Figure 1.-- This portrait shows German mother Ida Spuehler with her son who is not named. The source dated the portrait to 1880. We think it mre likely dates to the 1890s based on mother's dress styles. Her son's first name is not indicated. He looks to be about 5 years old. He wears a low neckline frock with a low waistline and ribbon waistband. It seems to be covered with cut-out lace. Notice that he also has a necklace. The shoulder ribbon symbolized leading strings.

While we know that young German boys wore dresses as boy in other european countries, we do not yet understand to what extent this fashion may have differed in Germany. This is of interest, because HBC does not fully understand the reasons for this fashion. HBC has been collection information on the reasons that boys were outfitted in dresses. Some authors maintain that it was primarily practical sanitary reasons. This may have been a factor, but there was clearly much more involved. Other thoughts such as the clothing conventions begun in the middle ages when both men and women wore robes, the role women played in the raising of younger children, and prevailing ideas about the nsture if childhoo also seem to be important factors. If so, then you would assume that the conventions concerning dressing younger boys would have not have varied significantly between countries like Germany and France. If there were signifiacnt differences between Germany and other couutries like France and England, than one might suspect that other cultural factors were also. Some German boys were outfitted in dresses, but based on the photographic record the prevalence seems lower than many other European countries. The hyper-military tradition of the Prussian monarchy may be a factor. This would mean that conventions may have been different in the various German states before unification (1871). Unfortunately our German archive before the 1870s is very limited. A more pan-Germanic factor is the roles of German mothers and fathers. European men dominated the familiy. This was the case throughout Europe, but was especiually pronounced in Germany. Women in America, England, and France had much more established rights and social status. Women in america had even begun to vote and hold office in some srates. Men in Germany, however, had comceded little to women. Social classseems to have been a factor, although our limited archive makes this difficult to assess. It looks to us that this convention was most pronounced amony well-to-do upper and affluent middle-class families.

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Created: 6:52 PM 1/10/2005
Last updated: 6:07 PM 8/25/2015