Figure 1.-- Here some German children are playing cowboys and Indians as seen in this 1911 post card snapshot. Not all German children had elaborate costumes, but we think tht this was a popular game. Click on the image to see the message on the back.

German children like American children played cowboys and Indians. We see some staged photographs, but quite a few German children seem to have had some Native American coistume items. I'm not sure when this interest began, but it seems to have been a popular game by the early 20yh century. We are not yet sure about the late-19th century. We know that Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show was popular in Germany. Books about Native Americans were popular. Amercan boys generally preferred the cow boy end of the game. We get the impression that German boys preferred to Native American end. We see a lot more German boys dressed as Native Americans than cow boys. Even so, Hollywoof cow boy filns were popula in Germny, at least before the NAZIs. (Films in the 1920s were much more internatonal because silent films could be easily distributed in any country, all you had to do was to chznge the text segments. The postcard here had amnessage on the back. It was addressed to Herrn Wilh(elm) Petersen jr (Junior), Flensburg, Bismarkstr. It read, "Lieber kleiner Wilhelm! Wie findest Du diese Gesellschaft"? Der "Cowboy" hat den Indianer mit dem Lasso gefangen. Die Jäger haben ihm geholfen. Die 3 Mädchen sind die Kinder des Cowboys! Der wilde Indianer will noch schießen." I was signed, Herz(liche) Grüße für alle von Carl & Henry Brandt" Tranlated into English: Master Wilh Petersen jr, Flensburg, Bismarkstr. How do you consider the group? The "cowboy" has caught the Indian with the lasso. The hunters have helped him. The three girls are the children of the cowboy. The barbrous indian still tries to shoot. Cordial greetings to all from Carl and Henry Brandt". Apparently a family has staged this scene to send to a relative or friend.

Created: 11:12 PM 10/27/2007
Last updated: 11:12 PM 10/27/2007