Figure 1.--This German teenager wears is formally dressed with a suit and bowtie in 1951. Notice the wide lapels which helps to date the image. We believe this portrait was taken in West Germany. |
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We see boys in many countries wearing bowties, but not very commonly. Our information is limited, but we think the bowtie was especially common in the United States. The photographic record shows that more American boys wore boy ties than boys in other countries. This was certainly true in the early 20th century. Bowties were not as common as neckties in America, but they were widely worn. This was not the case in other countries. After World war II we see more boys in other countries wearing them. Most of the images we have found of boys outside America wearing them come from the post-World War II era.
We note a number of German boys in particular wearing bow ties. We see boys in other countries wearing then, but not as commonly. Here are archive is fairly limited so we can not make any valid assessment of bowtie popularity in many countries besides America at this time.
We see very few German boys wearing bowties in the early 20th century. We have a fairly substantial German archive and the bow tie seems very rare indeed. This changed dramatically after World War II. We note a number of German boys in particular wearing bow ties. They were nt as popular as neckties, but the images with boys wearing bowties are not rare. We are not sure just why this chnge took place. Possibly it was related to the occupation.
We beleve that the bow tie is an especially American fashion. Bow-ties for formal wear have been worn globaly. Bow-ties for day to day wear are much less common. I have seen foreigners wearing bow ties, but not nearly to the extent that American wore them. The bow-tie was not a uniquely boyish style. They were also worn by men. The bow-tie was, however, widely worn by American boys during the 1940s-60s. They were especially popular for younger boys wearing Eton and other short pants suits. Regular ties were considered a bit too grown up looking for these boys.
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