Figure 1.--Here we see a German boy with his sister wearng a short pants suit. We are not sure how to date it, perhaps the early 50s. The boy loojks about 7 years old. |
|
The ages of boys wearing short pants suits varied over time and by country. Short pants suits for boys of school age were common throughout Europe after World War I. Quite old English boys wore short pants school uniform, but most boys by about 13 began wearing long pants suits. Many English boys wore school uniforms rather than suits. On the Continent the situation was somewhat different. Through the 1950s, boys as old as 15 or 16 might wear short pants suits, although at that age long pants were more common. A good example is a German teenager in 1933. In America short pants suits were less common than in Europe and generally worn by younger boys. Many boys wore knoickers rather than short pants. After World War II, long pants became incresasingly common, even for younger boys.
The Gernman boy here looks to be about 7 byears old in the 1950s (figure 1).
In America short pants suits were less common than in Europe and generally worn by younger boys. Many boys wore knoickers rather than short pants. We see some boys up to age 10 years wearing short pants, but knickers were more common. Here social class was a factor. After World War II, long pants became incresasingly common, even for younger boys.
Quite old English boys wore short pants school uniform, but most boys by about 13 began wearing long pants suits. Many English boys wore school uniforms rather than suits.
On the Continent the situation was somewhat different. Through the 1950s, boys as old as 15 or 16 might wear short pants suits, although at that age long pants were more common. A good example is a German teenager in 1933.
Most European boys were wearing long pants suits or knicker suits by age 16 years. But some boys from conservative families were still wearing short pants suits at age 16. A good example is Dutch boy Frans Leferink in 1927. This was less common in the 1930s, but not unknown even after World war II. Some Beklgium parents were parrticularly notable in this regard. Some British schools had short pants suits as uniforms.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main short pants page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Cloth and textiles]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]