Figure 1.--This was the Christmas portrait for these unidentified German boys. They wear identical Hbar shorts. (Only the younger boy's collar is differet. The inscription on the back reads, "Weihnachten 1942, Hermann und Bruno, Der Preuße und der Schwab". That means "Christmas 1942, Hermann and Bruno, the Prussian and the Swabian". We don't know how the boys acquired their nicknames. Christmas is Germany's most important holiday. Christmas 1942 was not a very happy time for Germany. At the time the German 6th Army was cut off and starving in Stalingrad.

This was the Christmas portrait for these unidentified German boys. They wear identical Hbar shorts. (Only the younger boy's collar is differet. The inscription on the back reads, "Weihnachten 1942, Hermann und Bruno, Der Preuße und der Schwab". That means "Christmas 1942, Hermann and Bruno, The Prussian and the Swabian". We don't know how the boys acquired their nicknames. Christmas is Germany's most important holiday. Christmas 1942 was not a very happy time for Germany. At the time the German 6th Army was cut off and starving in Stalingrad.

Family

We know nothing about the boy's family. We would guess from the toy, clothes, and hair cuts that the boys came from a middle-class family in comfortable circumsances.

The Boys

Unfortunately we do not the boys' family name. We do know their nick names, Hermann and Bruno. They look to be about 4 and 8 years old. We also know their nick names, the Prussian and the Swabian. A German reader tells us, "I don't know if the text is referring to places where they are from or to the stereotypes connected with these places." There were stereotypes that related to noth Prussia and Swabia. They have varied oivdr time. Prrussian might reflect, a boorish, aggressuive, and emotionless nature and an interest in the military. Perhaps he liked toy soldiers. Swabian is more problematic. Swabians have at times been the butt of jokes which deopict them as stingy, serious, and prudish or sometimes as simpletons. Just why these names were chosen for the boys we do not know. A German reader tells us, "it is difficult to answer your question without knowing more about the family. They are certainly brothers. My assumption is that the family was living for some time in or coming from Prussia and now in Suebia. The elder boy (Hermann ?) was born in the North, the younger one (Bruno) in the South. Was the family, both parents or only one, coming from Prussia or from Suebia?. The mentality of the people here and there is different so one can understand that in sending the photo to grandparents or uncle and aunt the parents make the difference, saying one boy is 'yours', northern, the other one is 'southern', or viceversa, who knows. I think there are no connotations with the boys per se - as old as they are one cannot say much about their character -. And how they speak, northern dialect or Suebian dialect, will diminish in their age very rapidly. It seems to be more a floskel of politeness to the receivers of the photo."

Toy

Notice the boy's cuddly toy. Rather than a teddy, he has hs a goose. Or is it a swan.

Location

The boys were German, but we do not know where in Germany theu=y lived.

Christmas

Germany's most important holiday is Chritmas. And of course a holiday esecially important for children. This was the Christmas portrait for these unidentified German boys. Many families liked to have family portraits taken for Christmas. It is likely that mother had the portrait made to send to their father at the front which in 1942 probably meant Russia. Although the caption on the back sounds more like something father than mother would have written.

Clothing

The boys wear identical outfits, white sirts and H-bar shorts. Only the younger boy's collar is different. He has a frilled collar. His older brother has a e regular collar. Note the boys have buttoned their collars even they do not wearneckwear. Other than this the shirts look the same. The H-bar shorts are identical. They look black, perhaps velvet.

Hair Styles

The boys have their hair done in identical bangs.

1942

Christmas 1942 was not a very happy time for Germany. NAZI German expeienced its first serious defeat during the Winter of 1941-42. The Red Army offensive before Mostcow (December 1941) resulted in massive German losses of men and material. The German civilian population for the first time begann experiencing the impact of the War. Then after a Spring and Summer of great victories, the Red Army cut off and surrounded the German 6th Army in Stalingrad (November 1942). Families knew who were there as letters for a time got out from the surounded 6th Army. Hitler refused to allow a break out. The Army by late 1942 was running out of both food and amunition. Thus every German family was aware when they celebrated Christmas that a terrible defeat loomed.