Figure 1.--These Czech boy seems to have sent this portrait of himself as a vacation memo, although it was sent in December 1955. The shirt has a uniform look to it such as flap pockers. We wonder if it was a Young Pioneer or school shirt. Click on the image for a fuller doscussion.

We have very limited information about the garments worn by Czech children at this time. The country until 1918 was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian control, the border with Germany, and a large numbers of Germans living in the Sudetenland suggests that German influences were very important. Some folk influences may have made for some stylistic differences, but Czech boys appaer to have dressed very similarly with German boys. There may have been more differences between Slovakian and German boys, but here we have very limited information. We have little information oin Czech boys clothes during the Communist era. Boys fashions appear to have leaked accross the border with Germany and Austria, but with a time lag. Modern Czech boys dressed virtually the same as other European boys. We are not sure to what extent boys wore dresses in the 19th century. Sailor suits and shortpants seem popukar in the early 20th century. We note boys wearing both kneesocks and long stockings and ankle socks by the late 1950s. We note a few boys wearing smocks, but am not sure how common it was.

Chronological Influences

We have very limited information about the garments worn by Czech children at this time. The country until 1918 was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian control, the border with Germany, and a large numbers of Germans living in the Sudetenland suggests that German influences were very important. Some folk influences may have made for some stylistic differences, but Czech boys appaer to have dressed very similarly with German boys. There may have been more differences between Slovakian and German boys, but here we have very limited information. We have little information on Czech boys clothes during the Communist era. Czecheslovakia was one oif the more prosperous East-bloc countries. Boys fashions appear to have leaked accross the border with Germany and Austria, but with a time lag. Modern Czech boys dressed virtually the same as other European boys.

Dresses

We are not sure to what extent boys wore dresses in the 19th century. Our historical information is very limited. By the time that Czecheslovakia ws formed after World War I (1919) the custome of dressing young boys in dresses was becoming much less common. The prractice would have been much more common in Bohemia and Moravia (much of Czechoslovakia) while it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as well as earlier in the 19th century. We assume that the pattern was similar to that of Austria and other European countries and was fairly widespread. We have few details concerning the styles of dresses worn.

Sailor Suits

Sailor suits were popular in Czechoslovakia even though the countrty and Bohemia before it never had a navy.

Trousers

We have seen Czech boys wearing knee pants, short pamts, long pants, and now the modern style of baggy pants. Shortpants seem to habe been popular in the early 20th century.

Smocks

Czechoslovakia no longer exists having broken up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 199?. We have very little information on Czech boys' clothes at this time. We believe that Czech styles were heavily influenced by Austrian and German clothing styles. We have few Czech images, but do note that a few boys did wear smocks at home. These do not appear to be school smocks. We do not know how common this was in Czechoslovakia or what the fashion influence was. We also note a Sudeten German boy in Czeceslovakia during the 1930s wearing smocks. The material was a rather Scottish plaid, but smocks were not commonly worn in Scotland. This appears to be more of a Czech than German dashion influence as smocks were not commonly worn in Germany.

Hosiery

We are not sure to what extent long stockings were worn. We suspect the pattern may have been similar to Germany. We note boys wearing kneesocks and long stockings during the inter-War era. An example is the Muller family in 1935. The boy here wears kneesocks, probably in the 1940s. We note boys weearing both kneesocks and long stockings and ankle socks by the late 1950s. We note a few boys wearing smocks, but am not sure how common it was.

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Crerated: December 20, 2002
Last updated: 6:24 AM 4/21/2007