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Here we notice a CDV portrait of a group portrait of children in Carlisle, a city in northern county of Cumbria. It is one of the two English counties bordering on Scotland. We see a group of 12 children, mostly girls and a few boys The children are posed around a lady sitting down. A second lady is standing. The children look to be about 7-13 years old. One reader thinks the boys are slightly older, perhaps 8 years old. The boys are younger than the girls, perhaps younger brothers. They also seem to be rather disassociated from the group and rather bored compared to the girls. That seems rather strange. Coeducation was not common in Britain at the time, but often younger boys are mixed in with the girls at small schools. Presumably older boys would have been enrolled in the many preparatory schools which were appearing. There is no information other than the name of the studio available. We do not know what this group could be other than some sort of school group,but we are unsure just what kind of school group. A dame school comes to mind, but this is generally associate with working-class or lower-middle class children. And unlike many dame schools, here almost certainly, day care was not the major purpose. Here education would have been what the parents were seeking. Given how these children are dressed, they look like children from well-to-do families. The girls are wearing various styles of fashionable dresses. The boys are wearing cut-away jackets with the fashionable bloomer knickers. At the times boys were more commonly wearing long pants. Given the mix of ages, this does not look like a class group from a larger school. In short, we are not entirely sure what type of school this was. Also to be understood, at the time there were not a lot of established girls schools. The importance of educating girls was just beginning to be understood. The CDV is not dated. We suspect it was taken in the late-1860s, but the early-70s is certainly possible. The studio was Benjamin Scott of Carlisle.
Here we notice a CDV portrait of a group portrait of children in Carlisle, a city in northern county of Cumbria. It is one of the two English counties bordering on Scotland.
We see a group of 12 children, mostly girls and a few boys The children are posed around a lady sitting down to whom the girls are attracted. . A second lady is standing. The posing suggests a close relationship between the women and girl pupils. Something not shared with the boys who are mostly unceremoniously deposited on the floor. A reader writes, The expression of the boys is rather telling. 1) the boy on the reader's right looks very bored and seems to be looking off in the distance away from the camera. 2) the middle boy looks as if he is looking at the camera but does not really want to 3) the boy on the reader's left looks as if he is leaning into his sister or someone and is very relaxed 4) the boy in the back row separated from the other boys appears to be happy."
The children look to be about 7-13 years old. One reader thinks the boys are slightly older, perhaps 8 years old. The boys are younger than the girls, perhaps younger brothers. Notice the girl at front left with her arm draped around the boy. They are almost certainly brother and sister.
The boys seem to be rather disassociated from the group and rather bored compared to the girls. That seems rather strange. Coeducation was not common in Britain at the time, but often younger boys are mixed in with the girls at small schools. Presumably older boys would have been enrolled in the many boys' preparatory schools (almost all for boys which were appearing at the time.
There is no information other than the name of the studio available. We do not know what this group could be other than some sort of school group,but we are unsure just what kind of school group. A dame school comes to mind, but this is generally associate with working-class or lower-middle class children. And unlike many dame schools, here almost certainly, day care was not the major purpose. Here education would have been what the parents were seeking. Given how these children are dressed, they look like children from well-to-do families. England in the 1860s did not yet have a national public education system. This only began with the Education Act of 1870. But these children would almost all been educated in tyhe private sector. Given the mix of ages, this does not look like a class group from a larger school. In short, we are not entirely sure whst type of school this was. Also to be understood, at the time there were not a lot of established girls schools. The importance of educating girls was just beginning to be understood.
The CDV is not dated. We suspect it was taken in the late-1860s, but the early-70s is certainly possible. We based this on the mount which has pointed tips and the clothing styles.
The girls are wearing various styles of fashionable light-colored dresses and varied hair dos. Many of the dresses have balloon shoulders and well-established waistlines. The hem lines are just above the ankles reflecting the age of the girls. The boys are wearing cut-away jackets with the fashionable bloomer knickers. At the times boys were more commonly wearing long pants. A reader provides a more detailed assessment of the boys' clothing. "All three boys sitting are wearing bloomer styled knickerbocker trousers (elastic at the knee) presumably, boys that age had difficulty buttoning the band type knickerbockers. Also two of the boys' appear to wear similar colored (if not identical) outfits. And none of those boys wear Peter Pan styled collars though the boy standing in the back does. All three boys sitting on the carpet seem to be wearing top buttoned cut away jackets without lapels. And the three seated boys appear to be wearing vests. The two boys wearing the lighter colored suits have contrasting piping and both appear to wear some sort of tie but they may be different styles as the boy on the reader's right appears to be wearing some sort of collar sticking above the jacket with a bow tie and the other boy wears a tie hanging down but his collar type is impossible for me to determine in the photograph. Those two boys also have cuffs on their sleeves with piping. All three boys seem to be wearing light-colored stockings and the boy in the center is wearing high-cut tie shoes. The boy to his right is wearing high cut shoes but I cannot tell if they are buttoned or tie shoes from the angle. The boy in the center has a center part in his hair as does the boy to his right and the boy to his left has a left part in his hair. The hair is worn so as not to cover the ears on the four boys. The boy standing in the back row appears to be wearing a Norfolk styled suit with a tie on the small white collar and a dark suit. He is wearing his hair combed up above his forehead and shorter than the other three boys."
This is a very professionally posed portrait. All we are really sure about with this portrait is the studio, Benjamin Scott & Son of Carlisle. There is unfortunately no written inscription of any sort on the CDV. One reason we think that this was not part of a larger school is the transport needed to get the the children to the studio. Transporting 12 children is manageable. Transporting the children in a larger school becomes unwieldy. This is why virtually all school portraits are done at the school.
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