Figure 1.--This CDV shows a three-piece knee pants suit with an Eton collar. Notice his hat to the left. The knee pants were cut very full. The boy looks like he is about 13 years old, but apprently was 15-years old. We think his name may be John George Alexander Harris and he or someone else sent the CDV to cousin Susan, but the writing on the back is confusing. (Click on the image and see if you can figure it out.) Then we have the date, 13th April, perhaps the date the portrait was taken. The studio was W.H. Midwinter in Bristol. This could have been his school uniform. Schools in Bristol include Clifton College and the Bristol Grammar School. Interestingly, the studio had their card mounts printed in Paris.

We do not yet know about age conventions or to what extent they differed between knee pants and knickers. Our 19th century English archive is still quite limited. Because many of the images do not specify ages, we have to estimate the age. While not dfinitive we think our estimates are ithin a year or so of the actual ages. Let us know if you think we have mossed the age. Nitice that boys in the 19th century look a year or so youngr thn modern boy. We notice boys wearing knee pants suits by about age 5-6 years. The age conventions changed somewhat over time. At first they and other shrotened-length pants were only worn by younger boys. This began to change in the 1880s. Some boys wore them after breeching. Other boys wore a variety of juvenile outfits like sailor suits before getting a standard knee pants suit. They were very common with school-age children. This included both state and private schools. We believe they were very common in state primaries, but this still needs to be confirmed. Many working-class boys after finishing school (at about age 13 years), probably began wrearing long pants. Boys continuing school, probavly wore knee pants a bit longer. We note boys up to 15 years of age wraring them and we suspect that some older boys wore them as well. This may have been somewhat influenced by school uniform rules, but we are not yet sure. We see older boys at public (private boarding) schools wearing long oants, but this varied somewhat from school to school.

Age 5 Years

We notice boys wearing knee pants suits by about age 5-6 years. The age conventions changed somewhat over time. At first they and other shortened-length pants were only worn by younger boys. This began to change in the 1880s. Some boys wore them after breeching. Other boys wore a variety of juvenile outfits like sailor suits before getting a standard knee pants suit.

Age 6 Years

Knee pants were very common with school-age children. Children began school at age 6 years, This included both state and private schools. We believe they were very common in state primaries, but this still needs to be confirmed.

Age 13 Years

Many working-class boys after finishing school (at about age 13 years), probably began wrearing long pants.

Age 14 Years

Boys continuing school, probaly wore knee pants a bit longer.

Age 15 Years

We note boys up to 15 years of age wraring them and we suspect that some older boys wore them as well. This may have been somewhat influenced by school uniform rules, but we are not yet sure. Here we see older boys at public (private boarding) schools wearing long pants, but this varied somewhat from school to school. This CDV shows a three-piece knee pants suit with an Eton collar. Notice his hat to the left. The knee pants were cut (figure 1).very full. The boy looks like he is about 13 years old, but apprently was 15-years old. We think his name may be John George Alexander Harris and he or someone else sent the CDV to cousin Susan, but the writing on the back is confusing. (Click on the image and see if you can figure it out.) Then we have the date, 13th April, perhaps the date the portrait was taken. The studio was W.H. Midwinter in Bristol. This could have been his school uniform. Schools in Bristol include Clifton College and the Bristol Grammar School. Interestingly, the studio had their card mounts printed in Paris.

Age 16 Years

Age 16 years seems to be at the upper end of the age English boys wore knee pants. Some of the boys look a little younger , but was the case generally for boys before the 20th century. we think this may have been mostly schools that required boys to wear knee pants or knickers. Perhaps some parents insisted, but we think it was primarily schools for the older boys this age. Many of the older boys wearing knee pants seem to be wearing school uniforms. This woud have been private schools. State secondary education was not yet common. Most boys were wearing long pants by this age. Even older American boys wore knee pants, but not in the 1880s. Knee pants for these older boys seem rather long, covering the knee, but this probanly had less to do with age than the fact that the style convention was just at the knee in the 1890s, when fewer older boys were wearing knee pants. we do not have any written information on these conventions. All we have been able to pul together is hat we can tease out of the photographic record.

Created: 2:57 AM 9/6/2011
Last updated: 6:52 AM 4/3/2016