Figure 1.--Short pants became standard English schoolwear in the early-20th century. Beginning in the 1920s many schools adopted short pants as part of the school uniform. Few state primaries had uniforms until the 1960s, but most boys wore short pants as part of their own clothes. These boys anout 1980 go to the prep division of a private college (k-12) school.

We see very young English boys wearing short pants with socks during the late-19th century. This is something you do mot see in America, even quite young American boys wore long stockings. School age boys did not wear short pants with socks in the 19th century. There were shortened length pants worn to school, including knee pants and knickers, but not short pants. The shortened-length pants were always worn with long stockings or long socks pulled up high. English boys mostly wore knee pants, but you also see knickers being worn at private schols and grammar schools that had set uniforms. This continued into the 20th century. You see some boys wearing what look somewhat like short pants and knee socks. Here the Boy Scouts were surely a facor in popularizing short pants. But at a school rarely is the whole knee seen because the knee pants were somewhat longer than short pants. After the turn of the century short trousers also appeared, especially after World War I (1914-18). It is only in the 1920s that short pants become common, especially by mid-decade. Shorts became a litle shorter in the 1930s, but continued rather long and baggy into the 1950s. From that point short pants became standard wear for English school boys. Shorts were syill common in the 60s. We begin to see shorter trimer cut shorts like tose worn on the continent in the 1960s. We also see more and more boys wearing long pants until they were fairly standard by the 1990s. Mny shools had uniforms in which shorts pants were required. This was especially the case of private school, especially preparatory schools. Before Workd War II, state primaries did not require unifiorms. After the war, especially by the 1960s we begin to see many primary schools requiring uniforms. Short persisted as part of school uniform a little longer than was the case in popular fashion. We behin to see longer shorts in the late-80s. By the 1990s, shorts were becoming less common even in the private schools.

The 19th Century

We begin to see shortened-length pants in the mid-19th century. There were noth knee pants and knickers. The first shortened-length pants we see were for very young boys. Very we soon we see younger school boys wearing them. We see very young English boys wearing short pants with socks during the late-19th century. This is something you do mot see in America, even quite young American boys wore long stockings. School age boys did not wear short pants with socks in the 19th century. There were shortened length pants worn to school, including knee pants and knickers, but not short pants. The shortened-length pants were always worn with long stockings or long socks pulled up high. English boys mostly wore knee pants, but you also see knickers being worn at private schols and grammar schools that had set uniforms.

The 20th Century

English school boys continued to wear shortened-length pants into the 20th century. You see some boys wearing what look somewhat like short pants and knee socks. Here the Boy Scouts were surely a factor in popularizing short pants. Boy Scouting began (1906) and very quickly became very popular. But at school rarely even in the 1910s is the whole knee seen because the knee pants were somewhat longer than short pants. After the turn of the century short trousers also appeared, especially after World War I (1914-18). It is only in the 1920s that short pants become common, especially by mid-decade. Shorts became a litle shorter in the 1930s, but continued rather long and baggy into the 1950s. From that point short pants became standard wear for English school boys. Shorts were syill common in the 60s. We begin to see shorter trimer cut shorts like tose worn on the continent in the 1960s. We also see more and more boys wearing long pants until they were fairly standard by the 1990s. Mny shools had uniforms in which shorts pants were required. This was especially the case of private school, especially preparatory schools. Before Workd War II, state primaries did not require unifiorms. After the war, especially by the 1960s we begin to see many primary schools requiring uniforms. Short persisted as part of school uniform a little longer than was the case in popular fashion. We behin to see longer shorts in the late-80s. By the 1990s, shorts were becoming less common even in the private schools.

Created: 3:53 AM 9/10/2017
Last updated: 3:53 AM 9/10/2017