Figure 1.--This hand tinted cabinet card is undated, but was probanly taken in the 1880s. The boy is unidentified, but we know he was photographed in Erie, Pennsylvania. The photographer was something like Korand. Apparently he was German because he has written the instructions for the colors on the back in old German script. (There were many German immigrants in America at the time and we note a lot of photographers of German ancestry.) Put your cursor on the image to see the back. Also to see how colors look in bklack and white we have created a conversion image.

We know that brown long stockings were worn. We think that they were fairly common, in part because brown was such a popular color for boys' suits. We think that they were mostly dark, muted shades. After World War I (1914-18) we note maby boys wearing light brown or tan shades of stockings. These were less commonly worn with suits. Brown was a popular color for boy's suits. We believe that boys in the 1860s-80s commonly wore stockings that matched or were close to the color of their suits. We note black stockings were very popular in the 1890s and 1900s, but before that we think colored stockings were quite common. The black and white photography of the day makes it difficult to assess this. But there are a range of sources confirming that mothers matched the suits and stockings. The two most important are paintings and colorized portraits. Clothing catalogs list colored stockings. Suit colors are also mentioned in clothing catalogs.

Brown Shades

We know that brown long stockings were worn by American boys. This is, however, very difficult to determine from the black abd white photographic record. We think that they were mostly dark or medium, muted shades. They were commonly worn with brown suits. While we can not determine with any certainly, but we do note that the stockings often do seem to match the suits in color depth (lightness/darkness). We can usually tell black stockings, so we known that some other color of stockings were being worn. Brown seems especially likely as it was a popular color for suits. This suggests that the color may nbe similar. After World War I (1914-18) we note many younger boys boys wearing light brown or tan shades of stockings. These were less commonly worn with suits. Older boys wearing knicker suits in the 1920s were more likely to wear blacl long stockings.

Brown Suits

We think that they were fairly common, in part because brown was such a popular color for boys' suits. We note boys wearing brown suits in both the 19th and 20th century. We believe that brown was even more popular in the 19th than the 20th century, but we have not yet developed detailed information on suit colors.

Chronological Trends

We believe that boys in the 1860s-80s commonly wore stockings that matched or were close to the color of their suits. The primary exception was wjhite stockings which seem very popular in the 1860s. We also note striped stockings in the 1870s and early-80s, but these could be matched with the suit. We note black stockings were very popular in the 1890s and 1900s, but before that we think colored stockings, especially brown shades, were quite common. This convention changed somewhat in the 1890s when black stockings became increasingly common and were worn with suits of every color. While we can not assess the color of stockings with black and white photography with any certainty, it is often possible to spot black stockings. Whule black was very common, we do see stockings that matched the suits as well. Light brown shades or tan long stockings became very popular after World War I, but primarily for younger boys wearing casualn styles. Dark brown was not common, but the tan shades were. Boys wearing knicker suits were more likely to wear black stockings in the 1920s and louc knee socks in the 1930s.

Sources

The black and white photography of the day makes it difficult to assess this. But there are a range of sources confirming that mothers matched the suits and stockings. The two most important are paintings and colorized portraits. Clothing catalogs list colored stockings. Suit colors are also mentioned in clothing catalogs.

Photography

The black and white photography of the day makes it difficult to assess this. Here we can often tell if dark stockings are not black, but not what color they were. Photographic tinting provides helpful evidence. We note a tined cabinent card that shows an American boy wearing an overcoat, suit, and stockings, all matching brown items (figure 1). The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1880s. The color instructions provided were generally basic. The inscription provided the family address and then focused more on personal characteristics (hairs, eyes, and complexion) rather than the clothing. The inspription read, "Pensilvania, Ave. 52 2L 2 0/2, sehr heller Teint, nur fleischfarben, blaue Augen, hell aschblond, gelbbrauner Anzug". That means in Englisch, "Pensilvania, Ave. 52 2L 2 0/2, very light complexion, only flesh-coloured, blue eyes, light ash blond [hair], tawny suit". Thus the clothing colors on these tinted portraits may not have been precise. The colorists probably went on the instructions and the colors they note being worn at the time. So the convention of matching colors seems to be a well-established convention.

Paintings

Paintings were an important source of information on 19th century clothing. We note an unidentified American boy wearing brown long stockings that matched his brown Fauntleroy suit.

Catalogs

Vintage clothing

Created: 11:28 PM 9/29/2007
Last updated: 7:28 PM 9/30/2007