Figure 1.--This cabinet portrait was taken about 1895. It seems to be two pairs of siblings, two boys aged about 11 and 13 and two girls - aged about 6 and 9. The boys are dressed in suits. The one boys we can see wears knee pants and black long stockings. The girls wear dresses, also with black long stockings. The portrait was taken by P. Nybo of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Some sources indicate that hosiery was not manufactured in America until the early to middle 19th century. As far as we can tell, production actually began in Germantown in the 18th century. The scale of manufactire does appear to have expanded in the early 19th century. At that time knitting mills were established. The stocking industry found a home in several Connecticut towns. A factor here may have been the increasing supply of inexpensive cotton from the southern states. After the appearance of skeleton suits in the late 18th century, short socks became more common and contuinued so in the early 19th century when most boys wore long pants. Men wore knee breeches longer, but by the 1830s were like boys also wearing long trousers. Men wore trousers that fell to just above the tops of the shoes. As a result, men's and boys' hose was shortened accordingly. Over the next few decades, due to a need for extra warmth and comfort, hose length extended up, over the calf of the leg, and became known as the sock (probably from the Latin soccus, which was a light covering for the foot). American boys in the late 19th century as the kneepants fashion became a convention for boys commonly wore long sdtockings, except for the very youngest boys. Striped long stockings were fashionable in the 1860s and 70s, but solid colored stockings were increasingly common by the 1880s, especially black stockings. Both boys and girls very commonly wore black long stockings in the 1890s.

The 1800s

Some sources indicate that hosiery was not manufactured in America until the early to middle 19th century. As far as we can tell, production actually began in Germantown in the 18th century. The scale of manufactire does appear to have expanded in the early 19th century. At that time knitting mills were established. The stocking industry found a home in several Connecticut towns. A factor here may have been the increasing supply of inexpensive cotton from the southern states. After the appearance of skeleton suits in the late 18th century, short socks became more common and contuinued so in the early 19th century when most boys wore long pants. This is all difficult to assess because so many boys were wearing long pants. So we dont get to see much about hosiery and in the era before photograophy there vare so few images. Nor can we tell much about girls' hosiery. The Empire dresses of the 1900s were long, covering up the hosiery being worn. A major issue througout the 19th century was that America was a very rural country, especially in the early-19th century. And many boys went barefoot, especially in rural areas. This is never depicted by the naive artists of theday. The family paintings were commissioned by people with money and they wee always shown dresses up in their best clothes.

The 1830s

Men wore knee breeches in the early 19th century, even afyer boys began long trousers. Men by the 1830s , however, were like boys also wearing long trousers. Men wore trousers that fell to just above the tops of the shoes. As a result, men's and boys' hose was shortened accordingly. But in te era before photography there continue to be very few images. So it is difficult to tell much about hosiery. Naive artists provide some clues, in part because shoes were low-cut styles. They were usually shown as white, but no idea as to length becuse of the oong opants boys were weraing. A good example is Joseph Goodhue Chandler. This is furter comoplicated by girls' fashions. The long empire dresses were no lonher fashi111onable, and dress hems were shorter, but hirls tended to pantalettes with the shorter dresses that covered their legs.

The 1840s

Over the next few decades, due to a need for extra warmth and comfort, hose length extended up, over the calf of the leg, and became known as the sock (probably from the Latin soccus, which was a light covering for the foot). Photography appeared with the Daguerreotype in France (1839) and quicklky spread to America. Given the popular posing conventions and long pants that boys wore almost none of these images provide any information about hosiery. Naive artists do provide some information. We continue to see white hosiery. A fgew images show socks at calf levels, but are rare. Children's legs were mostly covered. In the cases od dresses connonky by pantalettes. A Chandler portrait provides a good example.

The 1850s

New photographic types appeared in the 1850s, the tin-type and ambrotype. Both of the new types were less expensive than Dags and the number of photographic images increased, but the posing and lon pants that most boys wore continue to provide little information about hosiery. Naive artists provide some limited imagery.

The 1860s

We begin to notice more younger boys wearing shortened-length pants in the 1860s, both bloomer knickers and knee pants. This and the greater number of of images because of the popularity of CDVs as well as poseing contraints means that we know a great deal about hosiery in the 1860s. Most boys seem to have worn stockings rather than socks. The fact that the knee pants are often quite long meands that the stockings did not need to be very long. We see a variety of stockings. We note mostly light colored stockings, even white stockings. A good example is a tintype of an unidentitied boy. Striped long stockings were fashionable in the 1860s and 70s. While we mostly see children wearing long stockings in the 1860s, we do see a few boys wearing socks, almost always whire socks. A good example is Benjamin Morris Whilock in fashionable New York City. This was more common in Europe. We begin to see striped stockings by the end of the decade.

The 1870s

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 children still worelong stockings, but colors and patterns changed. White stockings were very common in the 1860s. We note mani childten both boys and girls wearing striped stockings in the 1870s. A few girls still wore white sockings, but they were not very common. And we see both genders wearing dark stockings. But 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, brioghter 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.

The 1880s

Long stockings continued to be common for American children. American boys in the late-19th century gradually wore knee pants morec commonly. We see more boys wearing them and by the end of the decade, somewhat older boys. As the knee pants fashion became a convention for boys we see more and more boys wearing long stockings. Almost all boys except the very youngest wore long stockings with kneepants as wel as skirted garments like dresses and kilts. Boys commonly wore long stockings, except for the very youngest. We still see striped stockings in the 1880s, especially the early-80s. My-mid-decade the single colored stiockings were more common. We generally see dark colors. Solid colored stockings were increasingly common by the 1880s, especially black stockings.

The 1890s

Knee pants became almost universal for American boys in the 189s. Even older teenagers might wear them by the end of the decade, especially if they were still in school. Both boys and girls very commonly wore black long stockings. Black was not the only color worn, but the photographic record suggests that it was by far the most common color. It is not possible to discern colors, but it usually is possible to identify black and white stockings. White was not very common at the beginning of the decade, but we see white increasing in importance by the end of the decade. Black and other dark shades were widely worn by both boys and girls. White was much commonly worn by girls, but we see younger boys wearing white stockings as well by the end of the decade. Black stockings would continuec to be popular in the early-20th century, but the q890s is the first time we see them in really large numbers.

Created: 1:23 AM 9/29/2007
Last updated: 3:07 AM 1/7/2023