Figure 1.-- Here we see two German children checking out a Litfaßsäule in 1957. They are looking at, the movie showings. Luxor was a movie theater. There is something about schools further down. Note the sandals and jeans. That is something you would not have seen in America at the time.

Here we see two German children checking out a Litfaßsäule in 1957. They are looking at, the movie showings. Luxor was a movie theater. There is something about schools further down. Note the sandals and jeans. That is something you would not have seen in America at the time.

Litfaßsäule

Here we see two German children checking out a Litfaßsäule in 1957. Please note that the base is rounded up, so it is certainly part of a Litfaß-Säule. This cylindrical structures seen on European (especially German) streets was called a "Litfaßsäule". It was primarily used as a means for advertisements, commercials, cultural and public announcements, and political election advertising. The name of these coluns is derived fronm the inventer--Ernst Amandus Theodor Litfaß. Posters were a major form of advertising in the era before television. The posters were every where in the street--includung the trees. Litfaß came up with the idea of erecting coluns in the street where postrers could be posted in a more organized fashion. They first appeared in Berlin. Berlin authorities granted Litfaß permission to build the coluns in public areas (December 1854). They were commonly used through World War II and afterwards. With the popularity of television they began to become less utilized in the 1960s. By the 1980s they were becoming rare. They have not, however, totally disappeared.

Location

Litfaßsäule were most common in Berlin, so it is likely the photograph here was taken in Berlin.

Newspapers

American children would have looked for films in the newspaper. I don't think it was as common for German families to subscribe to a daily newspaper.

Movies

The boy and his sister here are going to see a movie. They are looking at the movie showings. The Luxor Palast was a movie theater. The boy is pointing at Kaiserjäger (Imperial Hunters) . The Kaiserjäger actually were an Austrian regiment during the reign of Kaiser Franz Joseph. He probably thought that it would offer a little excitemen, I'm not sure if his sister shared his enthisiam. A little lower we read ....., die junge Kaiserin, which I am sure was "Sissi, die junge Kaiserin" (Sissy, the young empress), a very popular movie with Romy Schneider as Sissi. The movies are why we know that this photograph must have been taken in 1957. There are advertisments for the films "Kaisermanöver and Sissi" and "die junge Kaiserin". Both films were released in December 1956 and probably ran for some time. The children are not wearing winter clothing. So it looks like summer 1957. Other films included "Kaiserjäger" and "Und immer lockt das Weib" (probably an adult film - "The wife always attracts" -- not suitable for the young couple here. Another film was "Prisma". Both announcements ("Kaiserjäger" and "... Kaiserin") seem to be based on Austrian royalty. We are guessing the boy might have been a little disappointed. He was probanly hoping for a good rolicking cowboy shoot 'em up.

Technical School

At the bottom we are able to read "Fachschule .....hof". A Fachschule is a Technical College. A German reader tells us that it is an ad for a technical success. The school promises professional success ("Berufserfolg").

Clothing

Note the boy's sandals and jeans. That is something you would not have seen in America at the time, especially closed-toe sandals. Jeans were an American style. They were not much seen in Germany duting the earlt 1950s, but were beginning to become popular by the late-50s. Sandals were popular in Germany in the 1950s and sneakers less so. So we see German boys wearing jeans with sandals. We are not sure about the color of the sandals. They may have been red. He has white socks. They are not athletic socks like American boys wore. They may have even been knee socks. Note the jeans zipper pocket. That was something you do not see on American sandals. The flannel linings were common in America, especially for the jeans elementary-age (peimary) boys wore to school during the fall and winter. The girls wears a dress with white kneesocks.

Created: 1:57 AM 5/3/2009
Last updated: 11:56 PM 5/3/2009