Figure 1.--Here we see three unidentified brothers wearing matching knicker suits with bowties. The only difference is their long stockings. Their ages are not indicated, but would fll within the 5-11 year age range. The older boy could be 11 years old, but to us looks more like age 10 years. The portrait also is not dated. We would guess it was taken bout 1930, in part because they seem to be wearing long stockings rather than knee socks which became more common in the 30s.

Knee pants when they first appeared in the mid-19th century were worn by younger boys, but not so much 10 year olds. By the 1870s we see 10-year old wearing them and quite a number of 10-year olds by the 1880s, although more boys wore long pants in rural areas until the 1890s. By the late-80s, it was common for 10-year olds to wear knee pants. When knickers replaced knee pants (1910s), the same age conventions for knee pants were simply transfred to knickers. An exception was rural areas. At the same time knickers replaced knee pants, overalls appeared in rural schols. And many of the boys in the age range for knickers wore overalls instead. Virtually all 10 year olds in urban areas wore knickers and knicker suits. Most school age boys wore knickers in the 1910s and 20s and quite a few did in the 30s as well. Suits were a different matter. Suits were common at school in the 1910s and to a lesser extnt the 1920s. We continue to see knickers in the 1930s, but less commonly as part of suits. Here school level was a factor. Boys at 10 were till in elementary (primary) schools where most of the boys wore knickers during the 1910s-30s. Only in the late-30s do we note significant change. We still some 10-year olds wearing knickers in the early-40s, but rarely after mid-century when knickers disppeared for all age groups.

Created: 12:14 PM 8/23/2017
Last updated: 12:14 PM 8/23/2017