Figure 1.--This German boy is playing with a toy train. A HBC reader tells me his a Jewish boy who may have been involved in the Kindertransport. The long stockinggs definitely suggest that he is German. The photograph was taken in Germany during 1938.

A this time we have very little information on paterened long stockings in Germany. The vast majority of the images of German children that we have noted wear long stockings in solid colors. We have, however, noted a few children wearing pattereneed long stockings. The first impage we have noted dates to 1938 just before World War II. We do not know when they first appeared. We also notice them after the War in the 1950s. The photograph here was taken in 1938 showing a German boy wearing long patterenened long stockings. One reader suggests that patterened long stockings were popular regionally, especially in Bavaria and southern Germany. He reports they were often worn with knicker-length lederhosen. This boy wears a checked jacket (the checks are very subdued and almost impossible to see in the photograph) with shirt and tie underneath. The jacket apparently has brass buttons and seems to be double-breasted. The lad seems rather formally dressed for playing. The boy also wears cloth short pants (probably grey woolen shorts) and long stockings with an interestingly bold pattern. It was much more common for German boys to wear plain long stockings in colors like brown, grey, or light tan. You can barely see the clasp of his hose supporter (probably attached to a Leibchen) at the hem of his shorts. Notice also the fleece-lined house slippers. Many German mothers had boys put on house slippers when they camev home so as to keep the home clean.

Popularity

A this time we have very little information on paterened long stockings in Germany. The vast majority of the images of German children that we have noted wear long stockings in solid colors and flat weave. We have, however, noted a few children wearing patterened long stockings. We see a few examples such as a litte German boy at school. Such images, however, are not very common.

Chronology

We have very few images of German boys wearing patterened long stockings. We assume that boys wore stripped stockings in the late 19th century, but do not yet have many images to confirm this. We are not sure about the 1860s, but we know that stripped stockings were quite cconnon in the 1870s. It was a common style in many other countries as well. A German reader confirms that patterened long stockings ere not common at the turn of the 20th century. The first impage we have noted dates to 1900. It is a portrait of Kurt Malkhe in 1900 who wears long stockings with a simple pattern. We have another image from 1938 just before World War II with a more complicated pattern. We do not know when they first appeared. We also notice them after the War in the 1950s. The photograph here was taken in 1938 showing a German boy wearing long patterenened long stockings.

Region

One reader suggests that patterened long stockings were popular regionally, especially in Bavaria and southern Germany.

Clothing

One reader reports that patterened long stockings were often worn with knicker-length lederhosen. This boy wears a checked jacket (the checks are very subdued and almost impossible to see in the photograph) with shirt and tie underneath. The jacket apparently has brass buttons and seems to be double-breasted. The lad seems rather formally dressed for playing. The boy also wears cloth short pants (probably grey woolen shorts) and long stockings with an interestingly bold pattern. You can barely see the clasp of his hose supporter (probably attached to a Leibchen) at the hem of his shorts. Notice also the fleece-lined house slippers (figure 1). Many German mothers had boys put on house slippers when they camev home so as to keep the home clean. One reader tells us that patterened kneesocks were especially common with Lederhosen. We can not yet conform this.

Colors

It was much more common for German boys to wear plain long stockings in colors like brown, grey, or light tan.

Types

There were two basic types of patterened long stockings. The first was the type with a weaving pattern in the actual weave, similar to canle weave kneesocks popular in America. The second were more obvious long stockings where the pattern was done in different colors. Here a popular pattern was the diamond Argyle diamond pattern in different colors. At this time we have no information on the chronolog or popularity of these patterened long stockings.

Reader Comments

A Canadian reader writes, "The stockings the boy is wearing are cable knitted. In fact, they seem to be cut tights." [HBC note: This photograph was taken in 1938, so they can not be cut tights. Wedo agree that the patterened stockings were rather unusual for Germany in the 1930s.