Figure 1.--We know nothing about this boy, except that he was German and photographed in 1915. He looks to be about 13 years old. Click on the image for a discussion of the boy's clothes. Image courtrsy of Album1900.

German boys in the mid-19th century generally wore long pants suits. Many fashionable suits had pants and jackets in matching rather than contrasting colors. Long pants suits were still common in the 1870s, but gradually kneepants and knicker suits became increasibgly common. These shorter cut pants were quite common in the late 19th century. Long pants suits were also worn, but HBC is unsure how common they were. We note quite a number of boys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries wearing long pants suits. Based on available images we have archived, it sems to us that long pants suits, at least through the early 20th century and World War I were more common in Germany than in other countries like Britain and France. The German boy seen here is a good example. Unfortunately we know nothing about the boy so we can assess the conventions involved with long pants suits. This is a trend, however, that needs to be persued in more detail. When boys got their first long pants suit varied from family to family. Here we believe social class was an important factor. We believe working class boys were more likely to wear lobng pants suits tham middle and upper class boys, but this os one of the theories that need to be persued in more detail. By the 1970s almost all suits sold in Germany were long pants suits, even for younger boys. Many boys now get their first suits at age 14 for their Confirmation.

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Created: 9:08 PM 8/23/2004
Last updated: 9:09 PM 8/23/2004