Figure 1.--Tis little German boy clearly had a stylish mother. He wears a beret with his sailor suit. We do not know where in Germany the snapshot was tajken, but it was dated 1933.

We have little chronological information, but have begun to collect some information. Hopefully this will allow us to develop some insights on chronolgical trends. We have noted several images of boys wearing berets in the 1920s and early 1930s. One example is a Berlin school photograph which looks to have been taken about 1930. They declined in popularity during the NAZI era. We have, however, noted them in the immediate post-World War II era. We note photographs of German boys wearing berets in the 1940s (figure 1), but they are not common. A French reader writes, "The beret was not common in either Austria or Germany. After the World War II, German families were so desperate that many children had to make do with clothing donated from other countries. Probably is the case about this poor boy shows on the image." Perhaps, but the boy seen here, although not elegantly dressed, does not look all that poor to HBC. He has warm clothes, study shoes, and does not look poorly fed. [HBC note: Our French reader is certainly correct here that after the War Germany was devestated. Parents had great difficulty feeding and clothing their families. Ar this time, however, we have little information on assistance programs for Germany. One might have assumed a beret may have come from France, but did the the French provide such assistance to the Germans so soon after the War. Here we do not know, but is an interesting question. Such assistance is more likely to have come from America. Now American boys in the 1940s, except for very little ones did not wear berets, but American girls did wear them.] Also we note some images of German boys even in the 1950s, when the economic recovery was well under way, wearing berets. We note a few other images of German boys wearing berets during the 1950s. There is a photograph for example, a boy in the GFR (West Germany) rural village wearing a beret in 1955. Berets are no longer worn by German boys, except perhaps some Scout groups. A factor here may be the adoption of the beret as part of the Scout movement which was reestablished in Germany in the 1940s. We also note boys in the DDR (East Germany) wearing berets in the 1950s. One pjotograph shows a mother with her children in a East Berlin shoe store. We no longer by the 1960s notice German boys wearing berets, except for Scouts.

The 1900s

The 1910s

The 1920s

We have noted several images of boys wearing berets in the 1920s.

The 1930s

We also see German boys wearing berets in the early 1930s. One example is a Berlin school photograph which looks to have been taken about 1930. Most of the images we have found with German wearing berets come from the early 1930s. Here we see a younger boy wearing a bertet with a sailor outfit (figure 1). The NAZIs seized power in 1933. Berets declined in popularity during the NAZI era.

The 1940s

We have, however, noted them in the immediate post-World War II era. We note photographs of German boys wearing berets in the 1940s (figure 1), but they are not common. A French reader writes, "The beret was not common in either Austria or Germany. After the World War II, German families were so desperate that many children had to make do with clothing donated from other countries. Probably is the case about this poor boy shows on the image." Perhaps, but the boy seen here, although not elegantly dressed, does not look all that poor to HBC. He has warm clothes, study shoes, and does not look poorly fed. [HBC note: Our French reader is certainly correct here that after the War Germany was devestated. Parents had great difficulty feeding and clothing their families. Ar this time, however, we have little information on assistance programs for Germany. One might have assumed a beret may have come from France, but did the the French provide such assistance to the Germans so soon after the War. Here we do not know, but is an interesting question. Such assistance is more likely to have come from America. Now American boys in the 1940s, except for very little ones did not wear berets, but American girls did wear them.]

The 1950s

Also we note some images of German boys even in the 1950s, when the economic recovery was well under way, wearing berets. We note a few other images of German boys wearing berets during the 1950s. There is a photograph for example, a boy in the GFR (West Germany) rural village wearing a beret in 1955. Berets are no longer worn by German boys, except perhaps some Scout groups. A factor here may be the adoption of the beret as part of the Scout movement which was reestablished in Germany in the 1940s. We also note boys in the DDR (East Germany) wearing berets in the 1950s. One pjotograph shows a mother with her children in a East Berlin shoe store. We no longer by the 1960s notice German boys wearing berets, except for Scouts.

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Created: 7:28 PM 6/21/2005
Last updated: 7:28 PM 6/21/2005