Figure 1.--This German boy is dressed up forhis first day of school, we believe during the 1920s. He wears a dark blue traditional knee pants sailor suit with matching cap, white long stockings, and single bar black strap shoes. The suit and shoes look brand new for the occassion. Note his book satchel and lunch crrier.

The vast majority of the strap shoe images we have noted show German boys wearing single-bar strap shoes. This was a very popular shoe style for both boys and girls during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. They seem especially popular in the early 20th century, through the 1920s. We still see them in the 1930s, but not as commonly. They continued to be worn in the early-40s, but we no longer ee many boys wearing them after the War. Most were strap shoes, a term derived from a metal clasp, although a few tied. While they were worn by a wide age range, the clasp closure was particularly prctical for youngr children who had not yet learned to tie shoe laces. There were also difference in the open area and te tie shape. The shoe tended to have a fairly low heel. Not only did both boys and girls wear them, but we see them being worn by a wide age range by both boys and girls. We note stylistic differences in the width and placement of the strap. Most images show a fairly narrow strap or bar. The width varied only marginally. Most of the German images were instep rather than ankle bars, but this varied somewhat chronologically. Single strap shoe were done in different materials and colors. We do not note mny patent leather strap shoes, but most apper to hav been lether. We note them being worn as both a dress and play shoe and they were also worn to school. It is difficult to assess color. Blck was common, but we aldi notice hite and colored shoes. All kind of hosiery were orn with them.

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Created: 8:49 AM 4/12/2012
Last updated: 8:49 AM 4/12/2012