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I have little information about the early development of the sailor suit for boys in Germany. It does appear, however, that German boys in the 1870s and early 80s were not yet being worn by German boys. Marine blue sailor suits became very popular among young boys of all ages after 1889, when Kaiser Wilhelm II started to stir up the enthusiasm for the German navy with his new naval policy. Sailor suits were practical, durable, and could be worn for all occasions. Even girls began wearing them. The pattern for the German sailor suits and the material of the suit have their origin in the uniforms of the British naval forces. The characteristical three white stripes on cuff and collar recall the three famous sea battles of Nelson. At the end of the 19th century, textile factories for sailors' clothes were established in the naval port of Kiel, from where Germany pursued its colonial and imperialistic policies. The real "Kieler," also among the favorite clothes of the emperor's
children, became an expression of national pride for the bourgeoisie. by the 1890s German boys were also commonly wearing sailor suits. Germany became a united country in the 1870s and the use of the sailor suit in the Holenzorian ruling family by the 1890s, influenced by Queen Victoria, was a major factor. Political developments, however, made it even more popular. Prussia and the other German states had no navies of any significance. The German decission to begin building a major navy was a matter of imense national pride and must have been another factor in popularizing the sailor suit for boys. I have little information on styles. They seenmed to have been worn primarily with knee pants.
The boy here is unidentified. We have no idea who he is. He looks to be about 7 or 8 years old. Note the whip tht he is holding. His sailor outbit with velvet trim and panys suggests to us that he comes from a comfortable middle class family. We wonder if he might be Polish rather than German. All we know for sure is that he was from Beslau.
The portrait is not dated, but we believe was taken in the in the 1880s.
The back of the CDV shown here was quite interesting. The portrait here of a boy wearing a non-traditional sailor suit was undated, but I would estimate that it was taken in the 1880s. It read: "N.RASCHKOW Jr.
Court photographer of his highness the Duke of Saxe-Meinigen
Court photographer of his royal highness the Grand-Duke of Hesse
Court photographer of his royal highness Prince George of Prussia
Court photographer of her royal highness Princess Louise of Prussia
Breslau, Ohlauer Str. #4, 1st floor." The photographer's name for example looks Polish, but a HBC reader tells us that the name Raschkow is not really Polish, but rather Pomeranian, which does suggest a Slavic origin. The monarchy and aristocracy was very important in Germany at the time. Notice how this photographer uses his royal clients to establish the status of his studio.
Breslau is now Polish. Breslau had been a German city since 1000, but through the centuries it has also been Austrian, Bohemian, Polish and Prussian. As part of the Versailles Peace Treaty, Breslau remained in Germany when the new Polish state was created in 1919. It was the capital of Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia) and that area remained German territory. However, parts of the industrial province Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia), farther east, became Polish after a plebiscite. After the Germans invded Poland in 1939, largevareas of Poland were annexed to the Reich. The German citizens were expelled in 1945 and Poles from Eastern Poland filled the vacancies. The city was officially re-named Wroclaw.
Breslau had a Polish minority during the Prussian administration and a large Jewish population as well (there even used to be a rabbinical seminary). At the time Breslau was a part of Imperial Germany, territory obtained in the partitions of Poland. There was as a result a substantial Polish population in Breslau.
The boy here wears a sailor suit. Notice the untraditional style. The V-collar is interesting. I have never seen one quite like it. It looks to be velvet. There are buttons rather than stripes. The dickey is done in rather unusual stipes and is complicated by a high collar. He wears a floppy bow rather than a proper sailor scarfe. I looks to us that the bow might be red. The velvet trim on the blouse matched the velvet kneepants. I'm not sure what color the velvet was. It is clearly a dark color. Presumably it is black, but other dark colors like deep blue or also possible.,
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