Figure 1.-- Boys of course wore suspenders mostly with knee pants although they could of course also be worn with more grown-up long pants. Notice the boy doing a hand stand in the illustration to show that these suspenders have the maximum amount of give and won't restrict a boy's movements in any way. |
We note an ad for boys' "President" suspenders. "President" was a brand of suspenders made for both men and boys. There were numerous ads for "President Suspenders" in 1901 issues of "The Youth's Companion". Boys of course wore suspenders mostly with knee pants although they could of course also be worn with more grown-up long pants. Notice the boy doing a hand stand in the illustration to show that these suspenders have the maximum amount of give and won't restrict a boy's movements in any way.
We note an ad for boys' "President" suspenders. "President" was a brand of suspenders made for both men and boys. The manufacturer was the C. A. Edgarton Mfg. Co., Box 274, Shirley, Mass."
There were numerous ads for "President Suspenders" in 1901 issues of The Youth's Companion. The magazine described itself as "An Illustrated Weekly Paper For Young People and the Family." It was established in 1827. The magazine was published in Boston, Massachusetts, by the Perry Mason Company, 201 Columbus Avenue. It appeared under this title until 1929. It was in the late 19th century one of the most popular weekly periodicals in America and known for the quality of the writing. The magazine catered to teen-age boys and girls especially, containing articles on sports, on hobbies, and on various literary and cultural interests. But it was really a family magazine and had many advertisements for clothing, both adult and children's. The magagazine had a very strict policy about the advertising carried because its readers were mostly children.
Boys of course wore suspenders mostly with knee pants although they could of course also be worn with more grown-up long pants. Notice the boy doing a hand stand in the illustration to show that these suspenders have the maximum amount of give and won't restrict a boy's movements in any way. Many parents preferred suspenders to belts for growing boys because there was less binding at the waist and also because boys' hips were small at younger ages and allowed trousers to slip down too easily.
Note the special, rather complicated back with elastic straps and cords, presumably to allow for greater freedom of movement. "President" suspenders were made for both men and boys, but The Youth's Companion ads emphasize the model for
boys. They must have been fairly popular because these ads kept reappearing issue after issue in the magazine. . The ad copy read, ""Turn him Loose in President Suspenders. Give a boy all the freedom of motion he can get. Special sizes for boys. Price 50 cts. Sold everywhere; or we
will mail a pair post-paid on receipt of price. State what color you prefer."
Suspenders are called braces in Britain.
It seems that Americans and Brits can never agree as to the right side for things. A British reader writes, "The pants are interesting, because they appear to have a single back
pocket placed on the left side. This side of the Atlantic we would
expect to see a single back pocket (supposed to be the mark of superior tailoring!) on the right. When double back pockets are cut into trousers, the pocket that fastens with a button (unless both of them do so) is the right hand one. I believe over there it is the left."
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