Figure 1.-- Here we see a German primary school in 1934. The inscription reads, " Hermsdorf, März 1934 ". That means Hermsdorf, March 1934. I think Hermsdorf is the location rather than the name of the school. Most of the boys wear short pants, some with kneesocks, others with long stockings. The hosiery here is interesting. Boy 1 and 3 appears to be wearing rolled socks over their long stockings. Boy 11 has very lumpy long stockings. Two boys wear sailor suits. Also notice how few boys have cropped hair cuts. Click on the image to see the older children at the school.

Here we see the children at the Hemmsdorf school in the 1930s. HBC readers have commented on the hosiery the boys are wearing during the 1930s. These class photos from the German school in 1934 provide some interesting insights about several of the issues HBC has been studying. These school images are interesting because they provide a good view of the popular fashions of the day. This is especially true in countries like Germany where school uniforms or smocks were not worn.

Younger Boys

The boys in this picture seem to be about 10 years old, and most, though not all, wear long stockings (figure 1). The lumpy look of No. 11's stockings probably indicates long underwear worn underneath. This was not too common in Germany in the 1930s, but it was not unknown. The same thing happened in America, as is proved by the popularity of long-legged waist union suits which had attachments for hose supporters. The German boys, however, didn't have waist union suits and would have worn the ordinary Leichen for stocking support on top of long-legged union suits or "hemdehosen." Nos. 4 and 6 are also interesting in regard to the issue of stocking length. These boys are wearing fairly short shorts, which requires their long stockings to be quite long. This is particularly evident in the case of No. 6 whose shorts, since he is sitting down, are not quite long enough to cover the tops of his long stockings. The photograph is also interesting as regards the typical color of long stockings. The dominant colors seem to be dark tan or medium brown, but at least two boys (No. 3 and No. 12) appear to be wearing black stockings. Black was still worn in Germany, but by the 1930s tan and brown stockings had become much more common.

Older Children

We also see the older children at the school, both boys and girls (Click on figure 1). This image shows the older children. This class of children includes both boys and girls. Notice the two boys at the ends of the first row (Nos. 1 and 21) who both wear long stockings (dark tan in one case and black in the other). No 21 seems to be a young teenager (perhaps 14 or 15), which would mean that this class is a gymnasium rather than a primary school--although perhaps the same school had both primary and secondary levels. Most of the children in this photo seem to be at least 13 and some seem even a bit older. Long stockings in the 1930s were commonly worn by teenage boys as well as younger ones. Although the NAZIs had come to power by the time these photographs were taken, their opposition to long stockings as too unathletic or too unmasculine doesn't seem to have yet had much effect upon this school. Notice, however, that a few boys already wear knee socks with their shorts instead of long stockings. Long stockings in Germany were worn by schoolboys not only for warmth but for propriety. Class issues were involved here, and many parents regarded long stockings as indicating proper respectability and regard for family class and tradition.

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Created: 8:52 PM 8/6/2005
Last updated: 8:52 PM 8/6/2005