Crown Prince Rudolf: Childhood Clothes


Figure 1.--Crown Prince Rudolf here is pictured in an Austrian army uniform. I am not sure about the date. He looks to be about 10-11 years old. This portrait would have been taken about 1869-70.

We have only limited information on how Prince Rudolf was dressed as a boy. Our information at this time comes from assessing the available images, both paintings and photographs. At about age 2 he was wearing a kind of kilt outfit. We also note fancy hats. A portrait taken about 1862 shows Rudolf wearing an Austrian military cap and tunic suit. Notice how the stripped detailing on the pants match the tunic. A portrait of him at about 8 or 9 years old with his father shows them wearing Alpine folk costumes. At about age 5 he begn to wear military uniforms. We notice suits with contrasting waist coats at about age 10 years. One unknown here was who was selecting his clothing. Normally this would have been done by the mother, Emperess Elizabeth. In the Imperial household, however, Elizabeth's mother-in-law Arch Duchess Sophia had great influence so she may have been involved in making such decessions. The two did not have a warm relationship, but we do not know if they disagreed on the selection of the clothes for the children.

Garments

We have only limited information on how Prince Rudolf was dressed as a boy. Our information at this time comes from assessing the available images, both paintings and photographs.

Headwear

Rudolf as a small child we notice him wearing fancy hats. We see him and Gisella in a donkey cart about 1860 wearing such hats. He also note Rudolf wearing a variery of military caps with different uniforms. One of the military caps can be seen in the portrait here (figure 1).

Skirted outfits

We notice Rudolf wearing a variety of skirted outfits. Some of them are difficult to describe because of the pose are the lack of detail in the image. At about age 2 he was wearing a kind of kilt outfit. Rudolf also wore dresses as a boy. There seems to have been some effort to coordinate his clothes with those of his older sister when he was very young. A portrait taken about 1862 shows Rudolf wearing an Austrian military cap and tunic suit. Notice how the stripped detailing on the pants match the tunic. Another portrait shows a different tunic which Rudolf appears to be wearing with dark knicker-length pants. This is somnewhat unsusual as most of the portrairs we have noted with tunics show boys wearing them with ligh-colored pants of varying length. Another image shows him on a donkey with a kind of kilt or skirt suit.

Coats

We have one image of fashionable coats worn by Rudolf and his sister Gisela. They were quite fashionble coats worn with equally fashionable hats. Of course as Austria is mounatenous, winters are quite cold with a lot of snow. Thus coats and other cold weather clothes were quite important. Rudolf wears a coat with fur trim. Gisela wears a cape over her coat.

Pants

As far as we can tell, Rudolf was breached at about 4 or 5 yeras of age. We have no details on this, only what we can observe from the available photographic record. Rudolf looks to be about 5 years old in thre first portrait we note of him wearing pants. The are short-length pants, bur only slightly so. The convention of boys wearing kneepants in the 1860s was only beginning to become estanlished. They are very full cut pants, not unlike the baggy shorts some boys were wearing in the early 2000s. Most portraits of Rudolf once he was breached show him wearing long pants.

Uniforms

Rudolf at about age 5 years begn to wear military uniforms. I am not sure if this was just for public occassions and portraits or if he commonly wore them. The portrait here is a good example (figure 1). 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 this is an Austrian army officer's uniform. Interestingly the British royal family began the tradition of boys wwaring 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 wire thise of officers, never of enlisted men.

Folk costumes

A portrait of him at about 8 or 9 years old with his father shows them wearing Alpine folk costumes. This is interesting. It is one of the earliest examples we know of that royals are wearing national folk costumes. Until this such costumes were looked down on as backwards and not appropriate for the attire of affluent people--especially royals. We do not seem images of Fraz Josef's predecessors and their children wearung folk costumes. Nor do we see this in Germany or other European countries..

Suits

We notice suits with contrasting waist coats at about age 10 years.

Selection

One unknown here was who was selecting his clothing. Normally this would have been done by the mother, Emperess Elizabeth. In the Imperial household, however, Elizabeth's mother-in-law Arch Duchess Sophia had great influence so she may have been involved in making such decessions. The two did not have a warm relationship, but we do not know if they disagreed on the selection of the clothes for the children.







HBRC








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Created: January 29, 2003
Last updated: April 3, 2004