Figure 1.--The Sears Spring and Summer catalog also offered these short sets in a wide variety of styles. The age range varies, but most were available in sizes 2-8 years. A few were availanle to size 10.

Here Sears offers hosiery under its Boysville brand, both long stockings and kneesocks. The Sears ad cooy is written so the hosiery here seems to be for both boys and girls. The only indication that refers primarily to boys is a reference to the fact that boys seem to like bold patterns. Sears as was the general approach only offers patterns in the knee socks, not the long stockings. We are not sure why this was. Kneesocks seems to have been seen as a more sporty style. In this ad, the long stockings are more prominant than kneesocks which suggest to us that they were more widely worn, at leat during the Winter.

Sears

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. In 1895 Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) 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.

Chronology

This Sears ad for boys' stockings appeared in the Fall and Winter catalog (1930), p. 178. This may explain in part the prominance give to the long stockings.

Boyville

Boyville was the Sears store brand for boys' clothing. I'm not sure if there was any similar store brand for girls' clothing. The Boyville brand is a little misleading in that boys and girls wore basically the same hosiery. This hosiery page is labeled, " Boyville Real Stockings for Real Boys". The asd copy except for the bold-pattern knee sicks is writen for "children", a gender neutral term meaning boys and girls. There are even white lock stickings which few boys would have worn in 1930. This is reflected in the illustrations which show both boys and girls.

Patterns

Notice that the long tockings are done in solid colors while the kneesocks were done in patterns. We are not sure why this was the case. The only idea that occurs to us is that kneesocks were considered a sporty style. We also note that in Europe the pattern kneesoxks were much less common. The solid colored kneesicks were more common than the ones with patterns.

Garments

Here Sears offers hosiery under its Boysville brand, both long stockings and kneesocks. The Sears ad cooy is written so the hosiery here seems to be for both boys and girls. The only indication that refers primarily to boys is a reference to the fact that boys seem to like bold patterns. Sears as was the general approach only offers patterns in the knee socks, not the long stockings. We are not sure why this was. Kneesocks seems to have been seen as a more sporty style. In this ad, the long stockings are more prominant than kneesocks which suggest to us that they were more widely worn, at leat during the Winter. The kneesocks at the top right are apparently for boys mainly and are the "Boyville" brand. Note the triple-thread reinforcement at the top where the greatest wear comes--i.e. over the knee and at the top where the supporters would be attached. At the bottom the two styles shown are for either boys or girls. One of the styles of long stockings advertised can supposedly be worn turned down to make knee length hosiery. This claim seems a little untrustworthy and is probably included to appeal to children who were rebelling against their parents' insistence that they wear over-the-knee stockings in winter.

Three thread tops

This was the long stockings at the upper left. The ad copy read, "Pairs for 69 c. Postpaid. 86D2611--Black 86D2612--Dark Brown Sizes 5 1/2 to 10. State Size. We Pay the Postage. Just try to beat this value! These are good strong two-thread up to the knee, three-thread all the rest of the way up. And the cotton we use is better than most makers put into this kind of stocking. Flat knit feet. Reinforced heels and toes. We call these stockings "virtually holeproof" and you'll understand why when you've tried them."

Knee length

This was the kneesocks at the upper right. The ad copy read, "3 Pairs for 69 c. Postpaid. 86D2897--Assorted colors in patterns similar to illustration. Sizes 7 to 10. State size. We Pay the Postage. Take a look at the fellows at the ball games, at the camps, at the schools, and you'll notice that a young man likes a good clear pattern, he likes good tones but not too bright, and he likes a sock that can take the fences and trees without trouble. That's just what this sock is for. The yarn is good, sturdy, combed cotton. Reinforced toes and heels. Fast colors. A real value.

Fine gauge

This was the long stockings at the bottom left. The ad copy read, " Fine Gauge Combed Cotton 3 Pairs for 50 c. Postpaid. 86D2614--Black 86D2615--French Tan 86D2616--White 86D2617--Camel color 86D2619--Dark brown Sizes 5 1/2 to 9 1/2 Thousands of healthy rough and tumble youngsters are wearing these, they're probably the best stocking offered for less than twenty cents. All good, sturdy, fine combed cotton yarns. Very fine ribbed, neat fitting legs, smooth seamless feet. Good colors. Wear resisting reinforcements in heel and toe. Correct unskimped sizes. Real honest to goodness value; low price because this is Sears Roebuck and Co.! We Pay the Postage.

Fancy ribbed

This was the long stockings at the bottom right. The ad copy read, "3 Pairs for 59 c. Postpaid. 86D2647--Black 86D2648--Dark Brown 86D2649--Camel color 86D2650--Gray 86D2651--French Tan Sizes 6 to 10. State size. We just want you children to notice this stocking, and we want the fathers and mothers to notice the price. You see the ribbing is a little different from that on other stockings. Ask Mother if she's ever seen a Ribbed-to-the-Toe stocking, made out of good combed cotton at such a low price. The sizes are right, the heels and toes are reinforced, the yarn is two-ply and the colors are laundry fast. The tops on these stockings are so made that they can be turned down and worn as knee length hose. Value supreme. [HBC Note: Since there are no knit-in garters in these stockings, boys who wore them turned down as knee-length stockings would have to wear round garters in order to keep them from falling down.]

Sizing

The analysis of long stockings is complicated by the fact that the sizes specified in catalogs and advertisements have no relationship to the age of the child. We are no even sure that there were standard sizes among manufacturers. Some retailers provide customers corresponding shoe sizes. Others provide heighth information. This is further complicated because sizing standards have changed and are differnt from modern standards. Another complication is that there was a numbering system for smaller and larger children which appears to mean younger and older children. We have collected some of these size charts so that readers can assess the ages for which the stockings were made.

Sizes

The hosiery here ranges from size 5 1/2/7 to 10. Notice that the major difference is in the sizing of tghe kneesocks. The long stockings were sized from 5 1/2/6 to 10 while the knees socks were sized 7 to 10. This means that the boys from 2/4 to 17 yeats of age wore long stockings. The kneesocks were fror boysd from 6-17 years old.

Pants

All of the illustrations in the Sears ad look to HBC to be wearing knickers rather than short psnts. A HBC reader disagrees. He writes, "The line figures in the background at the top of the ad are certainly wearing knickers. But I think the boy at the bottom with the girl is wearing short pants. There is no blousing here that I can see. So I think this boy at the bottom is not wearing knickers. Anyway, weren't above-the-knee knickers more or less passe in 1930? The line figures at the top don't seem to have their knickers bloused above the knee. I could be wrong about the timing, I realize." HBC believes that by the 1930s most boys were earing their knickers bucled below the knee. This Sears ad of course is just at the beginning of the decade. Also these are illustrations which may not be fully reflecting trends on g=how real bows wire their knickers.

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Created: 4:25 PM 10/19/2004
Last updated: 4:25 PM 10/19/2004