Figure 1.--This Antwerp boy was photographed in 1914, just before World War I in which his country was invaded in his First Communion sailor suit. He wears kneepants with long stockings. Note the white gloves and streamer hanging at the side of his head instead of the back. |
This Antwerp boy was photographed in 1914, just before World War I in which his country was invaded in his First Communion sailor suit. He wears kneepants with long stockings. Note the white gloves. We do not know his name, but there are many interesting aspecys to his outfit.
We do not know who this boy was. All we know was that he was photographed for his First Communion in Antwerp during 1914 just before World War I. I am not sure about his age. He appears younger than some of the other Belgian boys doing their First Communion. He looks to be about 10 or 11 years old. Based on his emaculate outfit, we would say that he came from an affluent family.
The Germany Army invaded neutral Belgium in August 1914 hoping to bypass the strong defenses along the French border and gain a quick victory before the British could arrive in force. They nearly succeeded. The gallant defense put up by the Belgians under King Albert I, against overwealming odds, slowed the Germans just enough that the French managed to stop them at the Marne River--"The Miracle on the Marne". In the process, however, almost all of Belgium, including Antwerp, was occupied by the Germans. While their occupation policies were not comparable to those of the NAZIs in World War II, they were severe and large numbers of Belgians faced starvation, especially orphaned children by 1915-16. A humanitarian relief effort by the still neutral United States, administered by Herbert Hoover, a future U.S. president, managed to save thousands of children. It is likely that far fewer parents were able to so emaccualtely dress their boys for their First Communions during the difficult German occupation that lasted until the Armistace in November 1918.
He wears a flat-top sailor cap, quite common at the time. It is a dark (I assume navy) cap. We notice that there is no ship name on the cap band as was common in other large countries. Perhaps Belgium had no prestigious naval vessels. More interesting is that he wears his stramer to the side. We do not think that this is mere hapanstance. Everything about this portrait is perfectly poised, note for example how he is holding his gloves. What we do not understand is if this was how he wore his stramer or if perhaps mother arranged it like this so that the streamer would show.
This boy seems to wear a more traditional sailor outfit. He wears a white dickie with
an embroidered insignia, but I can not quitecmake it out. I think his sailor collar has four white stripes and three blue stripes on it. He wears a middy blouse complete with a sailor scarfe. He has a kind of fob rather than a lanyard. Often whistles came with sailor suits. Here it appears to be attached to some kind of round medalion in the sarfe. He wears a pocket handkerchief in his left breast pocket. His sleeve cuffs have two white stripes and one blue stripe and there appears to be trim just above the middy hem. His kneepants have freshly pressed creases. (Creases were a new style in the 1900s, even at the turn of the century, trousers were not creased.)
He wears black or navy long stockings with high top shoes. The long stockings are not heavy, suggesting that they are wiorn as part of a formal outfit rather than for warmth.
He wears white gloves, but has taken off as he is indoors.
This boy has a bible, but I do not see a rossary. It is hard to tell. but there may be a small corsage pinned to his sleeve.
His front bangs peep out under the brim.
A French reader tellsu, "There were conventions for the rules of " bonnes manières " in France and probably also in Belgium before the 1960s. A boy had to take off his white gloves when he was
indoor. He could keep his gloves on: a) outside b) inside a chuch c) or when he was in prayer anywhere. So in the portrait this boy is correvct in taking off his white gloves and to have them in his hand. The same portrait with this boy wearing his white gloves could have him in church praying and even kneeling or during his communion ceremony or also in the street."
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