Figure 1.--Here we see two German noys, presumably brothers. We believe the portait was taken in the 1910s, possibly during World War I. . It is somewhat unusual because the boys have different hair cuts. Normally boys of similar age dresses identically had identical or at least similat hair cits. Notice the flag badge on the boy's sleve. I think this is the German naval ensign. Perhaps their father was in the navy.

HBC has at this time only limited information on hair styles worn by German boys over time. German boys have worn a variety of hair styles. HBC has obtained virtually no information is available on early 19th century styles. In the late 19th century, many school boys appeared to have had their hair cropped, looking almost shaved. This was very common. We are unsure to what extent it was a popular style or encouraged or even required by school authorities. This style appaers to have persisted into the early 20th century. We still notice it in the early 1920s, but much less commonly. It was not a style approved by the NAZIs in the 1930s. A miliatry cut with hair of normal length on top, but quite short at the back and sides was the standard. After the War, German boys generally followed hair style trends common in the rest of Europe. Short hair was common in the 1950s, although we do not notice many Americam-style crew cuts. This began to change in the 1960s and by the 1970s many boys were wearing quite long hair--in some cases shoulder length. In the 1980s the popularity of long hair declined, but we notice a great varirty of styles and lengths.

The 19th Century

HBC has obtained virtually no information is available on early 19th century styles. We do not believe the close cropped hair styles popular in the late-19th century was as popular in the early-19th century. Note for example a young Otto von Bismarck in the 1820s. Of course Germany in the early- and mid-19th century was not a united nation, but instead a loose association of independent countries and principalities. There were some differences from country to country, although our information here is very limited. Germany united after the Franco-Prussian War (1871), but even after unification there were regional differences which persisted. We think that the close cropped hair styles may have been most common in Prussia, but this needs to be confirmed. In the late 19th century, many school boys appeared to have had their hair cropped, looking almost shaved. This was very common. We are unsure to what extent it was a popular style or encouraged or even required by school authorities. Not all boys, however, had close cropped hair. We even see some boys with long hair, although ringlet curls were quite rare. A example is a German boy about to be presented to formr Chancellor Bismarck about 1890. Long hair seems less common in Germany than in some other European countries.

The 20th Century

Close-cropped hair appaers to have persisted as a popular style into the early 20th century. A good example is a unidentified German boy, probably in the 1910s. Close cropped hair was very common in the early 20th century, but it was by no means unversal. Many boys had hair that was long enough to comb. Here social class was a factor. Some boys had bangs, but this was not as common as later because so many boys had close cropped hait.We still notice it in the early 1920s, but much less commonly. It was not a style approved by the NAZIs in the 1930s. A miliatry cut with hair of normal length on top, but quite short at the back and sides was the standard. We see more boys wearing bangs in the 1930s and this was a mjor style in the secind half of the century. After the War, German boys generally followed hair style trends common in the rest of Europe. Short hair was common in the 1950s, although we do not notice many American-style crew cuts. This began to change in the 1960s and by the 1970s many boys were wearing quite long hair--in some cases shoulder length. In the 1980s the popularity of long hair declined, but we notice a great varirty of styles and lengths.

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Created: 4:49 AM 9/21/2006
Last updated: 2:33 AM 2/10/2008