Figure 1.--Here we see Margarete in the 1920s. Girls still wore dresses in the 1920s. The styles changed and the hems were shorter. High-top shoes were still common, but we see more children wearing low-cut shoes including sandals and strap shoes. Note Margarete's hairbow, a style that was also popular in the 1910s. Click on the image for a back view. Drawing by Birte Koch.

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. Relatively few German mothers worked outside the home in the 1920s, especially middle-class mothers. She probably made this dress for Margarete. The little girl also wears strap shoes with three-quater white socks. White socks were very common for girls. As this is summer, she wears short-length socks. In colder weather she probably would have worn long-stockings. Strap shoes like this were very common in the 1920s. Both boys and girls wore them. The single-bar style like Margarete wears was the most common, but there were other styles of strap shoes as well. These shoes were made both as dress shoes and as casual play shoes. We are not real sure aboit the color of these shoes. Certainly some were black, but we believe these shoes were also made it colors like brown, red and blue as well as white.

School

Margarete is 5 years old and has begun Kindegarten. Here we see her as she might have been dressed for Kingergarten. Note that the American educational system was strongly influenced by the excellent 19th century German education system. American schools became standardized at grades 1-12 with the children beginning at age 6 years. Some cities and eventually states began introducing kindergartens ikn the mid-19th century based on the German Kindergartens. The influence can still be seen today because Amerivans use the German spelling. American Kindergartens are normally for 5-year olds and designed to prepare the children for beginning primary school. I assume the same is true for German Kindergartens.

Clothes

We know a good bit about the clothes that Margarette would have worn.

Headwear

Dresses

Girls wore dresses in the 1920s. Casual clothes like short pants were not yet worn by girls, certainly not to school. Margarete wears a simple pink, high-waisted dress with short, straight sleeves. Rather short dresses were fashionable for little girls in the 1920s, especially by the late 1920s. Movie goers may recall the dresses worn by Shirley Temple in America. We believe that similar fashions trends were common in Germany and other European countries. As store-bought clothing was expensive. many mothers sewed children's clothes at home. Relatively few German mothers, especially middle-class mothers, worked outside the home at the time. Sewing and mending clothes was an accepted part of a mother's houshold chores.

Hosiery

White socks were very common for girls. Many of the photographs in our archive show girls wearing white socks. Girls during the summer wore short-length socks and in colder weather or sometimes for dress occassions long stockings.

Shoes

Strap shoes were very common in the 1920s. Both boys and girls wore them. The single-bar style like those our model Margarete Berger wears was the most common, but there were other styles of strap shoes as well. These shoes ere made both as dress shoes and as casual play shoes. We are not real sure about the colours of these shoes. Certainly some were black, but we believe these shoes were also made in colors like brown, red and blue as well as white.

Created: 6:21 PM 9/5/2005
Last updated: 10:14 PM 9/12/2005