Figure 1.--We have no information about this snapshot. It looks to us to be a boy in Germany's increasingly prosperous midle class sitting on the back porch of the family home with his dog. He wears a standard pair of Lederhosen with knee socks and sandals. We would guess that the snapshot was taken in the 1950s. The style of glasses suggest the early 50s. And of course what boy could not want a dog like the one here.

After World War II, lederhosen were commonly worn by boys. The became even more popular than before World War II. We are not enturely sure why, but the 1950s were clearly the decase in whicj Lederhosen were most populasr. We see this clearly in the photographic record. The wearing of lederhosen by boys as the economy improved spread to Middle and Northern Germany--mainly the short variety called sepplhose- and they were worn by boys of all walks of life in families of all kinds of political opinions. Lederhosen in the 1950s were worn throughout Germany and the increasing prosperity meant that virtually every family could afford them. The popularity of Heimat movies in which they were often featured may have been another factor. They appear to have been very popular with boys in the 1950s. Boys look to have commonly worn them for day to day activities both for play an school. Many boys wore them much as boys now wear jeans. A reader writes, "As these leather pants are virtually indestructable, apart from being very smart, the short type of Lederhosen were a favourite method of dress for their boys by German and Austrian mothers in the past, particularly during the 1950s and 60s, when it was the common practice in Europe for boys to wear shorts until they were well into their teenage years."

Popularity

Lederhosen were very popular with German boys during the 1950s. Lederhosen seem to have been items that boys wanted and not just clothing that mother bought for them. I am not etirely sure why Lederhosen proved so popular with boys. We suspect that the virtual indestrutibility was a factor. Boys did not have be careful when wearing Lederhosen at play. We are less sure about comfort which is a factor very important for boys. And of course while such matters explain wehy boys mnay have liked Lederhosen, they do not explain why Ledershosen were so popular in the 1950s. Other factors -seem to have bee involved in the popularity of Lederhosen specifically during the 1950s. First, the military was no longer buy large quantitgies of leather. (Some 80 percent of the Wprld War II Ostheer was unmotorized infantry with horse-drawn carts. Plus all kinds of gear, belts and and equipment was made in leather.) Second, after the whole NAZI disaster there was a widespread desire to recover the old values and traditions. Third, the German Economic Miracle meant that families could afford to buy Lederhosen even though they were more expensive than regular pants. Now these factors may or may not have been important to the popukarity of Lederhosen during the decade. There a=also may have been other factors involved. Here we welcome reader insifggts in this issue. A German reader writes, "I am not sure how popular Lederhosen were for boys outside Bavartia before World War II. But I do think that they were much more popular in the 1950s and 1960s than before. Why? Well, perhaps because of their advantage of being very solid, undestroyable and multifunctional (good for all circumstances). No need to wash them (no washing machines yet in Germany in the 1950s); younger boys can take them over from their older brothers. And thanks to the halter you can grow into your Lederhose. But that does not explain wehy they were especially poopular in the 50s. What I know is that, perhaps to make them cheaper and thus more easy available for more parents, the quality of the leather for biys Lederhosen was lewsser than in the past. And yes: wearing Lederhosen might have been regarded as a typical German tradition by the Germans themselves, a tradition to be revived."

Pervasiveness

After World War II, lederhosen were commonly worn by boys. The may have even been more common than before World War II, but we are not positive about that. The wearing of lederhosen by boys as the economy improved spread to Middle and Northern Germany--mainly the short variety called sepplhose- and they were worn by boys of all walks of life in families of all kinds of political opinions. A reader writes, "As these leather pants are virtually indestructable, apart from being very smart, the short type of Lederhosen were a favourite method of dress for their boys by German and Austrian mothers in the past, particularly during the 1950s and 60s, when it was the common practice in Europe for boys to wear shorts until they were well into their teenage years."

Accompanying Clothes

German boys continued to commonly wear Lederson after the War. The Lederhosen did not change significantly, but the clothes boys wore with them did. We see boys wearing Lederhosen with different clothes after World War II in the 1950s. These trends are so strong, especially for casual clothes, that snap shots can often be dated wsith a gair degree of accuracy. By the 1950s we see a lot of boys wearing the colored often checked or plaid shirts that are now often associated with Lederhosen. Red was a popular color for these shirts. They were very rate before the War. We also commonly see boys wearing Lederhosen with striped "T"-shirts. The knee socks that were so common before the War begin o become somewhat less common. Many boys wear ankle socks, especially during the summer. We also notice somne boys wearing sneakers.

Economic Factors

Lederhosen in the 1950s were worn throughout Germany and the increasing prosperity meant that virtually every family could afford them. During World War II, leather had a range of military uses. Contrary to the popular image, large sections of the Wehrmact was not mechanized. The Whrmacht that invaded the Soviet Union had large numbers of horses at this meant a great deal of leather harnesses and other gear. Leather was also used for belts and cases worn by the soldiers. Thus Lederhosen were not widely available during the War and the difficult economic conditions in the immediate post-War era. This changed dranatically in the 1950s with the return of economic prosperity.

Regional Trends

We note Lederhosen being worn much more widely in Germany during the 1950s than before Wotld war II. Before the War, Bavaria were known throughout the country, bur were primarily worn in Bavaria abnd Austria. After the War we note them being worn in areas of Germany where they werenot formerly worn. Evcen so we still see them muvh more commonly in Bavaria than any other part of Germany. (They alo were very common in Austria, but it was separated from Germany by the Allies.) Images from Bavaria often show karge numbers of boys wearing Lederhosen in school and other group photographs. We note this in photographs before the War, but it seems to be even more true in the 1950s.

Heimat Films

The popularity of Heimat movies in which they were often featured may have been another factor. Movies can help make clothinf styles popular.

Conventions

Lederhosen appear to have been very popular with German boys in the 1950s. They were a very flexible garment in that they could be worn for a wide range of acrivitids and events. German boys during the 1950s look to have commonly worn Lederhosen for day to day activities both for play and at school. Many boys seem to have worn them much as boys now wear jeans. We also notoce boys dressing up with Lederhosen. Some boys had matching Bavarian or Alpine jackets.

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Created: 7:43 AM 6/16/2005
Last updated: 7:40 AM 2/9/2021