Figure 1.--This German boy and his mother had their portrait taken in 1948. He is wearing what looks like suspender rompers with a fancy bouse. A reader asks about the boy and his family. Click on the image for a discussion. |
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We have also seen suspender rompers similar to suspender shorts. We notice two basic styles, regular suspender rompers and H-bar rompers. These were the same styles used for younger boys wearing short pants.
We note a variety of material as well as colors as patterns. Short pants done in patterns were not very common, perhaps somewhat more common for susdpender shorts. This seems more common for rompers. They were not nearly as common as suspender shorts, but we have found an number of portraits and snapshots of suspender rompers. The portraits show themn bring worn as dressy garments. This seems a dressy style for little boys.The snapshots show them being worn as play garments. The dressy rompers might be worn with fancy blouses although these were not very common. These seem similar to French styles. Like the classic barboteuse rompers, we mostly see them in the 1940s. They do not seem very common in the 1930s. These suspender rompers were perhaps related to the German World War II occupation of France. As a result of reparations and a grossy adverse fixed exchnge rate, large qusantities of French products, including clohing, were shipped to the Reich during the voccupation (1940-44). The French clothing not only affected the clothes boys wore directly, but perhaps the styles actually manufactured in Germany.
We have also seen suspender rompers similar to suspender shorts. We notice two basic styles, regular suspender rompers and H-bar rompers. These were the same styles used for younger boys wearing short pants. We do not yet have enough images in our archive to determine which was the more common. You would think it would be about the same proportion as was the case for short pants, but we have vno actual information at this time.
We note a variety of material. This is difficult to tell from a photograph, but we do see gingham. Different fabric was used for the dressy and play rompers.
We also notice different colors and patterns. The black and white photography means that we can not tell what the actual colors were, but we note that light-colors seem to have been preferred. While our archive is limited, we have not yet found many German rompers done in dark colors. The fact that rompers seem to have been largely summerwear which was commonly done in light colors. We also note patterns which of course can be seen in the photographs. We have found the checks also common used in French rompers. Short pants done in patterns were not very common, perhaps somewhat more common for susdpender shorts. This seems more common for rompers.
Suspender rompers were not nearly as common as suspender shorts, but we have found an number of portraits and snapshots of suspender rompers. A factor here was the age conventions. The romper outfirs were mostly worn by pre-school boys while suspebnder shorts were widely worn by boys goung to school.
We note German boys wearing both dressy and play suspender rompers. The play rompers seem more common, but we see both types. The portraits taken in studios show them bring worn as dressy garments. This seems a dressy style for little boys. Most of the dressy rompers seem to date from the World War II occupation of France. There may jhave been some before, but most of these portraits of dressy rompers seem to date from 1940. The dressy rompers might be worn with fancy blouses. The French had to pay reparations to Germany and the unrealistic exchange rate imposed upon France made French goods very inexpensive in Germany. We suspect that the large quantirties of French clothing shipped to the Reich influenced German styles. Here we see a German boys wearing a dressy romper outfit with a fancy blouse after the War (figure 1). The much more numerous snapshots show suspender rompers being worn as play garments. We see quite a number of such images. It seems to have been a popular summer style for boys. As in France we do not see giorls wearing these romper outfits even for play. The boys might wear suspender rompers wihout shirtys, but we also see them being worn with a variety of shirts. The suspender involvedseem a p[art of the paomper pants and done in the same material. The age range seems roughly the same for both the dressy and play rompers.
Msany of the German rompers we have notedm especially in the 1940s when they were most populsr, seem similar to French styles. These seem similar to French styles. Like the classic barboteuse rompers, we mostly see them in the 1940s. They do not seem very common in the 1930s. These suspender rompers were perhaps related to the German World War II occupation of France. As a result of reparations and a grossy adverse fixed exchnge rate, large qusantities of French products, including clohing, were shipped to the Reich during the voccupation (1940-44). The French clothing not only affected the clothes boys wore directly, but perhasps the tyles avctually msnbufactured in Germany.
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