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I have fewer photographs of my teen years than I do my boyhood years. I wore a variety of clothes as a teenager, including short pants, knickers, and long pants. What I wore varied a good deal depending on my age and the season. A particularly important event was my Confirmation when I got my first adult-styled long pants suit.
During the summer I mostly wore short pants. In the Winter I wore short pants with long stockings and knickers, also with long stockings below them. At
13 and 14 years old, short pants in winter more at home than to school. I remember having got a bicycle from my father as a gift in Summer 1949. I was 14 years old, (i.e., after the confirmation). That Fall I participated in a city bicycle tour. I dressed in short pants and as it was a little chilly I also put on long stockings in the city. This was the last time that I wore long stockings with shorts when I went out--although I sometimes wore them at home. I also continued to wear them with knickers during this Winter 1949/1950.
The major event as a teenager was when I did my Confirmation at age 14. I received my first long pants suit for the occasion. It was a dark single-breasted suit. I felt quite proud and grown up dressed like that for my Confirmation.
After my confirmation still at age 14 during the Summer I continued wearing shorts, both at home and at school. For winter time I had knickers. In summer during the rest of the school time till spring 1954 (18 years old) I had short pants. As I got older I not only had knickers for school, but also long pants which I sometimes wore as part of a suit. I would wear ties for formal occasions, e.g., theater visit and dancing class. I began going to dance class at age 16.. In school at about age 16 years (1951/1952) I think I always wore my shirts buttoned at the collar with or without tie, only in summer sometimes open. Note that even in the informal photograph here in our back garden that I have buttoned my collar (figure 1). This last boyhood photographs which I include here was taken in the Summer of 1950. [HBC note: By garden Hans J means his back yard. British English never uses the American term back yard, as yard in Britain is used in the sense of junk yard or vacant uncared for yard not a well tended garden.] I was 15 years old. In another photograph I have I am sitting in a historic castle ruin. After I turned 16 years old I began wearing long pants all the time.
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