Figure 1.--This cabinet card school portrait is an unidentified school in Stamford, Connecicut. It is undated, but all the huge hair bows suggest the 1910s. This looks like the older children in an 8-year primary. The sudents look to be about 13 years old. Note that while boys this age no longer wear sailor suits, we see the girls wearing sailor-styled dresses.

Most America children ended their schooling at age 13-14 years in 8 year primaries. While the children began 8yth grade age 13 years, some were 14 years old when the school years finished. The rural schools might have older children, especially the boys. Secondary education was becoming more common, but most children still ended their education with an 8th grade graduation certificate. Even when the photographs are not dated, 1910s graduates are easily identified by the big hair bows the girls are waiting. They were especially common and large for graduation portraits as we can see on the previous page in 1915 (figure 1). We also see the big hair bows in the class portrait here (figure 1). The boys mostly wear knicker suits with black long stockings. In graduation portraits, the girls often wear white dresses. The boys wear dark suits and neckties. The children did not always wear suits to school, but suits were still common and virtually mandatory for graduation portraits.

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Created: 3:00 PM 6/4/2026
Last updated: 3:00 PM 6/4/2026