Figure 1.--This photograph is interesting because of the variety of the clothes shown. This family snapshot is undated, but based on the clothing was probably taken in the late 1920s. the porch they are sitting on was an important part of American homes before World War II. Here the transition from black stockings to tan stockings can be seen. Here we have two California boys wearing long stockings in the 1920s--the younger one wearing beige stockings and the older one wearing black. The age difference may be significant to the color choice in this instance although both boys are fairly young. The 1920s was a transitional decade for stocking color.

In this decade we begin to get more long stocking ads with actual illustrations of the product sold. In 1922 Wards was offering long stockings for boys and girls in black, white, and dark brown. Presumably white would be chosen mainly for girls or for quite young boys (as a dressy alternative to darker shades), but black was still a very important color. Double-knee hosiery for boys (a standard school stocking) was available only in black. In 1923 black, brown, dark brown, and white long stockings were available for sale, but black dominated the Sears and Wards markets for boys, especially older boys who wore black stockings with above-the-knee knickers. The Saturday Evening Post covers of the 1920s tend to show boys wearing black long stockings. One of the covers shows a girl in white stockings. In 1924 black was offered more often than any other color in the catalogs although brown, dark brown, sand (grayish tan), buff (light tan), birch (light tan) and white were offered in several of the ads. Considerable detail is available in the Sears 1924 catalog. There are still during 1924 a number of stocking choices that were available in "Black only" however. By the end of the decade we begin to see "French tan" being offered as a fashionable color for boys' and girls' long stockings. A new trend, starting about 1928, was novelty sport long stockings for boys and girls made with patterns, but these do not seem to have had a very long life as a fashion. They were being worn by younger boys to some extent and by girls, but black long stockings were still prominently sold. One of the reasons for the new prominence of lighter colors in long stockings was better knitting technology. Stockings had begun to be knitted with more elastic cotton yarns and sometimes with admixtures of rayon or other synthetics that made them closer fitting and less baggy. There seems to have been a connection between the trimmer fit and the lighter colors since lighter colors tended to draw more attention to the legs. Also long stockings had begun to be worn more for dressiness and formality than for warmth, although many American mothers still believed that their children should have their knees covered in chilly and inclement weather. In this respect American mothers seem to have resembled their counterparts in Germany who insisted on boys wearing long stockings both for formality and for warmth. English mothers seemed to have less about the warmth of their boys' knees, but of course American and Germany tend to be colder than England in many regions.

Shades

In this decade we begin to get more long stocking ads with actual illustrations of the product sold. In 1922 Wards was offering long stockings for boys and girls in black, white, and dark brown. Presumably white would be chosen mainly for girls or for quite young boys (as a dressy alternative to darker shades), but black was still a very important color. Double-knee hosiery for boys (a standard school stocking) was available only in black. In 1923 black, brown, dark brown, and white long stockings were available for sale, but black dominated the Sears and Wards markets for boys, especially older boys who wore black stockings with above-the-knee knickers. The Saturday Evening Post covers of the 1920s tend to show boys wearing black long stockings. One of the covers shows a girl in white stockings. In 1924 black was offered more often than any other color in the catalogs although brown, dark brown, sand (grayish tan), buff (light tan), birch (light tan) and white were offered in several of the ads. We see boys wearing light-colored long stockings in numerous images. An example is a 1926 Kodak d. The black and white photographt of the day makes it impossible to dertermin just what color they were. We think tan or other brown shades were yhe most common.

1920s Trends

American children in the early 1920s were still primarily wearing black long stockings. Most of the dated images we have found for the early 20s show black long stockings. Considerable detail is available in the Sears 1924 catalog. There are still during 1924 a number of stocking choices that were available in "Black only" however. By the end of the decade we begin to see "French tan" being offered as a fashionable color for boys' and girls' long stockings. A new trend, starting about 1928, was novelty sport long stockings for boys and girls made with patterns, but these do not seem to have had a very long life as a fashion. They were being worn by younger boys to some extent and by girls, but black long stockings were still prominently sold. One of the reasons for the new prominence of lighter colors in long stockings was better knitting technology. Stockings had begun to be knitted with more elastic cotton yarns and sometimes with admixtures of rayon or other synthetics that made them closer fitting and less baggy. There seems to have been a connection between the trimmer fit and the lighter colors since lighter colors tended to draw more attention to the legs.

Conventions

Also long stockings had begun to be worn more for dressiness and formality than for warmth. We note boys wearing black long stockings for formal occasions. A good example is Howard Lowe in 1921. Many American mothers, however, still believed that their children should have their knees covered in chilly and inclement weather. In this respect American mothers seem to have resembled their counterparts in Germany who insisted on boys wearing long stockings both for formality and for warmth. English mothers seemed to have less about the warmth of their boys' knees, but of course American and Germany tend to be colder than England in many regions.

Created: 7:06 PM 12/24/2004
Last updated: 11:23 PM 3/9/2005