Figure 1.--This German boy wears a double breasted knickers suit. The portrait is undated, but we would guess the 1870s. Notice the hat (with a feather) on the chair and the stripped stockings. Image courtesy of Album 1900. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

HBC at this time has only limited information on 19th century boys' fashions. While we have compiled considerable information on the 20th century, we still have very little information on German styles during the 19th century. We have begun to collect some information, but most of it as this time pertais to the late 10th century. We have not noted a lot of destinctive German styles during the 19th century. The one exception is the the Bavatain styles Tegernsee jackes and Lederhosen which became a popular folk costume during the late 19th century.

Early 19th Century (1800-40)

I do not have any information on how German boys were dressed in the early 19th century. The pattern in other European countries was to develop special styles of clothing for children. I assume the Germans also moved in this direction. Some of the Empire styles like the skeleton suit were associated with French fashions so I'm not sure how widely they were adopted in Germany. We note the Fischer children in 1838 wearing coordinated dresses.

Mid 19th Century (1840-1870)

We do not notice any destinctive styles for German boys in the mid-19th century. As in other European countries, younger German boys wore dresses and skirts. We note one unidentified boy in the 1860s. We note images of German boys wearing tunics in the mid-19th centuries. Younger boys a variety of styilish suits in a wide variety of styles. We have on example of these stylish suits, but probably from the 1870s. Many had extensive piping and emroidery and often bloomer knickers. These outfits were similar to the styles worn in most other European countries. Rather modern looking suits with single and double breasted jackets began to appear by the 1860s-70s. They were at first wirn with long trousers. Most boys wore long stockings.

Late 19th Century (1870-1900)

The Germans by the end of the century were dressing children in a similar manner to other European countries. The sailor suit was one of the most popular styles trough Europe and it was particularly popular in Germany. The marriage of one of the Queen Victoria's daugters to the German royal family influenced German fashion, although she was always considered a foreigner and Bismark limited her influence over the upbringing of the future Kaiser. I'm unsure as to how other popular English fashions such as the kilt and Fautleroy suit were in Germany. I do not believe that the kilt was commonly worn, but Fauntleroy suits were worn, although not as much as in France and Italy. Some of the available images of German clothes in the 1870s look quite similar to styles we have seen in England and France, velvert suits, cut away jackets, and bloomer jnickers. We note images of German Fauntleroy suits from the 1890s. Boys' clothing in general, however, does appear have been similar to the rest of western Europe, but I hope to eventually obtain much more information on German dress trends in the future. I do not know of any destinctive German styles worn by boys, except for folk costumes. We note an interest in folk costuming beginning in the alte 19th century, with many German partents dressing children in folk costumes for special occassions. Sailor suits emerged in the 1890s as an especially popular style for boys as Kaiser Wilhelm began building a highseas fleet.

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Created: March 11, 2004
Last updated: March 12, 2004