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Here are the knickers and knee pantsoffered by Sears in 1912. Ucanttear was a Searsbrandstressing hardwearing boys' clothes. Sears used the term knee pasnts to include knickers, probably because American boys had been wearing straight-leg knee pants for several decades. The sizes varied, but the overall range tended to be about 3-18 years of age. Here the Sears ranbfe was 3-17 years. There were 16 different choices, mostly differnt material. The different styles were Knickerbocker, bloomer, and straight-leg style. Blouses were offered on the same page. Sears had a rather rare ad copy, mostly foicused on why the pants were so inexpensiver. One pait only cost 15 cents. We were alittle surprised to find so many offerings for straight-leg knee pants. The photographic record shows American boys quickly adopting knickers after about 1908.
The Sears, Roebuck and Co., huge merchandising firm centered in Chicago was founded by Richard W. Sears (1863-1914) and A.C. Roebuck (1864-1948). Sears had begun a career in mail-order business in Minnesota 1886. In Chicago he and Roebuck joined resources and formed a corporation in 1893 as a mail-order business under title Sears, Roebuck and Company. Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) in 1895 bought Roebuck's interest in firm and became president on Sears's retirement 1908. A retail-store system was added 1925. The first foreign store added in Havana, Cuba during 1945 and becane te first expropriated store in 1960. The Sears-Roebuck brought the production of industry to the fartherest corner of rural America, opening the cornucopia of the consumer age to rural America. All the new things that were changing American life danced across their pages. Through it, a huge Chicago warehouse offers to modernize the farms and small towns of the Midwest.
Ucanttear was a Sears brand. It was of course Sears claim that these were garment that even boys couldn't tear up. The name is clearly an aliteration of "You can't tear," emphasizing the toughness of the product. We are not sure when Sears first began using this brand. We first note Ucantear suits in 1909. At thit time we see knicker suits. We see Ucantear junior suits in 1912. Here there were a number of tunic suits. We have also archived some vintage Ucanttear items. We also see Ucanteat blouses in 1912, they wereon the same page as the knee pants here, suggesting that they were worn together.
The Sears caption for the page read, "We sell knee pants for less than the materials alone would cost you if you were to make them yourself. To make this low price possible we havetaken advantage of every possible saving in manufacturing cost. Our fabrics are secured at practically no cost, bering remnants left over from the various brabches of our clothing depasrtments. Marvelous maschines, human like in their actions, are used in cutting, sewing, pressing, etc., producing several pairs of pants quicker, better andcheaper than if the entire opera\tions were performed by hand labor. By working on this basis of furnishing the best values for the money, we have built an enormous business in knee opants. You can order one pair or a dozen. Most of our custimers order at least six pairs at a time, inckuding their order with other goods selected from this catalog." The accomanying illustration show the three basic styles: Knickerbocker, bloomer, and straight-leg style (figure 1).
Sears offered 16 dufferent knee pants/knickers choices. There were three styles and many different fabrics offered. The sizes varies from garment to garment, but the overall range was 3-17 years. The price range was $0.15-1.05. olors incluse brown, gray, and navy blue in a variety of patterns. One offering had white knickers. Quite a few were done as straight-leg knee pants rather than knickers.
The adcopy read, "Everyday knee pants in straight style. Wool and cotton mixed medium weight aion cassimere in assorted gray and brown pattern. Taped through seat, side pockets, with facings, and buttons at knee. Suspender buttons on all sizes above 8 years. Closed fronts on sizes from 3-8 years. Sizes 3-16 years."
The adcopy read, " Regular straight style knee pants in assorted patterns. All full cut garmnents with side pockets, hip pocket, and taped seams in seat and legs. Materials comprise strong wool andcotton mixed fabrics. Suspender buttons on all sizes above 8 years. Sizes 4 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, "A Strong line of straught style school pants. Have side pockets, hip pocket, pocket facings, doubkle stitched abnd taped seams, and three buttons at knee. Made of medium weight wool and cotton mixed fabrics in a lrge vriety of patterns. Sizes 4 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " Regular straight style knee pants of thick set medium weight drab corduroy. Splendid wearing everyday pants suitable for year around wear. Have taped seams, side pockets, hip pocket, suspender buttons and fly fronts on all sizes above 9 years. Closed fronts on sizes 4 to 8 years. Sizes 4 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " Regular straight style knee pants for little fellows from 3 to 8 years. All seasonanle wool and cotton mixed in avariety i\of grey andbrown mixtures. Bloomer style with elastic bottoms, doubke stitched and taped seams, side povketsandone hip pocket. Sizes 3 to 8 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " Dark navy blue cotton serge bloomer pants for little fellows. Made with double stitched and taped seams, side pockets, one hip pocketand elastic bottoms. Very desirable for everyday wear. Sizes 3 to 8 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " Dark navy blue all wool worsted serge bloomers. Exceptional value. Guaranted pure worsted. Full lined. Have side pockerts, hip pocket and elastic bottoms. Sizes 3 to 8 years. State boy's age." The higher price was due to the all wool material andthe full lining.
The adcopy read, " Knickerbocker knee pants assorted brown and gray check patterns. Materials are a strong summer light cotton fabrics usually known as 'tropical worsted'. Neatly trimmed. Double stitched andtaoed seams. Belt loops, side pockets, one hip pocket, and straped buckle at the knee. Sizes 6 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, "Special values in knickerbocker knee pants from remanents. Large assortment of patternsin strong wool and cotton moxed fabric, suitable fir spring and summer . Side pockets with facings, hip pocket. strap and puckle at kne, and double stiched and taped seams. Sizes 6 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " 75 -cent value in knickerbocker knee pants from remnants, comprising hard finish medium weight wool and cotton mixed fabrics. Have belt loops, stap and buckle at knee, side pockets, hip pocket, pocket facings and double stutched and taped seams. Sizes 6 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, " Knickerbocker knee pants of dark navy blue cotton serge. Splendid wearing everyday pants usually sold at 75 cents. Have belt loops, side pockets, hip pocket and strap and buckle at knee. Souble stitched and taped seams. Sizes 6 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, "Knickerbocker knee pants of dark drab thick set corduroy. Medium weight but suitable for year around wear. Have doubke stiched and taped seams. side pockets with facings, belt loops and strap and buckle at knee. Sizes 6 to 16 years. State boy's age."
The adcopy read, "Full peg top style knickerbocker knee pants. Cut extra full. Materials are strictly pure wool worsted fabrucs in assorted dark strip patterns . Have side pockets, hip pocket, watch pocket, belt loops and strap and buckle at knee. Full lined. Sizes 9 to 17 years. State boy's age." The pure wool andfull lining were the primary reason. Most of the other pants here were not lined. Pants today are not kined, but the better pants
in the 19th and 20th century (until after mid-century) were lined. Weare not sure about the age conventiins here as of course it does not show up in the photographic record. Nor are we sure about the age conventions, but it was not just for children. Notice the sizing heredoes not include the younger boys.
The adcopy read, "$1.05 value in pure wool worsred navy blue serge Knickerbocker pants. Latest full peg top style with side pockets, hip pocket, watch pocket, belt loops, taped and serged seams, and full lined. Sizes 9 to 17 years. State boy's age." Thisisthe most expensive pair of pants. The pure wool and full lining were the primary reason. Most of the other pants here were not lined.
The adcopy read, "Straight style knee pants of washable fabrics. Inexpensive garments in asorted neat stripe patterns. Have sude pockets and three buttons at knee. Very comfortable for hot weather wear. Sizes 3 to ?? years. State boy's age." The older age range is cut off in the scan, but we suspect it was about 10 years. The idea of washable pants of course means cotton fabrics without wool. And raises the issue of just how the wool fabric mixtures were laundered.
The adcopy read, " Bloomer pants of washable fabrics. A large variety of colors and patterns; some plain white. Made in bloomer style with side pockets and elastic bottoms. Worth 30 cents. Sizes 3 to 10 years. State boy's age."
There are a lot of interesting details here about how boys dressed in 1912. We see the color of pants boys wore: brown, navy blue, and grey. We get details about pockets which the ad copy seems especially concerned with. The more wxpensive pants for older boys have a watch pocket. Wrist warcheswere not yet common. Several specify closed front and fky openings. Some pants had belt loops. Others were heldup with suspenders. Younger boys might have neither. They commonly wore under and suspender waists which had buttons. They both held up long stockings and pants, making dressing a rather complicated adventure for the younger children. Pants fir them would have had button holes for the buttons on the waists. The issue here was both long stocking supporters and trouser suspension. Sears was offering both knee pants and knickers for older and younger boys. This is interesting because the photographic record suggests that boys, especially older biysbegan wearing mostly knickers. This is, however, only a few years after knickers first became popular in America (about 1908). We suspect that sbnsequent Sears catalogs focused mostly on knickers. Note that the one ollustration on this Ucanttear pagewith aboy illustrated, shows him wearing knickers. A reader writes, "To me the interesting part here is the age difference. Boys with suspenders basically dressed themselves. Boys under size 8 apparently had button on pants that someone may have had to helped them dress, especially the boysunder 8 year sold. The whole process was a little complicated. Also, 1912 older boys still wore straight pants. Younger boys wore bloomer styled (elastic leg knickers) presumably because they were too young to buckle the knee closure on older boy style which were called Knickerbockers." We are not sure just when the elasticised knicker leg bottoms first appeared, but ar\t leastwe know they were available by 1912.
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