Figure 1.--Here we see an American boy wearing a double-brested knee pants suit in 1917. He is in the family parlor an uncharcterically wearing a hat indoors. We don't know the location, but my guess is that it was a small town or rurl area, because by 1917 knickers were more stylish. We have an interesting look at the parlor of an American home. Note the matching oriental carpets and the hanging chandelier with a ruffled skirt around it. The source tells us only that the boy's name is Craig and that he is 14 years old.

Here we see an American boy wearing a double-brested knee pants suit in 1917. He is in the family parlor an uncharcterically wearing a hat indoors. We don't know the location, but my guess is that it was a small town or rurl area, because by 1917 knickers were more stylish. We have an interesting look at the parlor of an American home. Note the matching oriental carpets and the hanging chandelier with a ruffled skirt around it. The parlor here does not look like that of an affluent city home, but more like a rural home. The source tells us only that the boy's name is Craig and that he is 14 years old. Boys commonly wore flat caps in the 1910s, but for for formal occassions, teenagers might wear more adult styles. The fedora hat makes him look quite grown up as does the double breasted suit worn with a neatly tied necktie. But of course the knee pants (notice the three ornamental buttons) and the long black stockings very neatly held up, probably with a suspender waist or skeleton waist with supporters (later referred to in the catalogs as a "garter waist"), show that he is still considered very much a juvenile. The furniture (the rocking chair with cushion) shows that the period is definitely late 1910s or early 1920s. The hightop shoes are also typical of schoolboy dress, but we wonder if Craig here has perhaps finished school and is part of the work force. Many American boys after the 8th grade did not go on to high school. It was more common for Amerivan boys to opersue secondary studies than in Europe at the time, but still many boys quit school at age 14, especially in rural areas.

Created: 4:18 AM 7/22/2007
Last updated: 4:18 AM 7/22/2007