Figure 1.--This German boy has a very wide crossbar to his lederhosen which appears to have a medalion insert. The crossbar on this halter is large and heavy looking. |
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The cross bar helps prevent the straps falling off the shoulder while there is no tension on them. e.g. while sitting. To do this efficiently the cross bar needs to be as high as possible. Cross bars can be straight or rectangular while others are oval in outline. The width of the cross bar also vary. Some boys wear lederhosen halters with wide crossbars, others have much narrower ones. It might be thought that the boys are wearing braces that are too big for them, hence the wide crossbar, but if this were the case the crossbar would be high up the chest close to the chin. The reasons for the variations are not clear. It may be the custom and practice of the local maker or it might be for practical reasons.
Some halters seem to have a very large crossbar. It may be that the size is intentional, part of the design. Just as there are variations in the making of the shorts
themselves, so some workshops produce a very prominent halter design. The designs on the crossbars vary, but Alpine and hinting scenes--especially stags are the most common. There are also medalion like inserts.
The German term for the cross bar part of the halter shown here is the "Quersattel".
The cross bar has two primary purposes. First is a very practical purpose. The crossbar helps prevent the straps falling off the shoulder while there is no tension on them. e.g. while sitting. The second is stylistic. The crossbar, especially the wider ones with ovals are often used for decorative purposes.
One very annoying feature of some halters if not properly fitted is that the brace strap may slipfrom the shoulder. Some boys have to constantly flip the errant strap back onto their shoulders. Sometimes the braces come right off the shoulder. To prevent slipping it is important that the braces will cross the shoulders rather in the middle near to the neck. To help keep them there, there are three things that matter. Manufacturers for boyswear had to settle on average standard measurements. In the first place, the width and the placement of the halter cross-bar on the front is important The higher it is placed and the shorter it is, the more it will prevent slipping. As for a good look the halter has to possess the form of a H (both straps taken as a couple together not making a X or a O) this means that the length of the cross-bar should be the same as the distance between the two buttons on both sides of the buttoned-up-fall-front on the Lederhose itself, to which the far ends of the straps of the braces are attached. This means that the fall-front itself can’t be too wide on its upper side, because otherwise the H would become too wide also, and the straps would be placed too far apart on the shoulders. More about the width and form of the fall front later, in its own chapter. Secondly, to keep the straps on the back in place use the buckle. Thirdly, the risk of slipping of the braces would be further diminished if the back buttons for attaching them were placed further apart (they mostly were rather near to eachother, much nearer than in the front, where they had to make room for the buttoned up fall flapp in between), because this means that the just mentioned buckle buckle of measurement no.2 can be placed higher up without disturbing the straight X the straps should form on the back.
Cross bars vary greatly in shape. The most common are or rectangular. These are the most common and plainest lederhosen. The more decorative lederhosen, especially the ones made with folk styling have oval crossbars. This provides more space for decoration. Ledehosen for small children may have other shapes. This made for girls, for example, may be in the shape of a heart.
The width of the cross bar also vary. Some boys wear lederhosen halters with wide crossbars, others have much narrower ones.
The reasons for the variations are not clear. It may be the custom and practice of the local maker or it might be for practical reasons. It might be thought that the boys are wearing braces that are too big for them, hence the wide crossbar, but if this were the case the crossbar would be high up the chest close to the chin. Some halters seem to have a very large crossbar. It may be that the size is intentional, part of the design. Just as there are variations in the making of the shorts themselves.
There were both plain and decorated halters. The decoration was on the cross bar. We see large numbers of both. We do not know what the boys felt about the decorations or if there were age preferences. Patterns here may emerge as we develop this topic. The decoration of Lederhosen halters varied significantly. This is a little difficult to assess from the photographic record. Some of the decoration do not show up well in photographs unles they are closeups. This is because the decoration were often tooled ether without any color. Decorations vary in both type and design. The two basic types are embossed designs and medalion-like inserts. The designs vary in sublect matter and style. Some workshops produce a very prominent halter design. The designs on the crossbars vary, but Alpine desisns such as flowers and hinting scenes--especially stags--are the most common. Commonly the cross pieces were decorated with Alpine symbols like dear or probably more accurately a stag and flowers. We are not sure why these two were so common. The dear presumably relates to hunting. We are less sure about flowers, except that they are pertty, but this of course is not commonly a consideration for boys clothing. Perhaps it relates to Alpine medows. The cross bar may be embossed with scenes of deer often this is replaced with a replica (plastic) carved bone medallion showing a similar scene. We do not yet have a complere list of the symbols used, but hope to develop this over time.
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