Knee Pants: Actual Photograpgs


Figure 1.--Patterns and modern photography of period clothing provides valuable information on material, color, detail, and desisn that is not always available through contemprary photography.

HBC archives modern photographs of old clothing. These photographs provide interesting details on clothing construction, materials, colors, and styling that are often not available from actual historical photographs. Details on garment construction are sometimes difficult to assess from period photography and drawings. Details from modern photographs of actual historical clothing often provide much more detailed images. The color is one important piece of information lacking in contemporary photography. Close up on the sewing and enbroidery are also often lacking in period photograpy. While they are not perhaps as interesting as actual period photography, such information is important in assessing historical clothing. These images are available from museum displays as well as historical clothing collectors. One HBC reader comments, "I find that you can read all you want, but until you have an orignal to study you have no idea what you think you know."

Information is available on several individual suits and pants:

Suits

We have begun to collect different styles of kneepants suits.

Suit 1 (American, about 1875-90)

Suit one is a boy's suit with a jacket, vest, and kneepants. This young boy's black wool suit consisting of a one button jacket, matching vest and kneepants. All three pieces are decorated with fancy black embroidery. The approximate modern size 6 to 8 years. This black suit is pictured here (figure 1)

Suit 2

This suit was a corduroy kneepants suit. It is a brown suit that has some resemblance to a Fauntleroy suit. The jacket cut has some relation to a Fauntleroy jacket, but is not because it has a collar. Fauntleroy jackets had no collar to interfere with the elaborate collars often worn with them. Corduroy was not a fabric used in proper Fauntleroy suits. It was a relatively inexpensive fabric while velvet was an expensive fabric. Corduroy was meant to be durabble and a popular fabric for schoolwear. The suit is heavily embroidered.

Pants

We notice vintage kneepants that appear to have been part of suits.

Pants 2 (American)

A HBC reader reports that he has a pairs of old store stock, or NOS, boys knee pants. He is in the process of drafting a rough working pattern for them. They still have the tags on them. The pants are a fall-front, dark navy blue, approximately a size 12 in today's sizes. with plain legs, wool, slightly above the knee cut. They were made in the United States. hey were sold in the Canaian province of Ontario--an indication of American influence on Canadian boys' clothes.

Pants 3 (Candian)

A HBC reader reports that he has a pairs of old store stock, or NOS, boys knee pants. They were made in Canada and sold in Ontario. He is in the process of drafting a rough working pattern for them. They still have the tags on them. They have three buttons on each leg. They area large size, prehaps an 18 in today's sizes. They are black wool with thin silver or grey pinstripin.








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Created: November 17, 1999
Last edited: 8:39 PM 6/29/2004