Figure 1.--These children at a Connecticut public school, probably in the 1870s show a wide varirty of clothes--but none of the fancy styles that were to become so popular in the next decade. Many boys wear straw hats. |
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The United States was a largely rural country at the beginning of the 19th century and was still largely rural even at the time of the Civil War (1861-65). By that time, industrialization had begun and was greatly stimulate by the War. Even by the rnd of the century, bout half the population was rural. This of course meant, that rural schools were a very important part of the country's educational system. The United States in the 19th Century probably had the world's most progressive system of public education for children in rural areas. American school children have not worn school uniforms. There are some exception for urban schools, but virtually no rural children wore school uniforms. The clothing worn by boys at these schools reflected their ordinary dress, as few boys had mutiple clothing changes. The clothes in rural and urban schools could be quite different. YThis did not begin to change until World War II (1939-45).
The United States was a largely rural country at the beginning of the 19th century and was still largely rural even at the time of the Civil War (1861-65). By that time, industrialization had begun and was greatly stimulate by the War. Even by the rnd of the century, bout half the population was rural. This of course meant, that rural schools were a very important part of the country's educational system. The United States in the 19th Century probably had the world's most progressive system of public education for children in rural areas. Early Federal land legislation had provisions for assigning land parcels for school as did the Homestead Act of 1864. The principal of free public education was well established in America at a time when the British conceived of public education as dangerous or only appropriate as charity schools for indigents. In contrast, in the United States a portion of each parcel of land was reserved to finance a public school. As a result, as the frontier moved west, public schools were automatically financed from the initial settlement. The early rural schools were all elementary schools--usually one room schools where children of all ages were educated together. Few rural
children in the 19th century progressed to high schools, which were all located in cities.
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The clothing worn by boys at these schools reflected their ordinary dress, as few boys had mutiple clothing changes. The clothes in rural and urban schools could be quite different. One interesting image, apparently, from a Connecticut school in the 1870s shows the boys wearing suspenders, jackets or shirts, one boy has a jacket with plaid collar, a lots of broad-brimmed straw hats. No one wears a fancy Fauntleroy-like suit that was to become so popular in the next decade. Some of the girls appear to be wearing pinafores over their dresses. American children in the early part of the 20th century dressed more formally for school than children do today--at least in urban areas. Children did not, however, have the extensive wardrobes that they have today. Rural children dressed much less formaly. Overalls and bare feet were common for the boys, at least in the warmer months before cold weather and snow made coats and boots necessary. Of course this varied substantially by region. Cold weather clothes were less necessary in the South. We do not see many overalls in the 19th century, but suddenly about 1910 they becane very common.
Clothing styles at rural schools began to change significantly in the 1940s. The prosperity of the post-World war II period brought incrased
income to farm families after the bleak Depression years (1929-39). Rural children began dressing in the same jeans and flannel shirts urban boys wore. Overalls and barefeet became increasingly less common. Another factor affecting rural education is that many school districts began closing small rural schools. The economics of modern education made it prohibitively expensive to maintain small, isolated schools for a limited number of children. Instead, school districts consolidated the small schools into larger schools set in rural town centers. At these schools there was little difference between the clothes worn by rural and town boys.
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A good idea of fashion trends in America, as children at public schools did not wear uniforms, can be assessed by looking at what the children were wearing to school. Unfortunately many of the available images are not identified.
Boys at this rural school sailor suits, various shirts, and Fauntleroy blouses. Presumably the children dressed up a bit to have their photographs taken.
This school group looks to have been photographed about 1915. It is an unidentified image, but I would say was probably taken in a small town in a rural area. It looks like some of the children are Indian. Perhaps the school mighbe be in North Dakota. The children do not seemed to have dressed up for the photograph.
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