Figure 1.--This is a page from a German illustrated text book for leaning French. It was published in Leipzig during 1937. The dictionary showing children's clothing give some idea of what is seen as typical clothes for German boys at the time rather than French. It calls the younger boy's jacket “modele veste d'alpiniste” - “Alpine style jacket” and the older boy's cap is called "La casquette d'ecolier" ( Schoolboy cap). Click on the image to see the indexed French terms.

The German French pictorial dictionary provides the following terms for the children's clothing seen here. The clothing is representative of German children's clothing in the mid-1930s, but the terms are the French words. The editors may have introduced a few French garments like rompers.

Item 2: Ski Cap

Item 2 is a child's wool ski cap. The dictionary suggests "le bonnet de laine ot le bonnet tricoté. On top item 2a is "le pompon". A girl is shown wearing the cap, but we believe both boys and girls wore them,

Item 3: Romper Suit

Item 3 is a bib-front romper suit. The Fremch term for a romper suit is " barboteuse" meaning a one piece romper suit. A bib-front romper suit more correctly is "une barboteuse à bavette " or " une barboteuse bain de soleil ". We have noted French boys wearing these romper suits. We have noted a few German boys wearing them in the 1940s, but do not think that they were very common in the 1930s. Item 3a looks to be the bib which is "un corsage ". Item 3b looks to be the suspender straps which are " une bretelle" . The Dictionary here adds "l'épaulette", but a French reader does not think it is appropriate.

Item 5: Little Boy's Suit

item 5 here is a little boy's suit described as "le costume de garçonnet". Item 5a isthe jacket which is "la veste (modèle veste d'alpiniste" or Alpine-style jacket. A HBC reader points out, "Referring to the caption (figure 1): if 'modèle style alpiniste' really is what this textbook called the Alpine style jacket it was a poor teaching aid indeed. The French noun alpiniste means mountaineer and may be used for an anybody climbing any mountain range. The equivalent of alpine (pertaining to the Alpine Region) is alpin (male ) or alpine (feminine). Thus an Alpine style jacket is une veste modèle alpin or une veste style alpin or une veste type alpin." A French reader writes, "I agree the remark about this text. One must say : " la veste style alpin " or " la veste bavaroise ". The term sounds to us much like the grey jacketscwith green trim often worn with lederhosen, but this is not what is depicted in the illustration. Item 5b is described as being a rounded (Peter Pan) collar or "le col rond" although it is not drawn as a roubded collar. Item 5c looks to be a crevatte or bow and is described as "le norud". Item 5d are the buttons or "le bouton". Item 5e is the sleeve or "la manche", Item 5f is the sleeve collar or "le revers de manche". Item 5g are the short pants or "la culotte courte". Item 5h are the socks or "la chaussette". Item 5i are the shoes which are "soulier d'enfant" or soulier bas"--meaning children's shoes and low-cut shoes. A French reader writes, "In the 1930s ' soulier was a very common word for [?call] shoes, now it means rather Sunday or dress-up shoes."

Item 6: Girl's Play Outfit

Item 6 is a girl's outfit. It ;ooks to us like a play outfit. It is interesting because item 6c is described as short pants or "la culotte". We do not notice, however, many German or French guirls wearing short pants in the 1930s. Except in summer campsor school gym classes, we almost always see girls wearing dresses. A French reader writes, "One calls the underpant for girl ' culotte '. In the past time, quite often one also called the underpants for little boys 'culotte ' and to avoid confusion with short pants the mothers called them ' petite culotte '. The word for boy'underpant are ' slip '. The word for underpant for babies boy or girl is ' culotte '. In the 1930s girls didn'd worn short pants except for gym or the seaside." HBC is not sure that the items depicted here areunderwear, but like our Frenchb reader we do notsee German or French girls wearing short pants to any extent in the 1930s.

Item 7: Sailor Suit

Item 7 is a boy's sailor suit or "Le costume marin". We see German boys wearing sailor suits in the 1930s, but by the mid-1930s with few exceptions it is only the younger boys. The NAZIs probably because of the middle-class image did not approve of older boys wearing sailor suits. Item 5a is the middy blouse or "la blouse de marin". Item 7b is is the sailor collar or "le col marin". Item 7c is the sailor scarfe or "la cravate" tied in a regatta knot or "le noeud, larégate". Item 7d is the sleeve or "la manche". Item 7e are the pants or "le pantalon". Item 7f is a peaked cap with a military look identified a school cap or "la casquette (d'écolier)". A French reader writes, "This text is correct.