Figure 1.--Here we see three chums heading to school in the 1920s. Two of the boys wear sailor suits. The other boy wears a suit with a Schiller collar. Interestingly the boys are wearing caps. |
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It was much more common for boys to wear caps duing the winter than the warmer months. We notice a variety of styles: peaked military caps, sailor caps, berets, knitted stocking caps, leather caps with ear flaps, and other styles. The boys here all have heavy winter coats, but it is difficult to make out details. The boy standing seems to have a coat with fur trim. Sweaters were very commonly worn. As the decade progressed it became increasingly common to come to school in a warm short and warm sweater rather than a more formal suit. Many classrom images show some boys uin suits and others wearing swaters. We note sweaters in many different styles, inckluduing pullovers with crew necks, Rugby-style half buttons, and cardigans. The sweaters came in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Younger boys woire a wide variety of suits to school. Many had jackets without lapels that buttoned to the collar. Corduroy seems to have been a popular material. Interestingly, sailor suits continued to be a popular style for boys, despite the bitter experience of the War,including older boys than wore sailor suits--both with short and long pants. The sailor suits seen after the War are almost all of very traditional design rather than the wide variety of styles seen before the War.Most German boys went to school during the 1920s in short pants, although by the 1930s older boys might wear knickers or even long pants. Letting a boy wear long oants diring the cild Winter months seems to have been more common for older than younger boys. Many younger boys wore short pants all year long. Even some younger boys by the 1930s might wear knickers or long pants during the winter, but short pants were more common except for the oldest boys. A few younger boys also wore smocks, at least in the late 19th and early 20th century. Here there may have been regional variations. Many younger boys wore long stockings, esoecially during the winter with short pants. Long stockings were even more common for girls. After about age 10 many boys began asking to wear socks instead, altough some boys still wore long stockings uo to about age 12-13, ratherly older boys. Kneesocks were also very common. Ankle socks do not appear to have been widely worn.
We notice many German schoolboys in the 1920s wearing high-top boot-like shoes. This was less common by the early 1930s when low-cut oxford style shoes increasingly common. We do not notice boys wearing canvas tennis shoes. We do notice a few boys wearing scandals of various styles. Some look like British-style school sandals. We also notice a few boys wearing what look like srap shoes. wWe are not sure about the colors.
The photograph on the main Weimar school garment page here shows German schoolboys I believe in 1922 wearing a wide variety of headwear during the winter. It was much more common for boys to wear caps duing the winter than the warmer months. The boy at the front wears a peaked military cap with white stripe detailing. The next boy wears a sailor cap. The sailor cap tally (ribbon) says "Kreuzer" meaning cruiser. On the other side of the cap should be the name of the cruiser. The next two boys wear berets. The first boy here wears a knitted beret which he has pulled down over his ears. The next boy wears a traditional black beret. The boy standing also appears to be wearing a beret. The boy further back is wearing stocking knitted cap with a pom. The next boy looks to be wearing a leather cap with the flaps down over his ears.
The boys here all have heavy winter coats, but it is difficult to make out details. The boy standing seems to have a coat with fur trim.
Sweaters were very commonly worn. As the decade progressed it became increasingly common to come to school in a warm short and warm sweater rather than a more formal suit. Many classrom images show some boys uin suits and others wearing swaters. We note sweaters in many different styles, inckluduing pullovers with crew necks, Rugby-style half buttons, and cardigans. The sweaters came in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Many were knitted by mothers and grandmothers. Interestingly some boys wore belys over their sweaters where the belts had no real purpose. I am not enirely sure why they did this. Perhaps they thought it gave a military look. I'm also not sure if the parents encouraged this.
Younger boys woire a wide variety of suits to school. Many had jackets without lapels that buttoned to the collar. Corduroy seems to have been a popular material. Interestingly, sailor suits continued to be a popular style for boys, despite the bitter experience of the War, including older boys than wore sailor suits--both with short and long pants. The sailor suits seen after the War are almost all of very traditional design rather than the wide variety of styles seen before the War. Most boys that didn't wear sailor suits, however, wore short pants suits of various designs. We notice quite a wide range of suit styles. Even some older boys wore short pants suits. This varied from Britain and America where it became increasingly rare in the 1920s for older boys to wear them. We also notice older boys wearing knicker suits. By tge 1930s, however, most older boys were wearing long pants suits.
German boys mostly wore white shirts during the Weimar era. Notice the image here. Except for the boys wearing sailor suits, most of the boys wear white shirts (figure 1). We notice a few boys wearing colored shirts, but we are unsure what colors were involved gere. Patterns such as stripes or checks seem virtuall non-existent.
Most German boys went to school during the 1920s in short pants. Here we see most of the boys wearing short pants (figure 1). Two boys wear lederhosen. Available images suggest that by the 1930s older boys might wear knickers or even long pants. Letting a boy wear long oants diring the cold Winter months seems to have been more common for older than younger boys. Many younger boys wire short pants all year long. Even some younger boys by the 1930s might wear knickers or long pants during the winter, but short pants were more common except for the oldest boys.
A few younger boys also wore smocks, at least in the late 19th and early 20th century. Here there may have been regional variations.
Many younger boys wore long stockings. This appears to have been the case throughout the 1920s, although they were more common in the ealy than the later 1920s, especially for older boys. . Here our assessment is somewhat complicated by the fact tha many available images are not dated. Long stockings were especially common during the winter with short pants. They were not, however, just worn in cold weather. Long stockings were even more common for girls. Most images of the younger children at primary schools show some or many of the children wearing long stovkings. After about age 10 many boys began asking to wear socks instead, altough some boys still wore long stockings uo to about age 12-13, ratherly older boys. Kneesocks were also very common. They look to be yonger teenagers about 13 years old. Ankle socks do not appear to have been widely worn. The lock stickings worn look to be various shades of brown. Black stockings were not common, except for formal occassions.
We notice many German schoolboys in the 1920s wearing high-top boot-like shoes. This was less common by the early 1930s when low-cut oxford style shoes increasingly common. We do not notice boys wearing canvas tennis shoes. We do notice a few boys wearing scandals of various styles. Some look like British-style school sandals. We also notice a few boys wearing what look like srap shoes. wWe are not sure about the colors/
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