Figure 1.--Here we see a boy in a white dress wearing white long stockings. The portrait is undated, but the style of the card looks liike the 1870s to us.

Assessing long stocking colors is difficult in the 1870s. The black and white photography provides few clues and clothing catalogs which often specify colors are not common. We notice younger boys wearing white stockings with dresses, especially white long stockings. Kneepants and long stockings became increasingly popular in the 1870s. We note both dark colored stockings and striped stockings. Boys and girls also wore white stockings. A good example is n unidentified boy, we believe in the 1870s. We are not sure about the actual colors of the striped socks or the age and color conventions. The black stockings that were common later are not nearly as common in the 1870s. Note for example an Ohio boy in the late 1860s or 1870s who wears light-colored long stockings with stripes. We note one fashion magazine in 1878 showing a boy wearing light-colored stiockings.

Created: 3:08 AM 8/26/2005
Last updated: 1:49 AM 1/31/2006