Figure 1.--This brother and sister were photographed in Riga, probably during the 1920s. The boy wears a juvenile suit. I'm not sure if it is a one-piece or button-on suit. The boy here appears to have buttons on the shorts to attache to the shirt which would mean the belt was decorative and the way it is rather loose that appears to make sense. His little sister wears a simple summer frock much like similar dresses we have noted in Germany. Both children wear strap shoes. It looks like the little girl wears red strap shoes. Notice the teddy. The way it is posed I would guess means that it is a studio prop and not her own teddy.

Our information on Latvian garments is still very limited because of the small number of images in our archive and our inability to obtain much information from Latvia. We have noted Latvian boys wearing the same basic garments and styles as those worn in Germany, Russia, and other neigboring countries. Unlike some larger countries, it is not possible to identify Latvian images when the provinance is not known. Latvian boys during the Soviet era seem to have been dressed a little more stylishly than boys in other areas of the Soviet Union, again probably primary because of the country's geographic location. But we know of no specifically Latvian garments or styles of garments. After World War I many boys wore short pants, often with long stockings. Suspender and H-bar shorts were common for younger boys. We noted that vests were seen as very stylish in the 1970s. We are unsure if this is a German or Soviet style.

Juvenile Outfits

This brother and sister were photographed in Riga, probably during the 1920s. The boy wears a juvenile suit. I'm not ure if it is a one-piece or button-on suit.

Shirts

Pants

After World War I many boys wore short pants, often with long stockings. Suspender and H-bar shorts were common for younger boys.

Sailor Suits

We notice some Latvian boys wearing sailor suits. We are unsure about how common it was, because of our limited Latvian archive. As Latvia wedged between Germany and Russia, two countries where the sailor suit was popular, it is understandable that many Latvian boys wore sailor suits. This was the case before World War I. The sailor suit seems to have been commonly worn by the urban middle class. Of course even though Latvia was at the time a Russian province, a substantial portion of the urban population was ethnic Germans. After World War I, the saoilor suit becsause of its bourgoiese image declined in popularity in Russia, but continued yo be worn in Latvia. We are unsure to what extent it was worn in independent Latvia. Right before World War II, ethnic Germans followed instructions from the NAZIs to return to the Reich. After the War, the Soviets regained control of Latvia. By this time, however, the sailor suit had largely declined as a major style for boys.

Suits

Vests

We noted that vests were seen as very stylish in the 1970s. We are unsure if this is a German or Soviet style.

Hosiery

We notice Latvian children wearing both kneesocks and long stockings during the early 20th century. Long stockings were especially common during the cold weather. A good examole is an unidentified Latvian boy in the 1930s. Latvian hosiery seems very similar to German styles until World War II when the country was invaded ans annexed by the Soviet Union.

Footwear

Strap shoes were commonly worn by children during the inter-war years. They were especially popular for girls. Boys also wore them, especially younger boys from affluent families.

Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s] [The 1890s] [The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]

Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers] [Blazer] [School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]

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Created: 2:29 AM 1/25/2006
Last updated: 7:25 PM 10/31/2008