Figure 1.--Here we see three unidentified German boys, probsnly sat school. The snapshot is undated, but looks like the early 1970s. By this time, long pants were becoming increasingly popular. Two of the boys wear long pants, one boy wears short pants. Theone boy's long hair helps to date the image.

Long pants were adopted by laborers and peaseants before gentelmen began wearing them in the early 19th century. Long pants were becoming inmcreasingly common by the 1820s. Fashionable boys began wearing long pants as part of skeleton suits in the late 18th century, well before their fathers began wearing long pants. Boys generally wore long pants until after mid-centuary when knee pants began increasing in popularity. At first it was just the younger boys wearing knee pants and long pants were much more common. By the very late 19th century we even see teenagers wearing knee pants. While many German boys wore kneepants, short pants, and knickers many German boys also wore long pants. Several factors were involved bere, such as seasonality and social class. This basic situation continued into the early 20th century. There was a major change after World War I (1914-18). Short pants became increasingly popular. At first they were lon like knee pants, but gradually became shorter. They were worn by most boys and younger teenagers. Some German boys in the first half of the 20th century wore short pants all year long, even during the winter. Older boys wore knickers or long pants. The specific age at which boys changed varied from family to fdamily. And the process also caried. Some boys first got long pants foe winter wear. Others first got a long pants sit for formalmoccassions and continued to wear short pants for casual wear and school. After World War II (1939-45) especially in the 1950s, short pants were still very common, long pants began to be increasingly worn, esoecially in cold weather and at the end of the decade. German boys by the 1960s were increasing wearing long pants. Short pants began to be primarily casual, summer wear, especially by the end of the decade. This was the situation in the 1970s as long pants became increasingly common. Jeans were increasingly popular. We no longer see many Herman boys, except the very youngesr wearing short pants suits. By the end of the decade, German boys mosly wore long pans. Some boys even wore long pants in the summer.

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Created: 9:04 PM 1/14/2010
Last updated: 9:04 PM 1/14/2010