Figure 1.-- This page of the Eatin's SpringSummer 1907 catalog (page 65) offered different styles of knee pants Norfolk suits. |
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Eaton's had several pages on suits, showing that boys still very commonly wore suits. One page shows the variety of styles of knee pants suits that were fashionable. The styles seem very similar to the United States. Norfolk styling seems especially popular. Canadian boys up to the age of at least 14 years wore knee pants suits. These styles show both single and double-breasted models. These are dress-up clothes for boys from about 10 to 16. The sizes are chest circumferences. In the 1907 catalog there is a variety of knee pants suits in chest sizes 29-33 (which is roughly up to size 16 or perhaps even 17). No long trousers are shown for boys with chest sizes smaller than 34 (which is about 18 years old). These are called "Young Men's and
Youths' Suits" and the offerings are rather sparse--only about half a page. So the impression we get is that in 1907 in Canada (an by extension the United States), all boys wore knee pants until at least 16 and some boys wore them until age 17. This means that a boy's first long trousers would not be acquired until the final year of high school and maybe not even then. We see high school graduation pictures of high school boys with a mixture of knee pants and long trousers in the first decade of the 20th century.
Here is another offering from the Eaton's Spring and Summer catalog (1907), p. 65, showing a variety of Norfolk style suits for boys from about 12 to 16. They are almost entirely knee pants suits, but one style has "Bloomer knickers" instead. The sizes are chest sizes--from 29 to 33 (which is approximately age 12 to age 16,
although the size of boys' chests can vary of course. It is interesting that the catalog shows no long trousers suits for "boys" although there is a category of youths and young men that seems to include boys in the 18-21 age span. With all these suits of course long black stockings were universally worn.
Here are a selection of single- and double-breasted two- and three-piece suits offered by Eatons in the Spring-Summer 1907 catalog (page 64). This page shows the variety of styles of knee pants suits that were
fashionable in Canada, actully North America as the styles seem virtually identical to those worn in the United States. All boys up to the age of at least 14 wore knee pants suits. These are dress-up clothes for
boys from about 10 to 16. The sizes are chest circumferences. Notice that all the suits are worn exclusively with long black stockings and high-top shoes. The illustrations also shows popular headwear styles.
There was two three-piece suit offered for younger boys. They were included on the page with sailor suits. E3-2030 was a “Vestee” Suits of Grey Fancy Worsted, separate vest with detachable front, as cut E3-2030. Sizes 22 to 26. $5.00." E3-2031 was a “Vestee” Suit of Navy blue Clay Worsted, as cut E3-2030 $5.50."
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