Figure 1.--These Austrian brothers were photographed in 1902. Notice how the two oldest boys wear identical suits. Here Pisti is 11 years old, Viki is 7 years old and Villy 3 years old. The portrit was taken in Székesfehérvár, an ancient Hungarian town between Lake Balaton and Budapest. Villy seems to be holding a toy or is it flowers? Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
As there were four boys born over about a 17 year period from about 1891-1906, the family photographs thus provide a wonderful overview of the various garments worn by Austrian boys in the late 19th and early 20th century from 1891-1915. We have images of the boys taken in most of these years, beginning with Pisti in 1895. The available images thus provide an excellent view of what Austrian boys wore at the turn of the 20th century. We are unsure how living in Budapest may have affected their clothing. We assume that the styles would have been similar to what many Austrian boys would have worn at the time, perhaps a bit more austere than most because they were a military family. These chronological links lead to some new specifically annual pages as well as existing pages on sapects of the brother's clothing, but show the boys in the year specified.
The family saga began in 1891 when Pisti was born.
Here we see Pisti at about age 4. His little brother Viki was born in 1895, but not yet included in the portraits.
Pisti and Viki are pictured together in this 1898 photgraphed. There are some similarities in the boys' outfits, but motherhas not dressed them identically. They both wear wide-brimmed sailor hats and they have identical bows. Their suits, however, are quite different. Pisti wears a stylish sailor suit with bloomer knickers. Viki wears a kneepants suit. The suit has influeces of Norfolk styling and is worn with an Eton collar. Villy has not yet arrived.
Pisti and Viki are picyured together wearing identical bloomer knicker sailor suits. The styling as was often the case for the olde boys had non-traditional styling. Their hair is extremely close cropped. They look almost bald. Villy appears for the first time and as an infant had curly hair. Like his brothers he wore dresses as a little boy.
All three boys were photographed in 1901. The two oldest boys wear identical, rather elegant, sailor suits. There mother liked to dress the boys close in age identically. Here 2-year old Villy wears a dress, but with stylistic derailing similar to his older brothers' sailor suits. Note Villy's wonderful hobby horse and cart.
The brothers were photographed in 1902 (figure 1). Notice how the two oldest boys wear identical suits. There mother liked to dress the boys close in age identically. Here Pisti is 11 years old, Viki is 7 years old and Villy 3 years old. The portrit was taken in Székesfehérvár, an ancient Hungarian town between Lake Balaton and Budapest. Villy seems to be holding a toy or is it flowers? Their younger brother Fredy had not yet arrived.
Pisti became a cadet at a military school in 1903. His younger brothers Viki and Villy wear identical kneepants sailor suits with flat-topped caps. The suits are quite stylish, but not with the classic style of an actual enlisted uniform. This is another example of how their mother liked to dress the boys in identical outfits.
The boys in 1905 were outfitted in identical white sailor suits for a vacation outing at "Siofok" which is a holiday resort town on Lake Balaton in Hungary. Both Viki and Villy now about 10 and 6 years old wear white middy blouses and black kneepants with wide-brimmed straw hats for the vacation. Their older brother, Pisti, who is now about 14 years old wears his heavy cadet uniform and cap. HBC is not sure if this was his choice because he or his parents are proud that he is a cadet or the school required him to wear his uniform even when not at school. For a while Pisti and Viki were dressed alike. Now that Pisti is a cadet and Villi has been breached, it is Viki and Villi that are dressed alike.
Viki like Pisti has now become a cadet. The boys by 1908 were no longer being dressed alike. The older boys had outgrown that and the younger boys are to far apart in age. There are several interesting aspects to the boys' clothing that show changing fashions in the 20th century as well as the older boys' military careers. Little Fredy, unlike his older brothers when they were young, does not wear a dress. He is also dressed more casually. He is pictured with curls.
Viki and Pisti are both pictured in their cadet uniforms which, except for the collar trim, are quite similar. Note the Austrian eagle on the belt buckle. Fredy is a little older now and is dressed in a similar sailor suit to that worn by Villy. Fredy did not keep the curls seen in 1908 very long. They have been cut and both him and Vily have severe short cropped almost shaved hair styles.
Viki is for the first time pictured in a naval cadet uniform. Pisti appears to have finished his training and received his commission. He wears an actual officer's uniform--notice the sword. Fredy and Vily are dressed in identical white sailor suits with traditional styling. Vily wears his kneepants sailor suit with black long stockings. The boys do not now have close cropped hair, now enough hair to actually comb.
The boys in 1911 wear a sailor suit, a regular suit, a naval military school cadet uniform, and an army uniform. Note Fredy, the younger boy, He has close cropped hair and toy buggle. His older brother Villy wears a regular suit. Their mother liked to dress the boys in identical outfits, but these two although the youngest, are to far apart in age to do so any more. Pisti by 1911 looks to have actually become an officer in the Austrain army. Viki appears to have become a naval cadet.
Pist wars his military uniform. Viki no longer looks to be a cadet, but rather appears to be i the navy now--presumably a midshipman. Villy clearly did not go to military school and wears a suit. Fredy wears another sailor suit. This one is white or a light color and styled with a non-traditional collar. His hair is no longer being shaved.
The two older boys are in the military. Pisti is a young army officer and Viki looks to be a naval midshipman. Villy did not go to military school and wears a suit. Fredy wears a smock--the only image with one of the boys wearing a smock. The year 1913 of coutse was the final year of peace. Germany to support Austia decalared war on France and marched through Belgium in August 1914 launching World War I. The two oldest brothers would have been involved in the War--we do not know how they fared.
The last portrait we have of the boys was taken in 1915. The portait is only of Villy and Fredy. Villy wears a very mature looking suit, he is now about 16 years old. Notice that the tie is the same polka-dot pattern that the boys wore as floppy bows. Fredy who is now about 9 years old wears a crisp white sailor suit with traditional styling. Note his scarfe, German and Austrian sailor outfits often have scarves tied in that manner. We know nothing about their brothers. Pisti is likely at the front. Viki is probably posted to an Imperial Navy vessel.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Essays]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Belgin pages:
[Return to the Main Budapest family page]
[Austrian choirs]
[Austrian movies]
[Austrian royals]
[Austrian schools]
[Austrian military schools]
[Austrian youth groups]