Figure 1.--This portrait of Alexander Ferdinand was taken during World War I, we would guess about 1916. Many German royals wore tunics, but not with a lace collar like Alexander Ferdinand here.

As a pre-school boy he worn tunics with above the knee bloomers. Another outfit was a kind of cossock tunic. Some of these tunics seem to have been play outfits. We notice others which look much dressier. One portrait shows him wearing a light-colored tunic with a lace collar. We have noted the other German royals wearing simular tunics. In fact it was a popular gament for the German royals. While tunics were commonly worn by the German royals, as far as we know, Alexander was the only one who wore them with a lace collar (figure 1). I'm not sure when the portrait here was taken. Alexander looks about 4 years old. That would mean that the portrait was taken in 1916. A French reader writes, "Charming portrait of Alexander-Ferdinand. This photo date early 1917. He took flowers in his hand, had a lace collar! He also has a sort of choupette when he still was a baby. In the Hohenzollern familly it was rather rare to see such photo of a Prinz. Moslty the boys were wearing Matrosen or military suits. Their Matrosen suits were with long pant alike the soldiers had. Perhaps because Alexander-Ferdinand was the only child, his mother chose to give him a tender look, like those found in their enemy little boys of France. Perhaps his father the Kaiser August Wilhelm agreed this attitude, but with little boys it was commonly the mother who decided. Now, we French and Germans born after the World War II can't anymore understand how we have could been enemies."

Created: 8:06 PM 12/17/2004
Last updated: 7:37 PM 12/18/2004