Figure 1.--Sailor suits were very popular in Germany. These brothers wear identical white sailor suits, probably about 1920. Note the white three-quater socks with designs and the strap dressy shoes. Notice the sailboat which the boys undoubtedly enjoy sailing on the pond in the park. Click on this image to see how these boys at different ages wore strap shoes.

German boys wore different kinds of strap shoes. We see boys wearing both dress strap shoes and a kind of play strap shoe. Boys from affluent families might wear leather strap shoes. We see many portraits of German boys before the mid-1930s wearing strap shoes. We see them wearing these shoes both for formal dress up occassions as well as for play. These boys wearing strap shoes for formal wear are primarily younger boys. We also see older German boys wearing strap shoes. Usually these boys are wearing strap shoes as a casual shoe much as boys today wear sneakers. Some of these more informal strap shoes appear to be made of canvas rather than leather. The vast majority of the images we have noted show German boys single-bar strap shoes. We also notice boys wearing multiple strap shoes, although not as commonly as single strap shoes. An example is an unidentified German boy, we think about 1930.

Use

German boys wore different kinds of strap shoes. We see boys wearing both dress strap shoes and a kind of play strap shoe. Boys from affluent families might wear leather strap shoes. We see many portraits of German boys before the mid-1930s wearing strap shoes. We see them wearing these shoes both for formal dress up occassions as well as for play. These boys wearing strap shoes for formal wear are primarily younger boys. We also see older German boys wearing strap shoes. Usually these boys are wearing strap shoes as a casual shoe much as boys today wear sneakers. Some of these more informal strap shoes appear to be made of canvas rather than leather. We also note strap shoes worn to school.

Design

The vast majority of the images we have noted show German boys single-bar strap shoes. We also notice boys wearing multiple strap shoes, although not as commonly as single strap shoes. We see the multiple straps in the late 19th century, but after the turn of the 20th century, styles began to become more standardized. An example is an unidentified German boy, we think about 1930. The most common multiple strap dstyle was the double strap style. We notice strap shoes with three or more straps, but these were much less common. There were also strap shoes with center bars, both single and double strap shoes. As best we can tell the center bar strap shoes appeared after the turn of the 20th century. These various designs were made in both dress and casual styles.

Gender

We see both boys and girls wearing strap shoes in the early 20th century. This was still common in the 1920s, but in the 1939s they became much more common for girls, especially the single strap style. We see boys wearing the strap shoes with a center bar into the 1950s, but not very commonly by the 1960s.

Hosiery

German boys mostly wore straps shoes with hosiery. The types of hosiery varied.

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Created: August 21, 2003
Last updated: 9:57 PM 10/15/2005