Figure 1.-- Here we see the entering class of 1935--those who would normally have graduated in 1939 (figure 1). Most of the boys have already been promoted to long trousers and wear suits, either two-piece double breasted suits or three- piece single breasted suits. But two of the lads are still in knickers. Clock on the image to see a 1935 group. Images courtesy of WRA.

Knickers were commonly worn in the 1930s, although by the late 30s they were increasinglty being worn by the younger boys as the popularity over the decade declined. The school archivist has supplied several photographs from various years during the 1930s. The pattern as to who wore long pants and who wore knickers sems quite varoes and the overall pattern is not quite clear.

1930

A photograph shows two boys at a cabin in the north woods near the school in 1930. The boys seem to be about 16 or 17. Note that one still wears a knicker suit with plain colored stockings while his friend wears long trousers and a casual jacket. Both boys, however, wear formal shirts and ties even though they are in the woods.

1931

Another photograph shows Bill Matthews wearing a knicker suit in 1931. Bill was in the class of 1933, so the photograph was taken 2 years before he graduated--i.e., in 1931. Bill is only 16 in this photograph although the glasses make him look a bit older. Notice that his tweed knickers are more like plus-fours of the sort that were popular with adult golfers, but I suspect that his parents still were not permitting him to wear longies. The decision about when a boy was allowed to graduate to longies rested pretty much with his parents even though WRA is a boarding school and quite a few boys came from other states. The school had no specific uniforms, but dress codes, which didn't specify whether a boy should wear knickers or longies, were fairly strictly enforced. Boys, for instance, had to wear shirts and ties to meals and to class. In this photo, Bill Matthews seems to be heading for the gym with what looks like some sort of athletic garment over his arm. I haven't been able to figure out exactly what he is carrying. Notice the sleevless sweater, the open-necked white shirt, and the beige stockings worn with the knickers. These could have been long over-the-knee stockings (which some boys wore with knickers) or unpatterned knee socks.

1934

None of the images we have dhow what the boys actually wore to their classes. Some photographs are rather formal suggesting they dressed up for them. Others or informal suggesting that they were taken after classes. We do have one photgraph taken in the cafeteria at lunch, suggesting that the boys just came from their classes. This photo shows WRA boys having lunch in the dining hall. This photo is dated 1934. Most seem to be wearing knickers--at least the boy with the tray and the boy seated at table with his back to the camera. Note that some boys are wearing suits while others wear pullover sweaters with shirts and ties. The two boys whose legs we can see both wear patterned knee socks.

1935

Here we see the entering class of 1935--those who would normally have graduated in 1939 (figure 1). Most of the boys have already been promoted to long trousers and wear suits, either two-piece double breasted suits or three-piece single breasted suits. But two of the lads are still in knickers. The second boy from the right in the front row wears a double breasted knicker suit with rather sporty patterned knee socks. The lad standing next to him seems to come from a slightly more conservative tradition. He wears a dark knicker suit with plain beige stockings and a shirt with a large open collar that folds over his suit jacket. His style of dress seems to be a bit less grown-up than the others. Maybe he was precocious and only 12 or 13 at the time. He looks a bit shorter in stature than his mates. Another factor to consider is that these boys look to be weating their best suits. They were, however, sent to school with more than one suit and pair of pants. We suspect that some of these boys may haved had a long pants suit for best, but otherwise wore knickers. Another photograph shows a boy in 1935 working on a natural history/art project.

1936

We see an older class group with more boys wearing knickers in 1936 (click on figure 1). This group does not seem to be wearing their best suits, which may explain why more boys are wearing knickers. The boys shown here seem to be about 15 or 16. About half wear knickers and the other half long trousers. Most of the boys are in suits although two or three wear knickers that don't match their jackets. Again there are two styles of hosiery--the patterned knee socks and the plain beige or tan stockings. Note the large collar worn by the second boy from the left in the front row. It looks almost like an Eton collar.

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Created: April 22, 2004
Last updated: April 22, 2004