Figure 1.-- Here we have the Bätcher family. All we know about the family is that they are German and that the boys are Max and Georg. They look about 8 and 11 years old. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1860s. We do not know where in Germany the family lived. The boys are dressed identically in what look like velvet jackets. Image courtesy of the BP collection.

Here we have the Bätcher family. All we know about the family is that they are German and that the boys are Max and Georg. They look about 8 and 11 years old. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1860s. We do not know where in Germany the family lived. Of course in the 1860s Germany as a united country did not yet exist. The family looks to have been a prosperous middle-class family. The adults look rather old, they may have been the grand parents. The boys are dressed identically in what look like velvet jackets. The jackets are done with a kind of tunic look and are decorated with large button and piping. The jackets do noy have collars. Notice also that the sleeves are cut rather short. This is not a style we have commonly seen, but in the years before ready-made clothes, styles were more varied. The boys wear long pants. Kneepants were not yet commonly worn. The boys have relatively short hair, but the style was to wear down to the ears, some times even covering the ears. The close cropped style so popular at the turn of the 20th century was not yet popular in Germany.

Created: 4:56 PM 11/21/2005
Last edited: 4:57 PM 11/21/2005