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We have found a variety suits worn by younger Austrian boys. This was important because in the 19th nd early-20 century, suits were much more common than is the case today. By suits we mean outfits with tops (bloyses) and bottoms (pants) matching are coordinated. Unfortunately our very limited archive, especially the 19th century archive, limits our full discussion of these younger boy outfits. we hope to rectify this as HBC expands. For the most part these were dress-up outfits were a boy's best clothes for church or special occassion. The most imprtant by far was the sailor suit. The sailor suit became almost a national outfit associated with Austria, perhps becaus of the Vienna Choir boys. Which unlike the other drssy outfits could be worn for play or school as well--although a boy probably had one such suit reserved for best. These dressy oufits were most important in a large, fashionable European city. They were less common, except for the sailor suit, in the many rural villages. Other styles included one-pieve outfits, button-on outfits, and Fauntleroy outfits.
We notice some Austrian boys wearing one-piece outfits, but not done in romper style bottoms. We do not yet have enough information about Austria to assess how popular these outfits were. We do not know when they first appeared, but we notice them in the 1930s. One reader writes, "I don't recall ever seeing this kind of suit in images from Austria and Germany." As younger boys' clothing was commonly made by mothers and grandmothers, styles were often not as standardized as the clothes for older boys.
Austria was one of the many European countries in which sailor suits were particularly popular. Sailor suits were extremely popular in Austria just as in Germany, despite the Austro-Hungarian Empire having only a small navy. An important factore here was the royal families adopting the sailor suit. Here an important factor was the conventions set by Queen Victoria. There was no conections between the Hapsburgs and the Btenergs ((Windsors), but there was with the Hohenzollerns. This helped populrize the sailor suit throughout the German cuktural area. The sailor suit is today almost associated with Austria, in part because it is the costume of the world-famous Vienna Choir Boys. This was primarily the case in Vienna and the othercities. We think it is less true, but crtainly not absent from vullage schools. School portraits are one of the best surces of popular fashion trends..HBC knows, however, little of the history of the sailor suit in Austria.
We believe the Fauntleroy suit was worn in Austria, at least in Vienna and other cities by boys from affluent families. French styles were more influential in Austria than in Germany. We are not sure, however, at this time just how common Fauntleroy suits were in Austria. This is because our Austrian 19th century is very limited, even for the late-19th century when the Fauntleroy suit was in full force. So our assessment is limted at this time. And of course Austria (especially Vienna) was particulrly imporant because it influenced fashions throughout the large Austro-Hungarian Empire. an here it just not be thought that Vienna fashions was a good indicator as to what boys were wearing in the many rural villages. (This is in contast to America where the photographic record shows that the Fauntleroy Craze swept the nation.) We have not yet found formal Fauntleriy suits with velvet cut-away jackets and lacy, ruffled blouses. But because of our limited archive, we can not yet speak to actual prevalence and trends. We do see Austrian boys, mostly Vienna boys, wearing outfits with Fauntleroy touches such as lace collars and large bows. Most of the images we have found date from the early-20th century. They were most common before World war I, but we see a few examples after the war.
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