Figure 1.--Here we see American children wearing long stockings during the summer in the 1900s. Black long stockings were very common at the time. The boaters suggest to us tht this was Sunday and the children dressed up, perhaps for church. All of these children almost certainly are wearing stocking supporters. Notice how well fitted the stockings are.

Stocking supportes were also very common in the early 20th century. Boys and girls of all ages wore long stockings and thus stocking supporters were needed and offered in all major catalogs as well as commonly advertised in magazines. They were especially common in the early 20th century before World War I. They were commonly worn by most children year round. After World War I they became more often worn during the Winter and by younger boys. They were also wore as dress wear to some extent. They become less common after the 1920s when long stockings began to decline in popularity. The most common type of stocking supporter was the underwaist commonly referred to as "waist". There were, however, several other types.

The 1900s

American boys and girls commonly wore kneepants and long stockings in the 1900s. This included children and teenagers. As a result, we see a many ads for stocking supporters. These ads were very popular in newspapers and magzines, including the popular mass-circulation magazines at the time. There were quite a few companies manufacturing these supporters mking for intense competition. The most common stocking supporter we see is the underwaist, commonly called waists. We see the EZ Waist in 1900. This was a style we also noted in the 1890s. Ads like this were common in many magazines at the time. We also see stocking supporters in the major mail order catalogs. An example is the Nazareth Waist in a 1902 Sears catalog. Best & Co. offered the Rugby Waist in 1903. We notice the Ferris Good Sense Waist in 1907. We note that the Balbriggen Underwear product line included the Nazareth Waist in 1909. There were also Velvet Grip hose supporters in 1909.

The 1910s

The popularity of long stockings began to change in the 1910s. We see a slight decline in the number of older boys wearing them. This trend was much ,more pronounced in the 1920s. And we see more boys wearing long stockings with knickers rather than long stockings. Long stockings were, however, still very common. One of the most prominent items advertised in the Ladies' Home Journal for the years 1911 and 1912 were three different competing types of suspender waists and hose supporters for boys. All three variations appear repeatedly in successive copies of the magazine, and it is clear that the manufacturers were trying to convince mothers to buy them for their sons--especially their teenage sons. We think the reason for this new specificity about suspender waists in 1911-12 is that these garments were a relatively new invention at the time--a genunine innovation in boys' wear--and the three competing firms were trying to corner the market on garments that were just beginning to catch on and that were much more popular with boys than the conventional underwaists, skeleton waists, and pin-on supporters that had dominated the market theretofore. In earlier years boys wore pretty much the same kind of support garment. We see Stuart's Underwaists in 1915. We note that Montgomery Ward in 1915 offered a variety of stocking supporters. Wards offered both garter waists and underwaists.

The 1920s

Stocking supporters and related elastic supporters were widely sold in America during the 1920s. A good reflection of the variety of products available. These advertisements also provide a variety of information about those products. A bit later, Kazoo and perhaps other manufacturers, decided to modify the suspender waist as a garment for girls and younger boys. They were still called suspender waists because of the over-the-shoulder straps, but they did not literally function as suspenders (a device for holding up trousers). On these modified versions there were no leather attachments at the waist to be buttoned onto trousers as in the case of adult male suspenders. Instead they had waist bands with buttons on them. These could be used by younger children in the same way that panty waists had been used--for bloomers, panties, or even outer garments like short pants or skirts (although, as you point out, most girls didn't wear skirts at this period).

The 1930s

Long stockings continued to decline in popularity in the 1930s. They were still worn by younger boys in cold weather. They were a lkittle more common for girls. Some boys wore them with knickers, but kneesocks were more common. They were also sometimes worn for formal occassions. Thus they were still available in most catalogs. As a result, stocking supporters were not as prominently featured in catalogs as before. Even so we do see them in most of the major catalogs. We note Wards underwaists in 1936. There were a variety of Sears suspenders and stocking supporters in the 1939-40 catalog.

The 1940s

Long stockings rapidly declined in popularity in the 1940s. They are still worn to some extent in the early 1940s, but rarely seen by the end of the decade. They survived a little longer in the far northern states along the northern border. Thus we see stocking suporter ads in the early 40s, but they become less common and less porominent as the decade progresses. We note Montgomery Wards offering both underwaists and garter waists in 1941. The boy on the extreme left is wearing an underwaist with supporters, but the garment is not called an underwaist--overlap here with garter waists. The last prominent ads we note are from the early 1940s. We notice 1941. Stocking supporters rapidly disappeared from American catalog after World War II, but were prevalent in Canaian catalogs a few more years/ We note Eaton underwaists here referred to simply as stocking supporters) in 1949.

The 1950s

Stocking supporters finally went out of fashion in the 1950s. They were still worn and advertised in the early 1950s, but had become a rather minor item. I don't remember seeing them as a boy in America at the time, but HBC has noted advertisements as late as 1951. The appeared in the Sears catalog as late as 1951. There was just one style and it was not prominently placed--suggesting that long stockings and hose supporters were still worn but beclining in use. Apparently they were much more common for girls. The Sears ad features the stocking supporters being worn by a girl. There is a boy in black outline to the girl's left. He shows the back view of the supporter. As was the case since the 1930s, the stockings are worn quite long, covering almost all the leg. The straps of the hose supporter thus do not have to be long.

Created: 9:50 PM 11/14/2008
Last updated: 11:31 PM 2/3/2013