History of Denim Blue Jeans In America

It all started in the 1800s. These gold miners pan for gold in 1890, El Dorado County, Calif.

AP

Tough and rugged denim suspenders were commonly worn as work clothes around the turn of the century. The strong fabric was comfortable and long-lasting. Here a girl works in a field at the Belmont Farm for girls between 1910 and 1915 in the United States.

Library of Congress

Cowboys around the early 1900s also made good use of denim blue jeans. Here a cowboy works at mounting a horse. (Photo by Carl Mydans//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Carl Mydans, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

Denim jean suspenders as reliable work clothes. By the time the drought and grasshoppers get thru with farmer Albert West's wheat planting, he'll have a few skimpy handfuls of straw, unless it rains soon, July 7, 1936, Hardin, Montana. Neither rain nor crop prospects look promising. (AP Photo)

AP

Women at work on World War 2 bomber plane at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. October 1, 1942

Library of Congress

Denim on the farm: Portrait of a farm boy between 1941 and 1945

Library of Congress

Built Tough: This is a photo of an approximately 100-year-old pair of Levi Strauss & Co. jeans recently purchased by the company for $25,000. The jeans, found last November in an abandoned mine, are one of the two oldest-known pairs of Levi's in existence.


Sam Morris, AP

Teenagers in the 1950s were the first to pickup on the style and fashion potential of blue jeans and denim clothes.These teens check on the sound of the engine of this newly-bought used car, a 1951 Mercury.


A. Y. Owen, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

This is a 1955 file photo of James Dean wearing jeans. Movies typically began showing big-time stars and cowboys wearing jeans and bringing a new look to the mass market.


AP

The 1960s saw an explosion of blue jeans and denim as a fashion craze. Here, American singer Rita Coolidge shows her patches on her jeans as she walks in Regent's Park in London, England, May 5, 1971.


Kemp / AP