American Mail Order Catalogs and Articles with Boys Clothings: 1908


Figure 1.--Younger boys still wore dresses in 1908, although the convention was declining in popularity. We believe these patterns appeared in the "Ladies Home Journl" during 1908. Several dresses were offerred for "little tots", meaning both boys and girls could wear them. One dress was specifically for a boy, although the ad copy explains that a little girl could also wear it. Of course this is meant to widen the potential market for the pattern.

Younger boys in 1908 might still wear dresses, although the convention was becoming less common. Older boys wore both kneepants and knickers. Buster Brown and other tunic suits were poular for younger boys. Kneepants were still common, bit gradually being replaced by knickers. The knickers had largely, but not entirely replaced kneepants for older boys. Kneepants were more common for younger boys, although there were knicker suits for them as well. Boys and girls still commonly wore long stockings rather than kneesocks. Black long stockings were very common. Younger boys and girls of all ages might wear while long stockings.

Dresses

Younger boys still wore dresses in 1908, although the convention was declining in popularity. Ladies Home Journl offered children's dress patterns for mothers. The Journal offered several dresses for "little tots", meaning both boys and girls could wear them. One dress was specifically for a boy, although the ad copy explains that a little girl could also wear it. Of course this is meant to widen the potential market for the pattern.

Kilt Suits

Kilt suits had been popular in the late-19th century and we still see them after the turn of the 20th century. As far as we can tell, the syule had disappeared for boys by 1908. At least we have not yet found an example of a kilt suit being offered. We believe the kilt suit was largely replaced by the popular tunic suits which were done in the same size range as kilt suits.

Tunic Suits

A variety of tunic suits were popular for younger boys in 1908. There were tunics in a varirty of styles, including sailor Russian, and Buster Brown styles. Buster Brown suits became rather the symbol fr the era--perhaps because of the cartoon strip. Actully sailor tunics were probably more common.

McCalls tunic suit pattern

This pattern was published by The McCall Pattern Company. McCalls described it as a "Boy's Suit, having knickerbocker trousers." Minimal directions. The pattern dates circa 1908-1909. Suggested fabrics were chambray, cheviot, galatea cloth, khaki cloth, cotton crash, linene, linen, serge, and percale. The colors were cadet blue, white, navy blue, natural, tan, and pink. MThe materials required were 2-7/8 Yds. 36" fabric. The pattern was for a boy 4 years old. We at first thought that this as a Buster Brown suit, but we note many sailor styling features.

Blouses


Shirts


Linene detachable collars

This is a very interesting ad illustrating the variety of boys' stiff detachable collars worn with their shirts and attached by means of collar buttons at back and front. Since collars soiled more easily than the rest of the shirt, they could be removed and replaced without sending the worn shirt to the laundry. Detachable collars remained in existence into the 1930s in America and continued to be worn with evening dress shirts much longer than that. The collars advertised here look like linen but are actually made of a discardable material (like stiff paper) and can be discarded after use.

Suits

Knickers suits by 1909 had mostly replaced kneepants suits for older boys, although they could still be found. Kneepants suits were more common for younger boys.

Coats


Pants

Kneepants were still common, bit gradually being replaced by knickers. The knickers had largely, but not entirely replaced kneepants for older boys. Kneepants were more common for younger boys, a

Hosiery

Boys and girls still commonly wore long stockings rather than kneesocks. Black long stockings were very common. Younger boys and girls of all ages might wear while long stockings.

Underwear

The primary underwear for men and children in the late-19th and early 20th century was the union suit. We have just begun to collect information on underwear in 1908. We have found an advertisement for a Nazareth waist union suit. It's one of the earliest ads we have found for for waist union suits. HBC has generally dated the invention of waist union suits (the combination of a child's union suit with an underwaist in a single garment) to the 1910s. But the Nazareth Waist Company (founded in Nazareth, Pennsylvania) was one of the more important innovators in this style of garment, and here we have an advertisement in the Kansas City Star newspaper. Such advertisements were common at the time.







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Created: April 14, 2002
Last updated: 1:07 AM 1/30/2009