English School Uniform: 1910s Chronology -- Garments
Figure 1.--This post-card back school portrait shows what looks like beginning primary school boys, perhps the second year. The boys look to be about 7 years old. There are about 50 boys and two teachers. We suspect there were two classes, but we are not sure. We are not entirely sure how to date it, but would guess the late-1910s. The Warmay explain the elderly man stillworking at the chool. The early-20s, however, is possible. We see three types of outfits: sailor suits, sweaters, and suits, both old fasioned and modern looking styles. Five boys wear Eton collars, but not big ones. We probably would have seen more Eton colls and fewer sailor suits with the older boys. We think this is an Anglian Church of englad school which may explain why so many boys are wearing sailor suits. We only see one boy with a bow, but several have untied scarves.
The peaked school cap was still ubiquitous. Boys in state schools still tended to dress up in suits, but did not wear uniforms. Eton collars were still very common, but some boys did begin wearing soft collars and ties. Some private schools required Eton collars, but not all. The school onth the previous page did not require Eton collars, but some boys still wore them because their parents insisted. Boys still commoly wore suits to school in both the state and private schools. We see both old-fashioned and modernstyles. Blazers were still primarily sportswear, but by the end of the decade had began to be worn at prep schools. We still see the youngest boys wearing destinctive styles such as the sailor suits we see here (figure 1). Even slightly older boys did not commoly wear sailor suits. We think this is an Anglian Church of englad school which may explain why so many boys are wearing sailor suits. One of the most significant changes was the increasing trend to wear short trousers and knee socks rather than knee pants and long stockings or knickers like the boys here are wearing. We see some long pants even with the younger boys, but this was clearly becoming less common. The popular Boy Scout movemrent was probably an influence here. This trend was most apparenant in the state schools, but was noticeable at prep schools as well. A few public (private boarding) schools still had knickers as part of the school uniform. High-top shoes were still common. Notice that the boys on th previous page are nearly all wearing high-tops, even the boys wearing long trousers, but the master is weaing low-cut shoes. The boys here seem to be mostly wearing high-top shoes (figure 1). Sandals do not yet seem common.
