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This unidentified portrait was taten in Austrian-Hungariian Czech Lands. The city at the time was called Tappau, but is now known as Opava in the Czech Republic. Categorizing these portraits by modern countries and ethnic groups is complicated. Opava is definitely in the Czech Republic, but the population of Toppun was largely German speaking. We are less sure about the country side. The family here because of the smart clothing is clearly a town family and thus likely Germans. A reader dates the CDV portrait to 1875. We are not sure if that is an estimate or defintive. That seems likely estimate, although the early 80s would seem possible. The boys who look to be twins about 4 years old wear kilt suits with sailor styling. We believe at the time that German/Austrian fashions were fairly standard in Czech cities and towns, especially cities like Toppau that bordered on Germany and had large German populations.
This unidentified portrait was taken in Austrian-Hungarian Czech Lands. The city at the time was called Tappau, but is now known as Opava in the Czech Republic. Troppau at the time this portrait was taken was was the capital of the Austrian duchy and crown land of Silesia. It is situated on the Oppa River, near to the Prussian frontier.
It was an industrial town with textile mills, machine plants, sugar refineries, jute nills, and breweries.
Troppau was founded in the medieval era (12th century). A documented entry iexists (1195). The town obtained Magdeburg city rights (1224). It was the capital of the Silesian, Bohemian and finally Austrian Duchy of Opava.
Karl I of Liechtenstein became Duke of Troppau. (1614). Troppau was seized by Prussia in the War of the Austrian Secession (1740-48). Austria managed to retain only a small area in the south of Silesia. The major historical event occuring in the town was the Congress of Toppau where European monarchs met to deliberate what needed to be done as a result of the Neapolitan revolution (July 1820). They were unable to reach any agreement as to a united approach (November 1820). It was the beginning of the unraveling of the conservative Quadruple Alliance formulated at the Congress of Vienna. The British in particular opposed intervention. An Austrian census just before World war I reported that 92 percent of the city residents were Germsan speaking and 7 percent Czech speaking. There were only a few Poles. The number of Jews was unclear as they were mostly German speaking.
Troppau was awarded to Czechoslovakia as after World War I (1919). Opava was in the eastern Sudetenland and seized by NAZI German as a result of the Munich Conference (1938). After World War II, the reinstalled Czech Governent issued the Beneš decrees. The Czechs expelled ethnic Germans to Germany (1945-46). Many resettled in Bamberg. This was psart of a larger process of expelling ethnic Germans throughout Eastern Europe.
A reader dates the CDV portrait to 1875. We are not sure if that is an estimate or defintive. That seems likely estimate, although the early 80s would seem possible.
Categorizing these portraits by modern countries and ethnic groups is complicated. Opava is definitely in the Czech Republic, but the population of Toppun was largely German speaking. We are less sure about the country side. The family here because of the smart clothing is clearly a town family and thus likely Germans.
The boys who look to be twins about 4 years old.
The boys wear what looks like kilt suits. Note the sailor styling and pleated skirt--without any other kilt features. American kilt suits did not judst hsave pleated skirts, but a front pannel. This feature does not seem to have been prevalent in Germany and Austria where kilt suits were aldso not as an imprtant garment as in America and Britain. Closer examination\ suugests that the garments here looks to be a one-piece dress. We are not sure about the colors. The kilt suit was a light color, but does not seem to be white. There are also ruffled collars and some kind of long vest-lke dicky. Also note te long stockings that are not very well fitted. Both boys have close-cropped hair. We believe at the time that German/Austrian fashions were fairly standard in Czech cities and towns, especially cities like Toppau that bordered on Germany and had large German populations.
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