Figure 1.--These German portrait is undated, but we believe that it was taken about 1905. For some reason the image was retouched, note the boy's eyes and slate cleaning rag ofall things. He wears a blouse suit with an Eton collar and large floppy bow. Note how the boy has been told to stand at attention. Image courtesy of the MD collection. The portrait was taken by Robert Kirchner. The incription reads Nieder-Salzbrunn, Am Bahnhof.

Sailor caps and hats were popular in the 1900s. Some boys wore militar-style peaked caps. Another popular style were flat caps. Some boys wore Fauntlroy suits, but they were not as popular as in France and England. We notice many German boys in the 1900s wearing sailor suits, although we are not precisely sure just how commonly they were worn and under what circumstancdes. Germany at the time was involved in a naval arms race with Britain and a country' navy, especially battleships, were the hallmark of a great power. Boys also wear a variety of suits, most with kneepants and long stockings. Some boys wore short pants and kneesocks which the Scouts and Wandervogel help popularize.

Image

A German reader reports that in KlickTel I found no Nieder-Salzbrunn but Salzbrunn which is a few km southwest of Berlin. A reader writes, "I have taken photographs in many different countries to which I have traveled. I note that often when I took photogrphds of children that many boys started to stand in attention on their own. It often took some tricks to make them to stand in a normal way."

Sailor Outfits

Sailor styling was perhaps the most popular style for German boys in the the 1900s. Sailor caps and hats were popular in the 1900s. We suspect tht the sailor suit was more popular in Germany thn nu other country. We are not sure wgy, but the favt that the Imperial princes were dressed in sailor suits surely was a factor. And unlike Britain, few boys attended private schools where they wore uniforms. In Germany most boys attended public schools, even boys from well-to-do families. And many of those boys wore sailor suits to school. Some boys wore military-style peaked caps. Another popular style were flat caps. Some boys wore Fauntlroy suits, but they were not as popular as in France and England. In contrast, we notice many German boys in the 1900s wearing sailor suits, although we are not precisely sure just how commonly they were worn and under what circumstances. We have yhe idea that sailor suits were esoecilly common among middle-class families, but cannot yet substanbtiate this. Germany at the time was involved in a naval arms race with Britain and a country' navy, especially battleships, were the hallmark of a great power. We see range of different stkes and detailing. Some sailor blouses had all-white V-collars. Others has Nelsoian three stripe detailing. We norice boys from pre-schoolers to teenagers wearing sailor suits. We also see girls wearing sailor blouses and sailor dresses.

Other Garments

Boys also wear a variety of suits, most with knee pants and long stockings. Some boys wore short pants and kneesocks which the Scouts and Wandervogel help popularize.

Schulanzugs

German boys didn't have to wear any special uniforms to school, so they wore what ever their parents bought for them. A Polish reader reserching boys clothes in Breslau (now a Polish city) writes, "In magazines from the 1900s there were something like Schulanzugs (clothes considered as more elegant and 'correct' to school) and sailor suits weren't popular within them." This appears to have changed in the 1910s before and during the World War I when sailor suits became more popular. [Jankowski]

Sources

Jankowski, Tomasz. E-mail message, April 28, 2003.

Created: November 17, 2002
Last updated: 6:25 PM 12/29/2018