Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows an unidentified fashionable boy wearing a velvet collar-buttoning jacket with full-cut knee pants. Notice the lce trim on the knee pants. He has a militart-style peaked cap on the pedestal. He looks to be about 8-years old. Te CDV is undted, but looks like it was taken in the 1870s. The studio was Stuart Bros, Knightsbridge, a fashionable London neighborhood.

We know very little about English knee pants at this time, but as we are gradually expanding our archive we are learning more. We note a range of styling and decorative details. The primary variant with knee pants is length. We use the term knee pants because that was the eventual length. We notice various lengths over time. When they first appeared in the mid-19th century, calf length was common, although this varied. We we length differences with America. Early knee pants were cut rather long, commonly to calf length. Gradually they got shorter, approaching knee length in the 1890s. Knee pants were also cut to various degrees of fullness. We see both trim fitting knee pants as well as very full-cut pants. This range was very wide. Full cuts seem common at mid-century sometimes with elaborate embroidery. They are are less common in the photographic record. Here the expanding number of portraits being taken was probably a factor. We notice trim fitting knee pants by the 1890s. And we see a variety of trimming such as stripes and buttons. The side stripes were very popular in the 1870s. We see them commonly on knee pants. Decorative buttons at the knee hem to simulated 18th century knee breeches were very popular throughout the era that knee pants were popular. Younger boys might have knee pants trimmed with lace at the knee hem, primarily in the 1860s and 70s. We think that this may have been done to look somewhat like pantaleattes which were still worn by many younger boys. Perhaps readers will have some thoughts here.

Length

At the turn of the 19th century, boys in Europe and America began wearing long pants. This involved skeleton suits. Earlier men and boys in the 18th century knee breeches. Long pants dominated men and boys; wear in the first half of the 19th century. At mid-century, shortened-length pants began to appear. We have no idea why. Or who was involved in this shift. Both knickers and straight-leg knee pants appeared. Knee pants would eventually become the dominant type of pants worn in England, America, and other countries. The primary variant with knee pants is length. We use the term knee pants because that was the eventual length. We are not sure about the actual term/terms used in England. We notice various lengths over time. When they first appeared in the mid-19th century, calf length was common, although this varied. We we length differences with America. Early knee pants were cut rather long, commonly to calf length. Gradually they got shorter, approaching knee length in the 1890s. We suspect that ready made production was a factor here.

Width

We see both trim fitting knee pants as well as very full-cut pants. This range was very wide. The London boy here has very wide-cut knee pants (figure 1). Full cuts seem common at mid-century sometimes with elaborate embroidery. They are are less common in the photographic record. Here the expanding number of portraits being taken was probably a factor. We notice trim fitting knee pants by the 1890s. Knee pants were cut to various degrees of fullness. Again the early knee pants could be very full. We see this primarily in England. We see far less of these full-cut knee pants in America. And we mostly see them in the 1860s and 70s. By the 1880s the trim fitting, knee-length pants were becoming standard.

Decoration

And we see a variety of trimming such as stripes and buttons. The side stripes were very popular in the 1870s. We see them commonly on knee pants. Decorative buttons at the knee hem to simulated 18th century knee breeches were very popular throughout the era that knee pants were popular. Younger boys might have knee pants trimmed with lace at the knee hem, primarily in the 1860s and 70s. We think that this may have been done to look somewhat like paantlettes which were still worn by many younger boys. The boy's knee pants here is a good example (figure 1). Perhaps readers will have some thoughts here.

Created: 9:25 AM 10/1/2012
Last updated: 6:41 PM 2/28/2023