The word seems to date back to the days of Peter Stuyvesant, when the Dutchmen on Manhattan Island all wore flaring trousers called knickerbockers. Though the name of this garment is often credited to Washington Irving, we really owe it to the British caricaturist George Cruikshank, who, in the 1850s, illustrated an English edition of the satire A History of New York, written by Irving in 1809 under the pseudonym “Diedrich Knickerbocker.” The garments of the alleged author, in these illustrations, led to the adoption of knickerbockers for any kind of knee-length pants for sports or horseback riding. In certain circles or cultures, the knickerbockers have never completely disappeared but now with a unisex, everyday casual approach. Nearly akin to wearing pajamas to the local convenience store.
*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)
No comments:
Post a Comment