Figure 1.--Here in 1863 Rudolf wears a basic uniform. He woukld have been about 5 years old. I'm not sure just what kind of uniform it was.

Rudolf at about age 5 years begn to wear military uniforms. The uniform here in 1863 seems a very basic one (figure 1). I'm not sure just what uniform it is. I am not sure if this was just for public occassions and portraits or if he commonly wore them. We note another portrait of Rudolf in a uniform at about age 10 or 11. He did not attend a cadet svhool, but rather wore the uniforms based on his royal status. We do not know a great deal about Austrian military uniforms, but assume that the uniform he was wearing at age 10-11 was an Austrian army officer's uniform. We do not note any portraits of Rudolf wearing a sailor suit, even though the austrians did have a navy. The sailor suit was in the 1860s becoming a standard for boys wear in Britain and other countries, but was not as established as it was to become. Interestingly the British royal family began the tradition of boys wearing sailor suits, but the uniforms of enlisted men. For some reason the idea of boys wearing army uniform never proved popular. When youbg royals did wear army uniforms they always wore those of officers, never of enlisted men.

Created: April 2, 2004
Last updated: April 2, 2004