Figure 1.-- Here we see an unidentified family scene, we think in the 1930s--probably the early-30s. We see a boy with his adoring grandmother. Notice how he is holding grandmother;s hand. He looks to be about 6-7 years old. We think the boy is probably German. We see German boys wearin these non standard jacket styles. In this case it a soirt-cut double-breasted jacket. It is a short pants suits. American boys would have nore likely worn knickers. English and French boys more likely wore knee socks. Long stockings were still wideky worn in Germany and during colder months with long stockings. We also note that indoor home snapshots were more common in Germany than in any other country. We are not sure how to interpret the room.
We notice some images of boys wearing suits which are not identified. Often the background kike house styles or cars can provide clues. But if these clues are not available we have to just work on the suit styles and accompanying clothing. Until the 1970s there were major differences between countries. By the 1970s we begin to see pan-European styles becoming dominant and it vecomes very difficult to identify countries.
Image 1: Germany? (Early-1930s)
Here we see an unidentified family scene, we think in the 1930s--probably the early-30s (figure 1). We see a boy with his adoring grandmother. Notice how he is holding grandmother's hand. He looks to be about 6-7 years old. We think the boy is probably German. We see German boys wearing these non standard jacket styles. In this case it a short-cut double-breasted jacket. We can't make out the shirt. It is a short pants suits. American boys would have nore likely worn knickers. English and French boys more likely wore knee socks. Long stockings were still widely worn in Germany and during colder months with long stockings. We also note that indoor home snapshots were more common in Germany than in any other country. We are not sure how to interpret the room.
This is a studio portrait of an unidntified boy and his baby sister. He looks to be about 7-years old. He wears a light-colored Norfolk suit, we think with knickers. Knickers were more common in America thn any other country. We are not sure about his shirt. He also wears white long stockings and sandals. We would guess the portrait was taken in the 1910s which is when American boys began wearing knickers. We see younger American boys wearing white long stockings in the 1900s and 10s as well as the easrly-20s when dressing up. Sandals were less popular with american boys than European boys, but we do see some American boys wearing them in the 1900s-10s. We see fewer American boys wearing sandals in the 1920s and subsequentky.
Here we have a group of boys who look to be about 7-8 years old. We at first thought they were English and this was a school group because they are about the same age. We thought that they were English because the photographer was Tony Boxall, a British amateur photographer that made a name for himself photographing gypseys after building a personal relationship with them. Most of his photographs were taken in Britain, but he also traveled in Europe taking photographs there. And the boys here are not dressed like any groupos of British boys we have ever seen. They are wearing collar buttoning suit jackets. We are guessing the boys might be German or Belgian. Notice the glasses the one boys wear--they also look more continental than British. We are thinking that they may be a First Communion group, but there are no decorative items often associated with First Communion. There is no uniform, but clearly there some instructions have been given. The boys are all wearing suits and they are all short pants suits. You do not see that kind of conformity without direction.
This cabinet card portrait looks like a popular American mount style after the turn-of-the 20th cenntury. There is no studio information. We mostly see these new style mounts in America. So this portrait was most likely American. What leads us to wonder is that at the time American boys wore knee pants and long stockings. And here bthebboy in rintnappoears vto be wearing short pants without long stockings. This was especially the case of Fauntleroy outfits. Now we begin to see some boys having portraits taken barefoot, but this was less true for formal portraits like this one. And when the boys were so formally dressed as in this case. Also such short hair cuts seem more common in Europe than America.
