Figure 1.--Here we see a German boy in the 1920s wearing a rather elegant sailor suit. I'm not sure what color it was. It would have been a Summer suit. He wears it with long black stockings.

Long stockings were worn in Germany in the late 19th century much as they were in many other European countries. Most boys wearing keepants wore them. We have, however, limited information on German boys' clothes during the 19th century. Long stockings were still widly worn by German boys in the 1920s even though the boys were cmmoinly wearing short pants rather thn kneepants. Until about 1930, school photographs can be seen showing whole classes of younger boys where virtually all of the boys of boys wearing long stockings, almost without exception. Nation wide perhaps half of German boys wore long stockings. After the early 1930s this began to decline. The NAZI attitude toward long stockings was a major factor here. Long stocking continued to be worn mostly commonly in rural areas. It was at this time that boys shorts began to be cut shorter so that some boys wore long stockings with quite long stockings. After World War II, long stockings became less connon for older boys, but children in primary schools still commonly wore them--especially during the cooler weather. The fashion continued in Germany after World War II although we have only limited information at this time as to how common it was. This is in part because long trousers became more common and it is not possible to tell what kind of hosiery that the boys in long stockings were wearing. The wearing of long stockings declined firs in the larger cities and then in rural areas as well. For the most part boys in West Germany stopped wearing long sockings in the late 1950s. A few boys still ore them in the 1960s, but they were no longer common. Interestingly, many mothers began dressing their younger boys in tights at this time. The timeline is somewhat diffeent in East Germany where boys wore long stocking well into the 1960s. A HBC reader tells us that Quelle was still offering long stockings in 1975, but HBC can not yet confirm that.

19th Century

We are no possitive when long stockings first appeared in Germany. Like America we suspect that it was probably in the 1860s when boys first began to commonly wear shortenened length trousers. Long stockings were worn in Germany in the late 19th century much as they were in many other European countries. Most boys wearing knee pants wore them. We have, however, limited information on German boys' clothes during the 19th century. We note most German boys, even school age boys wearing long pants through the 1870s. We begin to see more boys wearing knee pants and long stockings in the 1880s. A German reader tells us that he notes a destinct change in school portaits about 1885 with more and more boys wearing knee pants and long stockings.

20th Century

Long stockings were still widly worn by German boys in the 1920s even though the boys were cmmoinly wearing short pants rather thn kneepants. Until about 1930, school photographs can be seen showing whole classes of younger boys where virtually all of the boys of boys wearing long stockings, almost without exception. Nation wide perhaps half of German boys wore long stockings. After the early 1930s this began to decline. The NAZI attitude toward long stockings was a major factor here. Long stocking continued to be worn mostly commonly in rural areas. It was at this time that boys shorts began to be cut shorter so that some boys wore long stockings with quite long stockings. After World War II, long stockings became less connon for older boys, but children in primary schools still commonly wore them--especially during the cooler weather. The fashion continued in Germany after World War II although we have only limited information at this time as to how common it was. This is in part because long trousers became more common and it is not possible to tell what kind of hosiery that the boys in long stockings were wearing. The wearing of long stockings declined firs in the larger cities and then in rural areas as well. For the most part boys in West Germany stopped wearing long sockings in the late 1950s. A few boys still ore them in the 1960s, but they were no longer common. Interestingly, many mothers began dressing their younger boys in tights at this time. The timeline is somewhat diffeent in East Germany where boys wore long stocking well into the 1960s. A HBC reader tells us that Quelle was still offering long stockings in 1975, but HBC can not yet confirm that.

21st Century

The memory of wearing long stockings in Germany is gradually fadeing as the older generation is slowly disappearing. This is interesting because it was once since a widely worn fashion. A German reader writes, "If I tell people younger than 50 nowadays that in my youth children wore long stockings, they can hardly believe it. Some confuse long stockings with tights, linguistically speaking, not realizing that tights didn’t exist for boys in the 1930s and 1940s and that long stockings worn with hose supporters and a Leibchen had a quite destinct feel. I often have to prove that stockings and garters were actually worn by pointing to certain historical illustrations from the internet. Here HBC is particularly helpful."