U.S. Long Stockings: Personal Experiences during the Post-War Era---Maine (1945-50)


Figure 1.--

HBC has collected the following accounts of tghe personal experiebces American boys had with long stockings during the post-World War II era.

An American reader reports, "In the late 1940s and early 50s, little boys were still wearing long brown stockings. I know from experience. Hand-me downs were prevalent in my family due to economics. There are also `baby' pictures in the family album that show both my brother and I in long white stockings, about late-1946 or early-47."

My brother and I were about 4-7 years old when we wore long stockings. I remember them very well. We didn't have different colors, they were all tan. We lived in Maine where the winters were really cold. We wore them for warmth in the cold weather. We didn't have proper stocking supporters. Mom just pinned then on our underwear with saftey pins in the morning. The stockings were quite long, they came uo to mud-thigh. We wore cord long trousers by late October, early November. By the time the real cold weather and the snow set in, we woolen jodhpurs--"red plaid hunting pants", wool socks, amd one piece longjohns. The "hunting pants" were worn by most boys up to the 6th grade, then you graduated to green marine wool pants.

Mom in her effort to make sure we kept warm though that long stockings were a great idea. We didn't much like the idea. Up through 7 years of age we pretty much wore what mom decided for us. But long stockings were considered sissy stuff by the time we were. She didn't fight the problem when we began to complain strenously. I'm sure other boys were wearing them as well, certainly nobody bragged about it. The way we were all bundled uip, however, it was difficult to tell what each other were wearing. As it was grade school there was no gum class.

I do know that several of the girls in our class wore them. Some older girls also wore them. My sisters also wore them until tights became less expensive. Again with five children and one parent working, economics dictates.

While I remember the tan stockings, I do know that as very toung children we wore white long stockings. We had our phito taken at 1 and 3 wearing long white stockings and short pants.

We wore boxer-style short pants, bib overalls or "pocket pants" during the summer. This was through about age 12 or 13, then jeans became what we commonly wore. By the time I became a teenager it wasn't "cool" to wear short pants. So, I became stupid and wore Jeans--"cool" but hot most of the time.








Christopher Wagner






Related Pages:
[Return to the Main U.S. post-war stockings page]
[Return to the Main U.S. stockings page]
[Knee socks] [White knee socks] [Long stockings]
[Striped socks] [White stockings] [Tights]




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Created: April 11, 2001
Last updated: April 11, 2001