Figure 1.--This undated CDV portrait shows two unidentified brothers wearing fashionable knicker outfits with white long stockings. The older boy wears a suit. The younger boy wears a button-on outfit. The length of the knickers like knee pants at the time were quite long--calf length. Notice the matching rounded-crown hats and how narrow the brims are. The portrait was taken by the J. Gurney & Sons, Broadway, New York. The portrait is undated, but looks to us like the late-1860s. Also notice the short hair which was becoming increasingly standard.

American boys mostly wore long pants in the 19th century. Long pants were almost exclusively worn in the early-19th century. Some boys might have worn knee breeches in the very early-19th century like their fathers. Boys actually were th first to wear long pants. Knee breeches were stnadard in the 18th centyry. Men began wearing long pants after the turn of the 19th century. Wwe think that long pants were becomung standard even in the 1810s. We are not entirely sure just when knickers first appeared. Photography in the form of Daguerrotypes provide quite a number of images for the 1840s and 50s, but the posing often does not tell us much about the trousers being worn. We believe some younger boys were wearing shortened-length pants, but we are not yet sure about the types. Some surely included knickers or bloomer knickers. We know much more about the 1860s. The predominate style was long pants, but we see younger boys wearing a variety of shortened length pants, including knee pants and knickers. It is a little difficult ti destinguish knickers from bloomer knickers. Knee pants seem more common among the shortened-length types in America. We notice boy suits with jackets and the button-on outfits younger boys wire. Knickers seem more popular in Europe. The lengths tended to be well below the knees. And by the 1870s we see mostly knee pants among younger boys. Long pants were more common. Bloomer knickers were worn with tunic suits. Knee pants became very common in the 1890s and became shorter. By the late-90s we see older boys wearing knee pants. Knickers were much less common. We do see younger boys wearing bloomer knickers with tunic suits.

Early-19th Century

American boys mostly wore long pants in the 19th century. Long pants were almost exclusively worn in the early-19th century. Some boys might have worn knee breeches in the very early-19th century like their fathers. Boys actually were th first to wear long pants. Knee breeches were stnadard in the 18th centyry. Men began wearing long pants after the turn of the 19th century. Wwe think that long pants were becomung standard even in the 1810s.

The 1840s

We are not entirely sure just when knickers first appeared. Photography in the form of Daguerrotypes provide quite a number of images for the 1840s. As best we can tell, boys aee wearing long pants in these early Dags. It is a little difficult to tell as most of these images are posed sitting down and often the legs which would show the oants are not clear. Akso notable is that many boys were not wearing suits.

The 1850s

We see some English boys wearing knickers in the 1850s, but have not yet found American exanple. There are a lot more 1850s photographs than 1840s photographs in the photographic record. We see more boys weat=ring suits in the 1850s, but we do not yet have examples of knicker suits. The standard posing still often cuts off the trousers being worn. We believe some younger boys may have been wearing shortened-length pants, but we are not yet sure about the types. Some surely included knickers or bloomer knickers. Long pants were, howeverr, the standard.

The 1860s

We know much more about the 1860s. Long pants for boys were still standard in the 1860s, even younger boys after breeching. And we see many more boys wearing suits. But we we begin to see younger boys wearing suits with both knickers and knee pants. And with the advent of the CDV we begin to see really large number of photograpohsic images including boys wearin suits. We believe that the shotened-length pants were most with fashionable mothers, mostly in the big northeastern cities. Notably the Lincoln boys always wore long pants suits. We begin to see more boys wearing shortened-length pants by the end of the decade, both knee pants and knickers. We see more knickers pants in the 60s than we see subsequently. This may be the British influence, we are not sure why. the portrait here is a good example (Figure 1). It is undated. We would guess it was taken in the 1860s, but the early-70s is possivle. White long stockinfs were common in the 60s.

The 1870s

Long pants were still standard for American boys in the 1870s, but we see more boys wearing shortened length pants. Knee pants were much more common than knickers. We are not surea bout the Early-70s, but this was certainly gthe case by the mid- and latter part of the decade. We notice boys' suits with jackets and the button-on outfits younger boys wire. Knickers seem more popular in Europe. The lengths tended to be well below the knees at calkf length. And by the 1870s we see mostly knee pants among younger boys. Long pants were more common. Bloomer knickers were worn with tunic suits.

The 1880s

We do not see many knicker suits in the 1880s. We do see Knee pants became steadily more commoin throughout the decade. Little Lord Fauntleroy suits became popular, but almost always were done with knee pants. In England they were mostly done with knickers. And by the end oif the decade we see older boysbeginning to wear knee oanys--rarely knickers.

The 1890s

Knee pants became very common in the 1890s and became shorter. They were no longer calg length, but actually knee length. By the late-90s we see older boys wearing knee pants. Knickers were much less common. We do see younger boys wearing bloomer knickers with tunic suits that became populkae=r in the kate -1890s. Knee oants were conmoonly worn by knee oants,a t least in the cities. We raeeky see them eraring kniockers. .

Created: 8:46 AM 3/20/2011
Last updated: 8:46 AM 3/20/2011