Figure 1.--Austrian boys commonly wore lederhosen to school. Many of the boys in this Austrian primary class during 1953 wear lederhosen. Several boys wear Tyrolean or other jacket so it is hard to tell if they are weaing lederhosen. To see the rest of the class, click on the image.

One popular local garment was lederhosen. Lederhosen were widely worn by Austrian boys. In fact the origins of lederhosen trace primarily from Austria and Bavaria in southern Germany bordering Austria. I have few details about lederhosen specifically in Austria yet, but the style was commonly worn in southern German (Bavaria), Austria, and Switzerland. Lederhosen in Austria were particularly popular in the inter-War years, Lederhosen were worn by Scouts and other youth groups, including the Hitler Youth, after the Anchluss in 1937. I believe they were mostly worn for outdoor activities, but also with a kind of folk jacket for dressier occasions. Boys would wear them to school with a jacket or sweater. They were worn for both dressing up, and because of their durability, for play. They continued to be widely worn in the 1940s and 50s. School photographs show many boys wearing lederhosen. They continued to be commonly worn through the 1950s. Lederhosen in Austria began declining in popularity in the 1960s as boys began wearing jeans.

Popularity

One popular local garment was lederhosen. The popularity of Lederhosen have varied grealy over time, Lederhosen were widely worn by Austrian boys. In fact Lederhosen seem to have been more popular in Austria than any other country. Much of our information on Lederhosen come from Germany, but this is because Germany is a much larger country with a far greater population than Austria. Actually outside of Bavaria and neighboring Alpine areas, Lederhosen were not very common in Germany. Lederhosen were also commn in the German-speaking areas of Switzerland. We have few details about lederhosen specifically in Austria yet, but hope our Austrian readers will contribute their insights.

Origins

The origins of lederhosen trace primarily from Austria and Bavaria in southern Germany bordering Austria.

Chronology

The popularity and conventions concerning Lederhosen have varied greatly over time. And our archive of Austrian images is still quite limited. We do not yet have much information on the 19th century. We think that that at the time they were mostly worn in rural areas. Some wealthy families might have worn them as nostalgic folkwear. We note, for examole, Emperor Franz Josef and his son Rudolf wearing them for outings in the country. We gave more information on the 20th century. They seem to have still been ruralwear in the early 20th century. After World War I they seem to begin to become more popular in urban areas. Lederhosen in Austria seem particularly popular in the inter-War years. They continued to be widely worn in the 1940s and 50s. School photographs show many boys wearing lederhosen. They continued to be commonly worn through the 1950s. Lederhosen in Austria began declining in popularity in the 1960s as boys began wearing jeans. While we have quite a bit of information about German lederhosen, we have relatively information about lederhosen in Austria at this time. Clothing trends were similar in Germany and Austria. The difference concerning Lederhosen is that in Germn they were until after Wotld War II primarily a regional style, especially popular in Bavaria. In fact trends in Austria abd Bavaria were very similiar.

Useage

Lederhosen are a very flexible garment in that they were worn for an unusually wide range of activities from dressy formal occasions to casual play and even farm work. We also note many Austrian school boys wearing lederhosen. Lederhosen were worn by Scouts and other youth groups, including the Hitler Youth, after the Anchluss in 1937. I believe they were mostly worn for outdoor activities, but also with a kind of folk jacket for dressier occasions. Boys would wear them to school with a jacket or sweater. They were worn for both dressing up, and because of their durability, for play. Lederhosen conventions have varoed overtime. Into the 1950s we note boys wearing Lederhosen for farm work. Austrian boys today more commonly wear Lederhosen for dress-up occassions, often with green or other folk-styled jacket.

Hosiery

We see Austrian boys wearing Lederhosen with a variety of hosiery. Kneesocks seem common, but we also note ankle socks and long stockings. Rural children also went barefoot with Lederhosen. We also note the calf socks worn with folk outfits. This seems particularly common after World War II because of the poverty resulting from the economic dislocations caused by the War. We assume sme boys wear tights with Lederhosen, esecially the knickers-length Lederhosen. The type of hosiery worn with Lederhosen were affected both by chronological and social class factors as well as age. Demographic factors such as rural/urban areas were also important.

Personal Experiences

One Flenish boy visiting at the time reports that his Austrain cousins were all wearing lederhosen.

Reader Comments

A reader writes, "A real nice picture. It reminds me of my daughter wearing a dress like the ones the girls here are wearing. She was 5-6 years old. At the time it was still difficult to distinguish between Germany and Austria, but quite easy to destinguish differences between America, England, France, Italy, and other countries. But now children all seem to dress alike."

A reader writes, "Do we know anything about the origins of this interesting picture? You obviously know the date (1953). Does this mean that we also know the town in Austria? What age do you thinks the boys are? About 7? One thing that seems interesting is that one of the children is barefoot while another (the boy sitting on the wall at the right) wears a cardigan sweater, long stockings, and hightop shoes. Is this a mixture of summer and cool weather clothing in the same class? Or are the long stockings simply an indication of conservatism and formality?" Unfortunately HBC has no further details about this school photograph. We try to list all avalable details in our captions. A photograph taken a few years earlier would have shown more of the children barefoot. This was largely a function of limited means. Austria like Germany was begining to make considerable economic progress by 1953, at least the western occupation zone, so most of the parents could afford shoes. We would guess that this photograph came from the Soviet occupation zone. A few years later after the Soviet withdrawl, school phhotographs show all the children wearing shoes.

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Created: December 4, 2003
Last updated: 3:18 AM 10/1/2008