Figure 1.--These boys were from from Saargemünd or St. Avold. (The photographer had two studios.) Both towns are located in Lorraine. Historians relate how the German seizure of Alsace-Loraine in the Franco Prussian War (1870-71) became a major national issue with the French people, poisoning relations with Germany and eventually leading to World War I. Less well studied is how the people in Alsace and Loraine felt about becoming German. The boy here looks to us to be quite proud to be German, holding a banner in the imperial colors. We don't know just who he was. Perhaps his parents were the Germans recruited to Germanize the population. or perhaps his parents were part of the local population before Germany annexed it. Saargemünd and St. Avold are situated just next to the modern German border. The portrait looks to have been taken during the 1890s. THe card mount style was popular in the 1880s and early 90s, but the bot's short-length knee pants look more like the 1890s than the 80s to us.

These boys were from from Saargemünd or St. Avold. (The photographer had two studios.) Both towns are located in Lorraine. Historians relate how the German seizure of Alsace-Loraine in the Franco Prussian War (1870-71) became a major national issue with the French people, poisoning relations with Germany and eventually leading to World War I. Less well studied is how the people in Alsace and Loraine felt about becoming German. The boy here looks to us to be quite proud to be German, holding a banner in the imperial colors. We don't know just who he was. Perhaps his parents were the Germans recruited to Germanize the population. or perhaps his parents were part of the local population before Germany annexed it. Saargemünd and St. Avold are situated just next to the modern German border. The portrait looks to have been taken during the 1890s. THe card mount style was popular in the 1880s and early 90s, but the boy's short-length knee pants look more like the 1890s than the 80s to us.

Location

These boys were from from Saargemünd or St. Avold. (The photographer had two studios.) Both towns are located in Lorraine. Saargemünd and St. Avold are situated just next to the modern German border.

Loraine

It is worth mentioning here that Joan of Arc, the saint Patron of France was from Loraine. In fact she was known as the Maid of Loraine. This was one of many factors in the French reaction to losing Loraine. It would be something like the Scotts annexing the home county of St George. Around 1400, Lorraine was a kind of no-man's land between east (Germany) and west (France), Lorraine was part of the Kingdom of Lotharingie (Lorraine), after the name of the third son of Charlemagne who inherit this part of Charlemagne'd great empire in addition to Burgundy, Belgium and Netherland. St. Joan born at Doremy heard voices claiming that she had to deliver France from English Invaders. In 1429-30, she won a series of victories which opened the way to the expulsion of the English and coronation of Charles VII at Reims. The next year, she was made prisoner and burnt at the stake. The flag (the real term is oriflamme) we see here is the one J.of A. had with her on battles and signifies the resistance to any invaders. As a matter of fact, De Gaule and Gen. Leclerc ised symbols from St. Joan for the Free French forces--the famed Cross of Loraine. It became a powerful symbol anybody can recognize with the horizontal double bars.

The Boys

The boys here are not identified. The pose suggests to us that they are brithers. I would guess that they are 11 to 13 years of age. Also we do not know if the rather strident nationalistic pose here was the boy's idea or suggested by the parents. Presumably the studio was prepared for it. We would guess that the banner the boy holds was a studio prop.

The Banner

A French reader writes, "No ! This boy is not proud to be becoming German. He is not holding the Imperial banner, but the Alsacian-Lorrain banner. You can tell because there is no imperial eagle in the center. Some explanation. After the 1870 annexation the Germans were face resistance among the population to become German. Many people left their homes and settled in French territory. Others gave proof of relutance and refused to acknowledge the German presence. The Germans imposed the Imperial banner with its stripes of black, white, and red with the Imperial eagle placed in the middle. The people refused to adopt it, but proposed the blue, white, and red color without the eagle. These colors of course the French colors, but in the horizontal as well without the eagle. Alsace-Lorraine speaks a dialect , which is close to German, but that don't absolutly means the people feel himself German. In France at the time many regions had their own dialect, sometime without commun point with the French. The Bretons re a good example. And an advice, if one is traveling in Alsace , don't ask the people "Are you German". It is the worst possible thing to say. During 1870-1918 , in school the German language was compulsory. As soon the pupil came home he spoke again French or Alsacian. Finaly commenting on this image , one can say this boy was proud to be French inside his heart."

HBC is not sure we can say that the banner is not German because it does not have an imperial eagle. We have seen quite a number of German flags in these old photographs and ones with the German eagle are quite rare. The problem here is that we do not know if the banner is red, white, and black (German) or red, white, and blue (French). Our French reader adds a further complocation, possible provincial banners. He tells us, "The banner matter is complcated. The inhabitants didn't accept the official Imperial banner. And that was how at first several local banner were used, always with a French regional connotation such as this blue/white/red banner. Another banner was much used, the Alsace emblem Red/white with the Lorraine Cross above it.

Political Discent

Our French reader raises an interesting question. To what extent did the Germans permit political discent. We assume that formal political discent questioning German occupation was not permitted in newspapers and books, although we have little information. Nor do we know jow this mihjt be punished. Nor do we know how the Germans might deal with more informal discent, such as waving French banners or provincial banners that looked French. Did photo studios have such banners for their French oriented patrons. Here we just do not know. Hopefully our European readers will have some insight.

Alsace-Loraine Issue

Historians relate how the German seizure of Alsace-Loraine in the Franco Prussian War (1870-71) became a major national issue with the French people, poisoning relations with Germany and eventually leading to World War I. The need to recover Alsace-Loraine from the Germans was fervently felt by the French even before the Franco-Prussian War was fornally enbded. Cherman Chancellor Bismnarck who had helped engineer the War, warned against being too harsh on the French. The German Army thouhht that possession of Alsace and parts of Loraine would provide future security and makes it impossible for France to invade Germany. For the next 45 years, every French school child was taught that recoverung Alsace-Loraine was a matter of national honor.

Lorraine Attitudes

Less well studied is how the people in Alsace and Loraine felt about becoming German. The boy here looks to us to be quite proud to be German, holding a banner in the imperial colors. We don't know just who he was. Perhaps his parents were the Germans recruited to Germanize the population. or perhaps his parents were part of the local population before Germany annexed it. German was made the language of administration and the language of instruction in the schools. Thus German administrators, school teachers, and others moved to Alsace and Loraine to fill these positions. The Lorraine population itself was more Frenchified tham Alscace where the locals spoke a German dialect and learned French in school.

Loraine Dialect

A French reader tells us, "In fact, now for a long time the French language has replaced the local dialect in Lorraine which is now little spoken. The older generation (1870-1914) were able to speak German, wich was taught in the schools. Nost of this generation has now passed away. The Alsace and Lorraine dialects are very close. Personnely I understand it with much difficulty. The Germans themself also can understand it. I remember only vaguely some stories and chants my Alsatian mother and Grand parents taught me when I was a little boy. To day the young people are unable to speek and understand it . Only recently, I met several people in a restaurant who were soeaking this dialect. I asked them why and they told ne that it was a folklore matter.

Chronology

The portrait looks to have been taken during the 1890s. THe card mount style was popular in the 1880s and early 90s, but the boy's short-length knee pants look more like the 1890s than the 80s to us.

Card Mount

A German card mount expert writes, "I would date the portrait into the 1880s, maybe the late 1880s. And I can't exclude the possibility of the early 90s. This dark cardboard with lots of gold was fashionable in Germany during the the 1880s. Some sources say even until the mid-90s. I specialize in collecting dated images. All my German studio portraits in this style are dated in the 1880s to 1890, starting from 1883." We have begun an assessment of these mounts, but it is very preliminary at this time.

Clothing

The ilder brother here wears a long pants suit. We can't make out much additional detail, but it looks to be a collar buttoning suit. Here that are there are very small lapels. The younger brother wears a sailor cap and suit. Note that has a large white collar over the sailor "V" collar and a karge ligh-colored scarfe. The sailor blouse hangs down low over his waist. The boy wears knee pants with black long stocking. The knee pants are the short-leg style that became popular in the 1890s.

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Created: 1:25 PM 12/12/2006
Last updated: 5:16 PM 12/13/2006