Figure 1.--Here we have a portrait of the four children of a compfortable middle-class family. We unfortunately do not know their names. The two older children are boys and they wear identical kneepants sailor suits. The other children wear dresses, although we are not sure if the youngest child is a boy or girl. Image courtesy of Album1900.

Here we have a portrait of the four children of a compfortable middle-class family. We unfortunately do not know their names. The two older children are boys and they wear identical kneepants sailor suits. Notice how wrinkled their kneepants are. The boys look to be about 9-11 years old. The other children wear dresses, although we are not sure if the youngest child is a boy or girl. The girl looks about 8 years old and the baby probably about 2 years old. I'm not sure about the color of the boys' sailor suits or the dresses. The dresses do sem to be the same color. The portrait is undated, but was probably taken about 1905-10. They lived in the town of Lissa in Posen Province. The photographer was Wilhelm Furetzky located at Bismarckstr. 5. The boys have very severe hair cuts, cropped about as closely as possible. The girl has long hair with a perky little hair bow, although she does not seem very happy. The hairbow looks to match the dress. All four children wear dark long stockings and high-top shoes. I notice that none of the children are touching. In many portraits like this the children often are touching, especially the older ones holding on to the younger ones. Note here that the girl is not even holding on to the baby. This suggests rather a formal family relationship.

The Family

Here we have a portrait of the four children of a compfortable middle-class family. We unfortunately do not know their names. From the appearance of the children, however, theyb came from a middle-class family in comfortable circumstance.

Clothing

The two older children are boys and they wear identical kneepants sailor suits. I'm not sure what clor they were, perhaps light-blue and white. Notice how wrinkled their kneepants are. HBC thought that the boys were wearing identical sailor suits. One HBC reader, however, believes that the boys' kneepants are different. They are cut the same length. A reader believes that the younger boy has kneepants without a fly. He writes, "Notice the older boy wears kneepants with a fly while the younger boy has side buttoning kneepants." It does look like this, but it is diificult to be sure from the photograph. The boys look to be about 9-11 years old. The other children wear dresses, although we are not sure if the youngest child is a boy or girl. The girl looks about 8 years old and the baby probably about 2 years old. I'm not sure about the color of the dresses. The dresses, however, do seem to be the same color.

Chronology

The portrait is undated, but was probably taken about 1905-10. This suggests that the boys may well have been of military age during World War and werec drafted. Of course we do not know what happened to them.

Location

They lived in the town of Lissa in Posen Province. The photographer was Wilhelm Furetzky located at Bismarckstr. 5. The location is also significant. What was at the time referred to as Posen was once part if the Polish Kingdom. The area during three partions of Poland in the 18th century became part of Prussia. The first part of Poland was annexed by King Friedrich II of Prussia in 1772 during the first partition of Poland and became known as Netzedistrict. Prussia under King Friedrich William II during the second partition of Poland in 1793 acquired the remainder of Posen and called it South Prussia. Poland's staus changed during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte after defeating the Prussian Army joined Posen with the Grand Duchy of Warsaw (1807-1815). After Napoleons defeat in 1814-15, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw fell and Prussia regained Posen. The province was divided by Prussia into the administrative districts (Regierungsbezirke) Posen and Bromberg. The capital of the province was Posen (Poznan). Posen remained in Prussian/German hands until Germany's defeat in World War I (1914-18). As part of the Versailles Paece Traety (1919) Posen became part of the newly formed Polish nation. NAZI Germany innvaded Poland in 1939 launching World War II. The NAZIs after their defaet of Poland, annexed Posen to the Reich and began a process of Germinization, expelling Poles under the most brutal conditions. NAZI brutalities in Posen and the rest of occupied Poland was horendous. The Poles were replaced with Germans from the Soviet-occupied Baltic republics that Hitler ordered to return to the Reich. Posen was renamed Warthegau. After Germany's defeat in World War II (1945), Posen was returned to Poland and the German population expelled. Many brutalities were visited on the expelled Germans by the Poles.

It is likely that their comfortable middle-class existance was shatered by both the War and the peace that followed it. This means that in 1919 these children, if they survived World War I, would have found themselves essentially in a foreign country. They could either continuecliving in Posen as a German minority or emmigrate to Germany and begin life a new. If they did emmigrate to Germany, they would ptobably have been very bitter at both the Versailles Treaty and the Weimar Republic Government that had been forced to accrpt it. As such they would have been very susceptable to right-wing political parties like the NAZIs.

Hair Styles

The boys have very severe hair cuts, cropped about as closely as possible. The girl has long hair with a perky little hair bow, although she does not seemn very happy. The hairbow looks to match the dress.

Family Relationships

All four children wear dark long stockings and high-top shoes. I notice that none of the children are touching. The boys even have their hands behind their backs. This is not a natural pose. They were likely instrucyed to stand that way by father. In many portraits like this the children often are touching, especially the older ones holding on to the younger ones. Notice for example the very different poses in photographs of an American family taken at about the same time. Wealso note German imagesc providing a suuggestion of much more intimate family relationships. We note some Berlin brothers in the 1870s. Note that in the German portrait here that the girl is not even holding on to the baby. This suggests rather a formal family relationship. A German reader writes, "Surely upbringing in those days was different from the practice today. Today we consider such treatment as too strict. But in this case I think it is because: Those children had to pose. Surely they were told: you stand here and you here ... don't do that and that ... for a child I think disagreeable situation. Still going to the photographer was expensive and their parents told them to keep out of mischief. They had to dress formal. They all had to stand quietly that a sharp picture is possible. So understandable it all looks a little stiff and strict." Another reader writes, "I agree with your German reader here and would blame the photographer for creating an image that gives the impression that the children did not care for each other." HBC is not sure if the pose reflects the posing by the photographer or parents.

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Created: April 26, 2003
Last updated: April 28, 2003