Figure 1.--Here is a photograph of children in a working class district in Holland, probably before World War II, probably in Amsterdam or Rotterdam as these were the only cities that had a settled Chinese population in that time. The Dutch sign says "Hairdressing salon"East and West".

Here we see children in the Netherlands at different historical periods. Sailor suits continued to be popular in the early 20th century. Dutch boys in the 1900s still commonly wore kneepants, but by the 1910s short pants and kneesocks rather than kneepants and long stockings had begin to appear. A valuable source of information for boys clothes during this period is postcards. Dutch boys in the inter-war years increasingly wore short trousers with knee socks. Younger boys might wear long stockings during the winter. Older boys might wear knickers. Some boys still wore sailor suits. Some of the traditional styles like baggy trousers, smocks, and wooden shoes declined during this period. Few fashions developments occurred during the difficut years of German occupation (1940-45). The Netherlands was devestated by the War. The population was near starvation when the Allies arrived in 1945. Economic conditions remained very difficult until the Marshall Plan began to revive the economy in 1948. Families had little money for clothing. The Netherland by the 1970s had become one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The country's prosperoty was shared by every segment of the population. Families had the disposable income to afford extensive wardrobes for their children. This meant extensive wardribes of casual clothes rather tahn the formal clothes boys once role.

Early 20th Century (1900-20)

Sailor suits continued to be popular in the early 20th century. Dutch boys in the 1900s still commonly wore kneepants, but by the 1910s short pants and kneesocks rather than kneepants and long stockings had begin to appear. A valuable source of information for boys clothes during this period is postcards. Smartly dressed children were a popular subject in the cards sent during this period.

Inter-war and War Years (1920-45)

Dutch boys in the inter-war years increasingly wore short trousers with kneesocks. Younger boys might wear long stockings during the winter. Older boys might wear knickers. Some boys still wore sailor suits. Some of the traditional styles like baggy trousers, smocks, and wooden shoes declined during this period. Few fashions developments occurred during the difficut years of German occupation (1940-45).

Post-War Era (1945-70)

The Netherlands was devestated by the War. The population was near starvation when the Allies arrived in 1945. Economic conditions remained very difficult until the Marshall Plan began to revive the economy in 1948. Families had little money for clothing. Boys wore their old clothes as long as possible. It was not until the late 1940s and early 50s that the populatiion as a whole could eaily afford expenditures on new clothes. Boys in the 1940s contuinued to wear short pamts, although knickers began to disappear. During the 1950s boys still commonly weore shorts, but by the 1960s long pants ha become increasingly common. Knit outdfits were popular for younger boys.

Late 20th Century (1970-2000)

The Netherland by the 1970s had become one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The country's prosperoty was shared by every segment of the population. Families had the disposable income to afford extensive wardrobes for their children. This meant extensive wardribes of casual clothes rather tahn the formal clothes boys once role. Dutch boys by the 1970s were adopting the pan-European styles of jeans, "T"-shirts, and other casual styles. Boys were less commonly wearing short pants suits, but short pants were still common--although increasingly being worn seasonally. Rather short pants became popular in the 1970s. Dutch styles at the time were very similar to German styles. In the mid-1980s, gym-type boxer shorts were very popular. Older boys up to about 16 wore them--sometimes even in school. This ended about 1986 with the shiny athletic shorts.

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Created: 3:48 AM 10/17/2005
Last updated: 3:48 AM 10/17/2005