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Period fashion magazines provide a great deal of useful information about fashion trends and conventions. The fashion writers in Harper's Bazaar provided some advice to mothers about boys' hosiery --"Small boy's clothes" (1877). There were major chamges in hosiery. The type of hosiery did not change. Most American children still wore long stockings, we rarely see socks even with very young children, Colors and patterns did change. White stockings were very common in the 1860s. We note many childten both boys and girls wearing striped stockings in the 1870s. We note white stockings in the early-70s, but they decline in popularity as the decade progressed. Gender differences in hosiery arevnot apparent. We see both genders wearing dark stockings as well as the striped stockings. The most destinctive aspect of 1870s hosiery was the dizzing variety of stockings in all kinds of different stripe patterns and colors. There were strips of different widths, some times the same width, Other times variable widths. And the coklor varieties were almost limitless. Unfortunately the color photograph of the day does not permit us to see the myriad of colors in which the striped stockings were done. Some of the stockings included bright colors, brighter than the colors used for single color stockings which were often muted. Striped stockings was primarily a child's style. Men wore long pants, althogh for bicycling or other sporty event you might see them wearing long stockings. Women did not wear them, but dress lengths were so long you can not tell.
Period fashion magazines provide a great deal of useful information about fashion trends and conventions. The fashion writers in Harper's Bazaar provided some advice to mothers about boys' hosiery --"Small boy's clothes" (1877).
Many American boys wore long stockings in the 1870s, we rarely see socks even with very young children. But as many boys were still wearing long pants we have no idea about what kind of hosiery these boys were wearing. This was especially the case in the early and mid-70s. As shortenened-length pants had begun to become increasingly standard for younger boys, hosiery companies were making longer-length hosiery. Knee pants in the 1970s tened to be cut quite long, often well bwlow the knee. We first see shortenened-length pants to any extent in the 1860s and see many more in the 1870s, although still mostly younger boys. We see some children in Europe wearing socks, but American children always seem to be be wearing long stockings except of course when going barefoot. We rarely see boys much over over about 10 years wearing knee pants. Striped stockings were esopecially popular. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). As the boys were wearing knee pants, often cut at calf level, the length of the stockings is unclear.
There were major chamges in hosiery durung the 1870s.. The type of hosiery did not change. Childen still wore long stockings. Colors and patterns did change. White stockings were very common in the 1860s. We note many children both boys and girls wearing striped stockings in the 1870s. We still note white stockings in the early-70s, but they decline in popularity as the decade progressed. The most destinctive aspect of 1870s hosiery was the dizzing variety of stockings in all kinds of different stripe patterns and colors. We are not yet sure why thrse striped stockings appeared in the 1870s. Presumably there was some kind of technical development in the weaving industry. There were stripes of different widths, some times the same width, Other times variable widths. And the color varieties were almost limitless. Unfortunately the color photograph of the day does not permit us to see the myriad of colors in which the striped stockings were done. Some of the stockings included bright colors, brighter than the colors used for single color stockings which were often muted. Striped stockings was primarily a child's style. Men wore long pants, althogh for bicycling or other sporty event you might see them wearing long stockings. Women did not wear them, but dress lengths were so long you can not tell.
Gender differences in hosiery are not apparent. At least that is our preliminary assessment. Gender differences did develop later, but we do not yet note them in the 1870s. We see both genders wearing dark stockings as well as the striped stockings. In the early-70s both boys and girls wore white stockings. Later white stockings were primarily assiociated with girls, except for younger boys, but this was not yet the case in the early- abd mid-19th century. Our initial assessment is that there were no gender differenes associated with hosiery, but that is something that we need to confirm as our archive expands.
Long stockings were worn by both boys and girls. Here they may have been age differences. Only younger boys uop to about age 10-years wore knee pants. Thus in the photographic record we only see what younger boys were wearing. We are not sure what older boys and adult men were wearing. It is presumably possible to learn more about girls as they were wearing skirts. We do not yet have the needed images, but we hope to acquire them.
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