short socks or no socks and sandals were common in the summer for play.
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