Figure 1.--This is a French town band in 1912. There was no perscribed uniform, but they all dressed in dark suits and matching caps. The men mostly wear long pants. One man and one youth wears short pants and kneesocks. Another of the youths wears knickers and long stockings.

Town or village brass bands were very common in France. One of these bands was called a "fanfare" or "orphéon". They were up of amateur musicians of varying ages. Generally they were boys, youths, and young men. Older men sometimes did not have the stamina needed for playing an instrument in a marching band. These bands were normally all male bands. They traditionally animates village festivals with their music. A HBC reader notes, "It was not always of the bestd music, but the goodwill was there. Sometimes these brass bands had uniforms, but this was rare.

Chronology

The photograph here, displayed in two enlargements, was taken in 1912.

Prevalence

Town or village brass bands were very common in France. We have no precise details, but believe that most towns or villages, except for very small villages had such bands.

Terminology

One of these bands was called a "fanfare" or "orphéon".

Members

These bands were made up of amateur musicians of varying ages. The primary qualification was musical talent or in some cases more importantly the actual possession of a musical instrument. Generally they were boys, youths, and young men. Older men sometimes did not have the stamina needed for playing an instrument in a marching band. While it varied, boys were often important participants in these bands. Note for example the school boy who wears a medal fixed on the reverse of his jacket. This indicated that he was a good schoolboy. These bands were normally all male bands. This had now changed and both girls and boys now participate in these brass bands.

Purpose

These bands traditionally enliven village festivals with their music. A HBC reader notes, "It was not always of the best music, but the goodwill was there.

Uniforms

Sometimes these brass bands had uniforms, but a French reader tells us that this was rare. We do not know how this compares with comparable bands in other countries. While many bands did not have uniforms, the memberts would often wear rtheir best clothes. Some times they would try to coordinate such as all wearing dark suits. The photograph here shows all the members wearing similar dark suits and they all wear a uniform cap.

Figure 2.--The boys in the 1912 band all seem to wear knickers and long stockings. One boy seems to have long hair, but it is difficult to make out in the photograph.

Individual Bands

HBC does not know the name of the band shown here in 1912 or the town that they were from. We do note several interesting aspects of the clothing that they are wearing. Here while the musicians do not wear a uniform, they all have uniform caps identifying them as members of the band. They all also wear dark suits. The suit jackets all look similar. The pants, however, are different. The men mostly wear long trousers. The boys mostly wear knickers and long stockings. Curiously two members wear short pants and kneesocks. Presumably the man wearing short pants must have seen this as a sporty new look. We are less sure about why the teenage boy is wearing short pants. All the yonger boys wear knickers. Short pants with kneesocks, as opposed to knuckers and kneepants with above the lneesockings, were still a realtively new fashion in 1912. One boy seems to have long hair, but it is difficult to make out in the photograph.

French Text

Cette photo date de 1912. Une vue d'ensemble et un détail agrandi. Elle représente une fanfare (ou orphéon). Elle est composée de musiciens amateurs qui, traditionnellement, animent, avec leur musique, les fêtes de leur village (ce n'est pas toujours de la très bonne musique, mais la bonne volonté est là). Parfois les fanfare ont un uniforme, mais c'est rare. Ici les musiciens ne portent pas d'uniforme, ils sont tous vêtus de leur meilleur costume. Seule la casquette est un élément d'uniforme qui indique leur appartenance à la fanfare. On notera qu'ici tous les musiciens sont masculin. Depuis, ça a changé, maintenant (en 2002) filles et garçons composent les fanfares. 1 détail amusant et inattendu: La culotte courte et les hautes chaussettes qui laissent les genoux nus sont ici portées par de grand jeunes hommes, non par des enfants. Ça ne devait pas être très fréquent en 1912. Autre détail amusant: Si on regarde bien, on voit qu'un des jeunes garçons porte une médaille accrochée au revers de son veston. Elle indique que c'est un bon écolier.

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Kilts] [Caps] [Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [School uniform] [Youth group bands]

Created: June 6, 2002
Last updated: June 6, 2002