Figure 1.--This is an undated portrait of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria. It was probsably taken about 1905. He wears a wide-brimmed hat with a fancy tunic suit with bloomer knickers, three-quster socks, and strap shoes.

We have collected information on a variety of outfits worn by Luitpold and some of the garments associated with those outfits. We have not been able to find much written information about Prince Luitpold. We have, however, been able to archive many portraits of the royal family. This has provided a wealth of information on how he was dressed as a boy. We are uncertain what kind of headwear Luitpold wore. Virtually none of the images we have show him with any kind of headwear, in part because they are mostly indoor images. We do have a photograph of him wearing a sailor cap as younger boy with his sailor suit We do not know what he wore with his other outfits. Luitpold like many boys at the time wore dresses as a younger child. While this fashion was declining after he turn of the centry, it was sill quite common--especially for boys from wealhy families. We have only limited portraits providing details about the drsseses he wore. We believe, however, that he almost certainly wore the same style of dresses that younger brother Albrecht wore and we have severl images of Albrecht. Some photographs show Luitpold wearing what looks to be a tunic suit with matching kneepants. The available image are not very clear, but he looks to be wearing Tunics with kneepants. American boys at the time generally wore tunics with bloomer knickers, but the images we have of Luitpold shows him wearing matching knepants. Luitpold wears large white collars including lace collars with his tunics. We are not sure what colors the tunics were. Luitpold had light-colored suits with kneepants. Many but not all of these suits were made in satin. These suits look to be white or cream colored, although they could have included pstel colors as well. We have noted several different collars, usually with matching wrist trim. As a young boy Luitplod had a wide, pleated white collar. More commonly he wore a lace collar with these satin suits. They were above the knee, kneepants suits. They were worn with both short socks and long stockings. There were also sailor suits. These appear to be some of the few long pants outfits that he wore. He may have also had kneepants sailor suits, but we o not yet have any images to substantiate this. We note images of Luitpold wearing both white and blue sailor suits at quite a wide range of ages. Prince Luitpold as a younger boy wore short white socks with dresses or short kneepants outfits. As an older boy he commonly wore long stockings, both dark and light-colored, with fancy satin suits. The long stockings may have been worn more commonly for formal occassions, but we seem to note the short socks more as a younger boy. We are unsure as to what extent seasonal factors may have been involved. We note dark kneesocks with the Bavarian folk lederhosen outfits. We also notice lighter colored kneesocks, porobably grey, with strips at the top. We note as an older boy Luitpold wore buckle shoes with fany dark satin shoes. He also wore fancy light colored shoes when wearing light long stockings with light-colored satin suits. We have noted only a few images of Luitpold weang strap shoes.

Headwear

We are uncertain what kind of headwear Luitpold wore. Virtually none of the images we have show him with any kind of headwear, in part because they are mostly indoor images. We do have a photograph of him wearing a sailor cap as younger boy with his sailor suit We do not know what he wore with his other outfits. Almost certainly he diud have a variety oif caps and hats, because in the early 20th century one did not normally go out doors wthout some kind of headwear--especilly when dressing up.

Dresses

Luitpold like many boys at the time wore dresses as a younger child. While this fashion was declining after he turn of the centry, it was sill quite common--especially for boys from wealhy families. We have only limited portraits providing details about the drsseses he wore. We believe, however, that he almost certainly wore the same style of dresses that younger brother Albrecht wore and we have severl images of Albrecht in dresses and skirted outfits. We note one image at about age 3, Luitpold is wearing a tunic-like skirted garment with lace trim. With this garment he is wearing kneepants, three-quarter socks and strap shoes.

Tunics

Some photographs show Luitpold wearing what looks to be a tunic suit with matching kneepants. The available image are not very clear, but he looks to be wearing Tunics with kneepants. American boys at the time generally wore tunics with bloomer knickers, but the images we have of Luitpold shows him wearing matching knepants. Luitpold wears large white collars including lace collars with his tunics. We are not sure what colors the tunics were.

Knee Pants Suits

Luitpold had light-colored suits with kneepants. Many but not all of these suits were made in satin. These suits look to be white or cream colored, although they could have included pstel colors as well. We have noted several different collars, usually with matching wrist trim. As a young boy Luitplod had a wide, pleated white collar. More commonly he wore a lace collar with these satin suits. They were above the knee, kneepants suits. They were worn with both short socks and long stockings. I don't think the choice of hosiery bwith these suits was a seasonal matter. As he ot coser to his teen years he more commonly wore the long stockings.

Satin Knickers Suit

He also wore a knickers suit with lace collar. This portrait was probably taken about 1913, shortly before his untimely death. He certainly looks healthy. He looks to be about 12 years old. He may have even worn this suit at 13 years of age. He wears a dark satin knicker suit with a large pointed lace collar. I'm not sure what color the suit was. The rather long jacket is plain. It has large buttons which button at the collar. While the jacket is plain, it is worn with a large pointed lace collar and matching wrist cuffs. The pants look to be knickers. They clearly button or buckle over the knee, but do not blouse out much. We do not have any images of him wearing these dark sits with above the knee kneepants. They were worn with dark long stockings.

Collars

We havev noted Luipold wearing several differnt collar styles. Not ony were their sailor collared middy blouses, but there were several different styles of large collars. One was a large white collar with pleated material. There were many different style of lace collars. Quite a number of outfits show him wearing large lace collars. The two basic kinnds were a generally rounded, but scalloped style and anotherone with a sharply pointed lace collar. As might be expected, they appear to be made of high-quality fine lace, not a ruffled collar with a little lace trim at he edge.

Sailor Suits

There were also sailor suits. These appear to be some of the few long pants outfits that he wore. He may have also had kneepants sailor suits, but we o not yet have any images to substantiate this. We note images of Luitpold wearing both white and blue sailor suits at quite a wide range of ages. Bavaria of course had no navy, but the German Empire did and the Kaisser had decided to launch a major naval building program, a decission of major consequence for Germany. Luitpold and his brother oftn wore sailor suits. All of Germany was apparently caught up with enthuiasm for the navy.

Military Uniform

A few portraits show Luitpold in a military uniform. They look somewhat blike a cadet uniform, but somewhat fancier. We thought that perhaps he had entered military school. This was probably not the case as we do not see any images of him with close cropped hair and he also wears a Eton suit. We believe that if he had entered a military school that he more likely would have worn his uniform for formal potraits.

Eton Suit

We note a new images of Luitpold, but not Albrecht, wearing an Eton suit. This style was much more common in England than Germany, but these photographs show that they were also worn in Germany as well. Notably the portraits of him in the Eton suit are with his father. We suspect that this means that they were taken in 1914 or 14, after his mother had died. It may have been that his mother had resisted this older boy stle with long pants rather than the dark satin suits with long pointed collars that he wore at about the same age.

Folk Costumes

There were also Bavarian folk cotumes. The fact that the boys were dressed in Bavarian folk costume is interesting. Folk costumes are often a recreation of the clothing of the common people often at at about the 16th-17th century. What is often unclear is at just what stage privlidged classes began to wear these clothes as folk costumes. The privlidged classses in the 17th and 18th century would not wear such clothes, seeing them as the outfits of uncouth poor peasants. We are unsure as to just when such attitudes changed. We note that Rupprecht's children wore Bavarian folk costumes at the turn of the 20th cebtury. We are unsure if Rupprecht and his bothers in the late 19th century wore Bavarian folk costume in the late 19th century. What was going on in Bavaria was not disimilar to devlopments in other European countries. A good example ws the Scottish kilt which evolved from a 18th century symbol of barbaric resistance to Enhgand to a respected symbol of the British Empire.

Hosiery

Prince Luitpold as a younger boy wore short white socks with dresses or short kneepants outfits. As an older boy he commonly wore long stockings, both dark and light-colored, with fancy satin suits. The long stockings may have been worn more commonly for formal occassions, but we seem to note the short socks more as a younger boy. We are unsure as to what extent seasonal factors may have been involved. We note dark kneesocks with the Bavarian folk lederhosen outfits. We also notice lighter colored kneesocks, porobably grey, with strips at the top.

Footwear

We note as an older boy Luitpold wore buckle shoes with fany dark satin shoes. He also wore fancy light colored shoes when wearing light long stockings with light-colored satin suits. We have noted only a few images of Luitpold wearing strap shoes and usually as a very young boy of about 3 years of age (figure 1). They were the ankle style strap shoes.

Created: 12:37 AM 8/26/2009
Last updated: 12:37 AM 8/26/2009