Figure 1.-- This unidentified cabinet card is undated. We believe it was taken around the turn of the 20th ccentury about 1900-05, but it could have neen taken in the late-1890s. The boy wears a Norfolk tweed suit with a watch chain. Notice that the knee hem buttons are actual functioning buttons and not just decorative. Notice the flat cap. He sits on a prop stone railing. The photographer was Frank Pearsall, noted photographer and inventor of his time, prominent Brooklynite. The cabinet card was sligtly large than the standard cabinet card, same size and style as his 'knarfographs' --s Approximately 4-11/16" x 7-1/16".

Buttons were important with knee pants, both stylisitically and fuctionally. The most obvious usage was the buttons at the knee hem--usually three buttond arranged vertically. We these buttons commoly in the photographic record. The origins of this were the knee breeches commonly worn in the 18th century. There were no elasticized hosiery tops or elasticized stocking supporters. The buttons were used to hold up the stockings men and boys wore at the time. The hem buttons on boys' knee pants worn in the late-19th and early-20th century were mostly decorative, sewn on without button holes. It is difficult to tell in many avaiable images, but it certaibly looks like it. Now some knee pants were done with knee hem buttons that actually worked, but our asessment is that this was the rxception rather than the rule. In add ition to the mostly decorative buttons, fuctionla buttons ertr used to hold the pants up and/or to hold up a front flap or a fly. Buttons on blouses and stocking supporters fitted into button holes at the waist. There were also button on the waist to which suspenders could be attached. Unlike the other buttons mentioned here, this was also the case for men's trouse

Created: 10:18 AM 1/12/2020
Last updated: 10:18 AM 1/12/2020