Figure 1.--This German boy was photographed in some kind of unform about 1880. We are not sure what the uniform was as this time. We know the postgraph was taken. The card is marked "Berlin, O". That may mean the western section of Berlin. The photographer was Carl Scherz located at Holmarkt Strasse, 71. The portrait is also labeled Gr. Lichterfelde. I'm not sure what that meant.

We note German boys wearing what look to be organization uniforms in the late 19th century, perhaps as early as the 1870s. We are not sure what these early groups are. The earliest groups may be band units. We note some 19th images of German boys wearing a variety of uniforms which are clearly not just band groups. We have no idea as to what organization they belong. Many of these images show boys with musical instruments suggest some kind of band groups. The uniforms are quite varied. One example here is a Berlin boy about 1880 with a drum and fancy uniform. The portrait is undated, but looks like the late 1870s to early 1880s. Hopefull our German readers will provide us some insights here. Some may belong to village or community bands, but we believe that other kinds of organizations are involved. We note some features of the uniform here that we have seen in 19th century military uniforms such as the epaulettes. The boy's hat however is not one we normally associate with German uniforms. It does, however, look like hats the Amish wore in America. The Amish, however, were pacifists and did not wear uniforms, at least military uniforms. Another interesting aspect of the uniform is the belt. Notice how it is worn over the jacket. Normally it would have no practical purose worn there. In this case the boy seems to be partially supporting his drum with the belt, althouh there appears to be some kind of cloth or leather support. I'm not sure just how that worked. We notice German boys, including boys that were not drummers, wearing their belts liie this into the 1930s.

Organization Uniforms

We note German boys wearing what look to be organization uniforms in the late 19th century, perhaps as early as the 1870s. We are not sure what these early groups are. The earliest groups may be band units. We note some 19th images of German boys wearing a variety of uniforms which are clearly not just band groups. We have no idea as to what organization they belong.

Musical Units

Many of these images show boys with musical instruments suggest some kind of band groups. Some may belong to village or community bands, but we believe that other kinds of organizations are involved.

Uniforms

The uniforms are quite varied. One example here is a Berlin boy about 1880 with a drum and fancy uniform. The portrait is undated, but looks like the late 1870s to early 1880s. Hopefull our German readers will provide us some insights here. We note some features of the uniform here that we have seen in 19th century military uniforms such as the epaulettes. The boy's hat however is not one we normally associate with German uniforms. It does, however, look like hats the Amish wore in America. The Amish, however, were pacifists and did not wear uniforms, at least military uniforms. Another interesting aspect of the uniform is the belt. Notice how it is worn over the jacket. Normally it would have no practical purose worn there. In this case the boy seems to be partially supporting his drum with the belt, althouh there appears to be some kind of cloth or leather support. I'm not sure just how that worked. We notice German boys, including boys that were not drummers, wearing their belts liie this into the 1930s.

Drum Mounting

A reader writes, "I have searched endlessly for a detailed image of the drum mounting, but cannot find one. In the process I was stunned to learn how much effort goes into Drum & Bugle marching bands. They take it very seriously. The drum is probably a snare drum, and the bracket holding it is a sling. There is probably a leg support, a sort of metal frame which rests on the boy's thigh. Modern drummers sometimes use a shoulder mounted metal frame, which will prevent drum movement when marching. But this design interferes with the uniform, as it needs to be under the jacket but protrude to the drum. The Berlin boy in the picture has an older style arrangement, but from the picture it is not clear. I think the belt is partially for contrast, Grenadier Guards wear a white belt outside of their red coats, to look neat."