Figure 1.--This unidentified English boy had his portrait taken in the 1920s or 30s. The frame suggests that it was taken in the 1920s, probably the late-20s. The early-30s is possible. He seems to be wearing a regular suit rather than a school uniform. Note that he is not wearing a school tie or school socks.

We have no definitiver historical information on the origin of short pants for boys worn with knee socks leaving the knee bare. Some of the first short pants seem to have first appeared in England before the turn of the century. I have, however, noted younger boys wearing shorts as early as the 1880s in England. I am not sure how common this was. I suspect because of the realtive rarity of such images that they were not common. The most common occurance of short pants in the late 19th Century was not for boys, but rather the British Army at tropical postings like India. Short pants They were given great popularity by Lord Baden Powell and his nascent Boy Scout Movement. They were seen as rugged outdoor wear. I am not sure when the first shorts pants suits for boys appeared, probably the 1900s. But short pants suits did not appear commonly until the 1910s. Short pants suits by the 1920s had become the standard for boys' suits. Most primary (elementary) age boys wore short pants suits or blazers and shorts. They were also worn by younger teens. a good example is Ken Adams who was about 13-14 years old in the 1930s. Suits in fact were much or commonly worn at the time than is the case today. The casual styles worn today were little seen in the 1920s and 30s. Boys wore short pants suits for activities for which the modern boy would not dream of wearing a suit. Boys during the inter-War eralmost always wore suits wth knee socks. Short pants suit were still commonly worn by English boys after World War II (1939-45). It began to be less common, however, for boys to wear suits. Also, gradually in the 1950s they began to become less popular. Short pants suits were still worn in the 1960s, but were less common and generally worn by younger boys. While short pants suits became less common, shorts were still very common for school uniforms. The shorts until the 1960s, however, continued ti be the long baggy styles. Continental or short cut shorts became fasionable in the 1970s, but they were not commonly worn with suits as it had become less common for boys of any age to wear short pants suits. Shorts were still commonly worn as school uniform in elementary school and preparatory schools (private elememetary schools), but short pants suits were not common. A few prep schools used short pants suits as the uniform, but blazers and grey shorts were much more common.

The 19th Century

We have no definitiver historical information on the origin of short pants for boys worn with knee socks leaving the knee bare. Some of the first short pants seem to have first appeared in England before the turn of the century. I have, however, noted younger boys wearing shorts as early as the 1880s in England. I am not sure how common this was. I suspect because of the realtive rarity of such images that they were not common. The most common occurance of short pants in the late 19th Century was not for boys, but rather the British Army at tropical postings like India.

The 20th Century

The British invented short pants in the 19th century, but they were only worn by very young bous. Much more common were straigh-leg knee pants anf knickers. We begin to see what look like short pants suits for school age boys at the turn of the century. Some were crtually not short pnts suits, but knee pants suits. They just look like short pants suits because British boys began wearing knee socks rather than long stockings before boys in otgher countries. Her Baden Powell's Boy Scout iniform may have been a factor. It is little difficult to tell the difference between knee pants and short pants suits in the photographic record during the early-20th century. And to further complicate the issue, the Brirish begn referring to short pants as knickers at least in trade publications. In popular parlance the term became short trouswrs. (Short pants is an Ameroican term.) Short pants syits were stndard for British boys in the inter-War era (1920s and 30s) and they were worn with knee socks rather than long stockings. They were worn by a wide swath of British society. The only social class fifference was that sime what older middle-class boys wore short pants suits. Often workib-class boys began wearing long pants suits after leaving school. This continued during the 1940s and into the 50s. It is at this point tha long pnts began to be note common and that boys begn to dress more cassually meaning that suits in general became less common (1960s). hort pants suits did not immediatly disappear but gradually they became more pf a school uniform item than a suits bought as ordinary wear (1970s). Dome younger boys still had short pants suits. By the end of the century we rarely see short pants suits an more..

Created: 3:46 AM 1/11/2015
Last updated: 7:38 PM 10/17/2016