Belgian Postcard Chronology


Figure 1.--This Roto New Years card was postally used in Belgium during 1923. The painted in color is still fanciful, but notice the boy is wearing short pants rather than the kneepants that were more common in the 1910s. Notice the hankerchief in his middy blouse.

Some old Belgian post cards are quite valuable. HBC begins to notice cards made in large numbers after the turn of the 20th centurty. Thus thecfashions displayed or often early 230th century fashions. The fashion of sending these cards with fancily dressed children seems to have declined in the 1920s. This most of the available images are of children from about 1900 to the early 1920s. HBC notes an interesting change taking place in the 1920s cards. Virtually all of the cards in the 1910s show boys wearing kneepants, knee-length pants with three ornmental buttons at the hem. After World War I (1914-18) some of the kneepants are worn above the knee, but beginning in the early 1920s the boys begin to be depicted in short pants rather than kneepants. This shows a trend that was taking place throughout Europe, not only in Belgium and France. Kneepants were passing from the fashion scences and boys were increasingly wearing short pants. Older boys might wear knickers. Unfortunatly these new fashions are not as well depicted in post cards as by the mid-1920s it was becoming less fashionable to send postcards with children to depict events like New Year or other special days.








Christopher Wagner






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Created: September 21, 2001
Last updated: September 21, 2001