German Brothers (about 1920)


Figure 1.--Here we see see a German brothers wearing rather long Lederhosen. Note the wonderfully decorated hataers. These boys wear sandals with their Lederhosen which was not real common. The portrait is undated. We would guess about 1920. Image courtesy of the MC collection.

Here we see two Germany boys in an undated portrait wearing matching Lederhosen Notice the boys here wearing closed-toe sandals, probably about 1920 (figure 1). The Canadian reader who provided this image says, "I hope that German readers will be able to provide some insights on this photograph. There is no writing on the back or any other information associated with it. They are two German boys, probably from Bavaria. They are wearing classic Lederhosen. The braces (suspender straps are leather but the cross piece does not seem to be leather but rather embroidered cloth. The children are wearing sandals. Their heads are close-cropped as was common at the time. The photograph was probably taken in a studio with a nice effect of light. The boy standing up seems happy, but his brother sitting on the chair seems to be a "rough and tough. Angry to be there. There are many scatches on his face."

The Boys

The boys in the portrait here are unidentified. While we do not know who they are, almost certainly becay=use they are dressed alike, they must be brothers. We would guess they are about 5-7 years ols. The boy standing up seems happy, but his older brother sitting on the chair seems to be a "rough and tough. Angry or at least not at all happy to be there to be there. There are many scatches on his face.

Chronology

The portrait is undated. We would gues it was taken about 1920. It could well have been taken in the 1910s. The 1920s is another possibility, but only the early 1920s. There are a number of clues here. The closed cropped hair cuts date the image to the early 20th century. This cut was very popular for boys in the 1900s and 10s. It was also seen in the 1920s, especially the early 20s. Lederhosen are a classic style, but the very long legs suggest the early 20th century. After World War I we see shorter cut Lederhosen, but the long leg styles were still seen in the early 20s. The sandals are a style more commonly seen after the War. Note that these sandals do not have any cut outs in the toe area. This suggests to us that it was an early style of sandal so the 1910s is not out of the question. Unfortunately we do not yet have an axtensive German catalog section go draw from to help date styles,

Photograph

The photograph was probably taken in a studio with a nice effect of light. For most photographs it is obvious whrther it is a snapshot or studio portrait. This one is a bit more difficult to tell. Our assessment is that it is a studio portrait weith a backdrop rather than a backyard snapshot--but we are not positive about this. This is important because it tells us a bit about the conventions involved with the Lederhosen here. If it is a snapshot, it means that the Lederhosen may have been a kind of play outfit. If it is a studio portrait, it means that the Lederhosen were being used as a kind of dress up outfit. We see quite a few portraits of children dressed up in folk outfits in the early 20th century.

Family

We know nothing about the family. We suspect, however, that they came from a comforttable, but not overly affluent middle-class family. We say this because we think this is a studio portrait and middle-class families would be more likely to dress the children up in folk outfits than working-class families. Also the sandals are another indication that the boys come from a middle-class rather than a working-class family.

Location

The two German boys here are probably from Bavaria. This is a reasonable guess. Lederhosen in the early 20th century was still a style that was largely regional in character. They were worn in Bavaria, but not commonly in other areas of Germany. Of course Austria is a possibility as well, but written on the back is "German boys". This seems an unusual note for parents gto write. So it may have been written by a photograph dealer. We assume, however, that it is probably an accurate note.

Clothing

The boys are wearing solid-colored shirts. The checked shirts that have become associated with Lederhosen are more of a modern convention. classic Lederhosen. They are rather long length. I think this is in part because that was the style at the time and also because a thrifty mom bought a large size. Note that the younger boy has the longer length. The braces (suspender straps are leather but the cross piece does not seem to be leather but rather embroidered cloth. I'm not sure how common this was. Mom or grand mother was apparently a home knitter. Nore the hand-knitted kneesocks. The children are wearing sandals. That was not real common with Lederhosen.

Hair Styles

Their heads are close-cropped as was common at the time. Middle-class boys, especially by the mid-1920s were more commonly wearing their hair long enough for parts.







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Created: 11:58 PM 9/3/2005
Last updated: 11:58 PM 9/3/2005