Figure 1.--This photograph was taken in an unidentified German-speaking Swiss village, probably in the 1940s. Their clothing and mainly their stockings indicate they are from modest-income families. The reader providing this image writes, "I have been fascinated by the intelligence and joyfullness as expressed in their attitude, mainly their faces. This picture is for me a kind of symbol of the Swiss Democracy and the effect of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Theories on education. It shows what is meant by equality of chances." Another reader writes, "Several points about this photo. (1) The boys wear heavy ribbed woolen stockings; (2) The stockings in one case have been darned over the knees, the part that would wear out fastest in the case of younger boys; (3) I think this photo is from the 1940s or 50s." The darning is interesting. I suspect it is an indicator that the little boy here was very carefully looked after by his mother.

We note Swiss boys wearing a variety of hosiery with trends chnging over time. Boys mostly wore long stockings and knee socks in the early-20th century. We note some children wearing three-quarter socks. We are not sure if there were differences among German and French speakers. Long stockings were nearly not as common in France as in Germany, but I'm not sure if that pattern followed on in Switzerland. Climate may be the more important factor. Swiss boys like German boys also continued wearing long stockings in the 1920s as they were declining in popularity in other countries. We note long stockings still beding worn in the 1950s. Swiss boys also wore tights. A Swiss reader from a French-speaking family reports that going to primary school in the 1940s that boys mostly wore short pants under their smocks. During the winter some boys switched to knickers. The other boys that kept wearing shorts would commonly wear over-the-knee stockings. This continued inio the 1950s. persisting the longest in rural areas and villages. We are not enbtirely sure about colors because most of our information comes from black anbd white photographs. Long stockings were done in different weights. We note many children wearing heavy stockings for warmth during the winter. There were also lighter more trim fitting that were used for formal occassions. HBC is unsure at this time as to when tights began to replace long stockings. This is in part because boys began to wear long pants more commonly. And tights were never worn as commonly as long stockings.

Chronology

We have some basic information on the chronology of long stockings. W know nothing about the 18th century or the early-19th century. We do note Swiss boys and girls wearing long stockings during the late-19th and first half of the 20th centurries. We see children wearing them through the 1950s. We note Swiss boys wearing a variety of hosiery with trends chnging over time. Boys mostly wore long stockings and knee socks in the early-20th century. We note some children wearing three-quarter socks. Swiss boys like German boys also continued wearing long stockings in the 1920s as they were declining in popularity in other countries. We notice a variety of weaves. They were commonly worn seasobally, buthis varied somewhat chronologically. We notice boys wearing ankle socks with long stockings a mid-century (1940s-50s). CDuring ther 19th century, modest was also a fator. And in the 20th century formality was a factor. Swiss boys also wore tights. HBC is unsure at this time as to when tights began to replace long stockings. This is in part because boys began to wear long pants more commonly. We believe that boys mostly wore ankle sicjks with long pants, but some boys mat have worn long stickings. And tights were never worn as commonly as long stockings.

Ethnicity

We are not sure if there were differences among German and French speakers. Long stockings were nearly not as common in France as in Germany, but I'm not sure if that pattern followed on in Switzerland. Climate may be the more important factor. A Swiss reader from a French-speaking family reports that going to primary school in the 1940s that boys mostly wore short pants under their smocks. During the winter some boys switched to knickers. The other boys that kept wearing shorts would commonly wear over-the-knee stockings.

Ages

Swiss children of all age wore long stoclings. We see children from infancy wearing them. And we note boys into their teens, mostly early teens wearing long stockings. The age limit seems to have been when boys began wearing long pants. This varied over time and among families. We do not know a great deal about the 19th century, but do have information on the 20th century. We note boys as old as 15 or even 16 years wearing long stockings. During the inter-War years boys through about 11-2 years of age virtually all wore long stockings. Often boys began getting long pants by about 13-14 years of age. After World War II in the 1950s we begin to see younger boys wearing long pants, but by this toime long stockings were declining in popularity.

Demographics

Swiss boys continued wearing long stokings into the 1950s, persisting the longest in rural areas and villages.

Colors

We are not entirely sure about colors because most of our information comes from black and white photographs.

Weights

Long stockings were done in various weights. Here we see children wearing different weight stockingsd (figure 1). We note many children wearing long stoickings, including heavy stockings, for warmth during the winter. We norice both boys and girls wearing heavy ribbed stockings. The heavy weight stockings were quite commonly ribbed. Many Swiss boyse knee pants or short pants during the first half of the 20th cetury. They commonly wore shorts not only during the summer, but winter as well. Switzerland of course ismoutaneous country that gets cold during the winter. Thus long stockings could have kept the boys wearing shorts warm during cold winter days. Long stockings were not just worn for warmth during the winter. There were also lighter more trim fitting stockings. These were worn for regular wear. Mothers probably made sure the child had at least one good pair available for church on Sunday or for formal occassions.

Seasonality

Long stockings were in pat seasonal wear. Long stockings were most commonly worn during the winter for warmth. Seasonality was not the only reason for wearing long srockings, but it appears to havevbeen the most important reason.

Gender

We note both Swiss boys and girls commonly wearing long stockings. We do not have much information on the 19th century. But we note boths aboys wearing stickings on the 20th century intob the 1950s. We do not notice a lot of difference between the stockings worn by boys and girls. There may have been some difference in color. This is difficult to tell bcause most of the photographs taken when long stockings were worn were black and white. The colors seem to have been largely tan shades and to a lesser extent grey. Boys and girls would have worn all of these colors as well as black. Girls seem to have worn the white stockings more commonly tham the boys. As to the actual shades there dies not seem go have been much difference. There seems to have been some age differences. We think that girls may have worn long stockings to an older age, primarily because we believe boys commonly stopped wearing long stockings when they began wearing long pants. Girls wearing dresses continued wearing long stockings throughout their teen years.

Material

Popularity

One interesting question is the populsarity of long stockings. Mothers liked thm because they kept the children warm. Children gettig a chill is a concern for mothers around the world, especially a country blike Switzerland that experiences cold winters. Some mothers may have also thought that they were nore appropriate when dressing up or more modesty. The modesty concerns may have been more associated with girls. What the children though is another interesting question. Younger boys may not have thought much about it. We have noted reports from German boys that they were uncomfortable. Some mothers seem to have insisted that boys wear long tockings even though they complained, especially during the winter. Older boys began to conmplain as they thought that the long stockings and associated support straps were girlish. We do not have similar reports from Switzerland because our information is more limited. We suspect that Swiss boys had very similar thoughts to German boys. While we do not have much information from Switzerland, the photographic record does suggest a basic similarity between Germany and Switzerland. We are less certain about girls' attitudes.

Added Socks

We note many Swiss boys, but not the girls, commonly wearing long stockings with added heavy socks cuffed just above ankle leve. We have not yet assessed the chronolohy of this convention, but it seems most common in the 1930s and early-40s. The socks were mostl;y heavy-weight socks, perhps hand knitted. There was no effort to match the colors, although the socks were generally lighter colors than the stockings. We are not sure why boys wore the added socks. It may have been primarily a fashion statement. The boys may have seen it as an athletic look. We note that boys did not wear the socks for formal occassions. Or it may have provided added warmth during the Winter months. The photographic record suggests that this was most common during the Winter, but then stockings were also most common during the Winter. We note Boy Scouts in Europe and America wearing added socks with knee socks with boots when hiking. I don't think this is what is involvded here as the boys would not have been doing a lot of hiking at school. Hopefully our Swiss readers will be able to offer some insights here.

Stocking Suspension

Long stockings needed some method of suspension. We do not have much information on how Swiss children supported their long stockings. Swiss long stocking trends as well as many other clothing trends are similar to German trends. As far as we can tell, Swiss children used the same methods as German trends. This generally meant as hoc methods like garters and safty pins. The Germans also used a kins of underwaist called a Leibchen. It is a little difficult to tell from the photographic record what the methods used were. Available photographic images suggest that Swiss children did use the same methods as German children. We do note one boy that seems to be wearung a more elaborate underwaist with buttoning tabs.

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Created: 2:01 AM 7/1/2007
Last updated: 12:32 AM 3/8/2011