Figure 1.-- Drawing by Birte Koch. |
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Of course we know much more about the children's outer clothing because of our expanding archive of photographic images. Here we see a mix of old and new styles that are family wore. We have chosen a range of Summer styles for the children. The girls wear different styles of dresses, various light-weight often light-colored dresses reflecting the Summer season. They also wear hair bows or hats. Hair bows were still very popular in the 1920s although the sizes were usually smaller than those we noted in the 1910s. With hair bows they couldn't wear hats so the girls had to choose on or the other. The boys wear popular styles like a shirt with a Schiller collar and a sailor suit. Both boys wear short pants which were very popular for boys at the time, even in the Winter. Often boys would wear long stockings during the Winter, but continue to wear short pants. Here we will look at all the Berger children: Klara (almost 1 year old), Friedrich (4 years), Margarete (5 years), Charlotte (8 years), and Hans (12 years).
Baby Klara is not yet 1 year old.
Friedrich is 4 years old. Here we see Friederich in the 1920s. He is not yet old enough to school, even Kingdergarten. I don't think nursery schools were common at the time. His hair is worn longer than it would have in the previous decades, in his case cut in bangs. As a younger boy it might have been worn long over his ears. When he was ready to begin school his hair would have been cut shorter, but might still be done with basngs. He wears a white shirt with a Schiller collar. The Schiller collar was a very popular style in the 1920s for boys of all ages--but not for adults. He has button-on short pants. There were buttons at the waist that fit into button wholes at the hem of the shorts. Short pants might still be quite long in the 1920s, but note they do not have the ornamental buttons at the leg hem. He wears short white socks, but probably wore long stockings when the weather got cooler. He has heavy high-top shoes. These would have been worn
Margarete is 5 years old and has begun Kindegarten. Here we see her as she might have been dressed for Kingergarten. Margarete's hair is done with with a large hair bow. She had several different colored hair bows which could be worn with her different colored dresses. Here she wears a white one which could be worn with all her dresses. Mother has to tie her hair bow, but she is trying to learn herself. Klara also had a hat and sometimes wore her hat rather than her hairbow. I'm not sure what conventions were involved deciding on whether Margarete wore her hat or hairbow. Certainly a hat would be required for church or a rainy day, but I am less sure about other occassions. Margarete wears a simple pink, high-waisted dress with short, straight sleeves. She also wears strap shoes with three-quater white socks.
Charlotte is 8 years old.
Hans is 12 years old. He is a good student and has earned a place in a gynnasium, a selective secondary school like a British grammar school. Hans wears a traditionally styled sailor suit. Note his military-style cap which he wears to school. The sailor suit consists of a white middy blouse. These blouses were also always long sleeves. Note the three stripe traditional styling on the "V" collar and cuffs. Before World war I we see boys wearing sailor suits with a wide variety of styles. After the War, the sailor suit was still popular, but virtually all were done in the readitional style like the one Hans here wears. Hans wears blue short pants with his white middy blouse. Sailor suits were also done with long pants, but short pants were more common. Hans might wear his sailor suit both for dress occassions as well as school. Sailor suits were a popular style for school, but in the 1920s many boys were wearing suits to gymnasium. Sailor suits were normally worn by boys up to about 12-13 years of age, but were less common for older boys. Hans also wears kneesocks and leather shoes.
HBC
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Album1900
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