Figure 1.--We see the family again on a warm summer day about 1924 when he was approximately 13 or 14 years old. He is is enjoying a beer with his family. That of course would have been unthinkable in America. But apparently Dutch fmilies allowed boys to have a taste or small glass, perhaps because the weather was warm. (Then again Frans' glass looks a little different, there is no head. Perhaps he was having sxomething different.) And now Frans looks to be in his early teens. Even so he is still wearing long stockings.

All of our images of Franz show him wearing suits. We see the family again on a warm summer day about 1924 when he was approximately 13 or 14 years old (figure 1). He is is enjoying a beer with his family. That of course would have been unthinkable in America. But apparently Dutch fmilies allowed boys to have a taste or small glass, perhaps because the weather was warm. And now Frans looks to be in his early teens. Even so he is still wearing long stockings. Even as an older teenager, Frans wears a dressy short trouser suit with white shirt and tie and long black stockings. The family was Catholic and obvuiusly conservative in the way their children were allowed to dress. We see him on the previous page at age 16-years in 1927. He is wering a double-breasted knee pants or short pants suit. As we don't see the buttons at the knee hem, it would probably be best described as a short pants suit. We still see boys wearing formal knee pants suits in both Belgium and the Netherlands during the 1920s. And the short pants boys wore were often quite long at the time. Frans also wears a natty stripped tie and botinaire. Note the formal black long stockings. Frans is rather elegantly dressed. This is what might be expected from a well-to-do conservative family at the time.

Summer Scene

All of our images of Franz show him wearing suits. We see the family again on a warm summer day about 1924 when he was approximately 13 or 14 years old (figure 1). He is more smartly dressed than in the earlier 1920 image. He looks to be wearing a standard rather than a Norfolk suit. He seems to be enjoying a beer with his family. That of course would have been unthinkable in America. But apparently Dutch fmilies allowed boys to have a taste or small glass, perhaps because the weather was warm. And now Frans looks to be in his early teens. Even so he is still wearing long stockings. A Dutch reader writes, "I like the image of the Leferink family, enjoying a warm afternoon in the garden. They seem to be well off. I am not surprised if Frans is drinking a glass of beer. Nobody would make a fuss about it considering his age. After all he is nearly a young man, not a child anymore, even when he still is wearing short pants. However, I don't think it was customary to allow teenagers to drink alcohol in Holland. My own parents hardly drank anything, except for an occasional glass of sherry or vermouth. My sister, and brother and I did not like beer or wine."

Street Scene

Even as an older teenager, Frans wears a dressy short trouser suit with white shirt and tie and long black stockings. The family was Catholic and obvuiusly conservative in the way their children were allowed to dress. We see him on the previous page at age 16-years in 1927. He is wering a double-breasted knee pants or short pants suit. As we don't see the buttons at the knee hem, it would probably be best described as a short pants suit. We still see boys wearing formal knee pants suits in both Belgium and the Netherlands during the 1920s. And the short pants boys wore were often quite long at the time. Frans also wears a natty stripped tie and botinaire. Note the formal black long stockings. Frans is rather elegantly dressed. This is what might be expected from a well-to-do conservative family at the time.

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Created: 4:14 AM 10/18/2010
Last edited: 5:28 PM 10/18/2010