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We are not positive, but we believe that this poetrait was taken in Tallinn or oher Estonin city, probably before World War in 1910. The boy wears a sailor suit based on the style of the Russian Navy. The cap tally reads "Tsesarevich" (Цесаревич), meaning Russian crown prince. Of course the Cesarevich Alexis commonly wore sailor suits, but the tally probably refers to the Russian battleship by that name.
We are not positive, but we believe that this poetrait was taken in Tallinn or orher Estonin city. This is because the physical location of the portrait is a dealer in Tallinn. The family was Germanm but the boy wears a Russian-style sailor suit. This means that the portrait was probably not taken in Germany, but many since many German lived in Baltic cities, Tallinn would seem a likely location.
The boy wears a sailor suit based on the style of the Russian Navy. It is interesting that a boy who we thin is an ethnic German would wear a Russia Navy styled sailor suit. By 1916 when this photograph was taken, the Germany Army eas in Latvia, poisedcto enter Estonia and the Russian Army was close to collaspse. One who think that the German etnic populsation in Estonia might have German sympathies. Were this boy's parents loyal to the Czar or was this a politic step to take while the Russins still help on to Estonia.
The cap tally reads "Tsesarevich" (Цесаревич), meaning Russian crown prince. Of course the Cesarevich Alexis commonly wore sailor suits, but the tally probably refers to the Russian battleship by that name.
The inscripiton on the reverse of the postcard is in the German language - "Zum Andenken, Gerhard Kallning" ~ "With love, [name]". The name is German.
It is impossible to tell the nationality of this boy, but it is possible to make some likely guesses. In the Russian Empire, many highly educated people often used German, French, English, or other languages even at hom in the family. But this family not only used German, but haf aGerman name. Soit would seem likely that the family was etnic Germans. Most of the cities in the Baltics were founded by Germans in the medieval era. Even in the early-20th century, Baltic cities like Tallinn had substantial German populstions. Most of the nobility and highly educated people in Estonia as well as Lithuania and Latvia were "Ostsee Deutch", Baltic Germans. The Estonian capital was called not Tallinn (in Estonian) but Reval (in German/Swedish).
The portrait is dated, "10 - VIII - 16". That means August 10, 1916.
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