Figure 1.--Unfortunately we know nothing about this photograph. It looks to be a school in rural Russia or even the Ukraine. It is undated, but we believe it was taken before World war I, probably about 1910. Note the teachers look to be either soldiers or priests. Also note the boys' close cropped hair and that the girls do not have hair bows. One thing we do not understad about this photograph is why the children are either younger boys or older girls. Perhaaps readers will have some insights.

There are some interesting aspects to the hair styles worn by Russian school children over time. The most notable aspect is that many if not most Russian school children during the late 19th and early 20th century had close cropped hair. I'm less sure of the primary schools, but certainly it was the case of the secondary schools. This appears to have been the case in the early Soviet schools as well. During the later Soviet period you no longer see close-cropped hair, but long hair was not permitted. In modern Russia one normally see boys with short, but not short-cropped hair. We know less about girls' hair styles, but do note the very destinctive large white hair bows they wore during the Soviet era. These bows are still seen for ceremomial occassions.

Boys

There are some interesting aspects to the hair styles worn by Russian school children over time. The most notable aspect is that many if not most Russian school children during the late 19th and early 20th century had close cropped hair. I'm less sure of the primary schools, but certainly it was the case of the secondary schools. This appears to have been the case in the early Soviet schools as well. During the later Soviet period you no longer see close-cropped hair, but long hair was not permitted. In modern Russia one normally see boys with short, but not short-cropped hair.

Girls

We know less about girls' hair styles, but do note the very destinctive large white hair bows they wore during the Soviet era. These bows are still seen for ceremomial occassions. Hair bows as well as ribbons have been in extensive use for many decades in the former Soviet Union school system as well as in today's Russia and other former Soviet Republics. We are not sure when Russian girls first began wearing hair bows to school. We are not positive, but they do not seem to have been worn during the Tsarist era. During Soviet Union,the vast majority of schoolgirls of all ages and grades,including high-school used to wear white hair bows, some of them very big in size, as part of the ceremonial school uniform. Currently, while the school uniform is not compulsory anymore, many girls still wear the old school uniform for certain school festivities, so the white hair bows are still worn. Traditionally they are made of very light,chiffon-type material,and are tied with elastics or strings over ponytails or braided pigtails.

Created: 8:54 AM 2/27/2005
Last updated: 8:54 AM 2/27/2005