i>Figure 1.-- This school portrait photo was taken in southern Germany -- Bavaria (1951). It depicts Erich Maydl on his first school day beginning first grade. This means that he was 6 years old. We can note the traditional first day cone full of goodies. Erich is wearing Lederhosen with a sleeveless striped T-shirt and is barefoot. Note the large size. They were either hand-me-downs or purchased in a lkarge size so Erich could wear them for several years. Going barefoot to school reflects the difficult economic conditions in Germany following World War II (1939-45). The German Economic Miracle was underway but at an early phase.
Erich Maydl (Germany, about 1951)
This school portrait photo was taken in southern Germany -- Bavaria (1951). It depicts Erich Maydl on his first school day beginning first grade. This means that he was 6 years old. We can note the traditional first day cone full of goodies. Erich is wearing Lederhosen with a sleeveless striped T-shirt and is barefoot. Note the large size. They were either hand-me-downs or purchased in a large size so Erich could wear them for several years. Going barefoot to school reflects the difficult economic conditions in Germany following World War II (1939-45). The German Economic Miracle was underway but at an early phase. This can be easily followed in school photography. After the War, barefoot children were very common in Germany. At the beginning of the 1950s decade we still see a lot of children going to school barefoot, but by the middle of the decade we only see a few barefoot children. We notice a lot of boys wearing Lederhosen after the War, especially by the 1950s, more than before the War. We are not sure why Lederhosen suddenly became so popular. We believe that Lederhosen were especially prevalent in Bavariia and more in Western than Communist dominated East Germany (DDR). A reader tells us, "I found a little interview of Erich about the photo in the daily newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung (September 13, 2019). He lived in Stadtbergen, close to Augsburg. He remembers that in summertime he only wore shoes for church. His mother as you mention bought the Lederhosen in a larger size than he needed, so they could be worn longer. The photographer provided the cone for the photo (the real one was probably smaller). The school attended by Erich (Hallschule) was for Catholic children. There was a different school for Evangelical (Protestant) children (Rote-Tür-Schule). I don't know if the school names were official or popular ones. Erich's class had more than 40 pupils."
