Figure 1.--This school portrait is undated, bit looks like the1920s. We are not sure bout the type of school, but looks likea small town schools. There seems to quite an age differential here so it may not be a class group, but it does not seem wide enough for a one-room school. The boys wear knickers with black long stockings. The girls wear dresses with both knee socks or long stockings. Note two girls are wearing gym suit middy blouses and bloomers / rompers with large hair bows. We think that these are gym suits rather than ordinry schoolwear. We are not sure why only two girls are wearing what look like gym outfits. It is unlikely yhis school had gym. We are guessing they may be Girl Scouts.

The photographic record provides elaborate details as to popilar school styles. There were no uniform. Earlier chikdren dresse i some of their best clothes, such boys weatinhg suits. After Wotld war I in the 1920s we see more informal outfits. Boys and girls wore intirely different styles. One of the few common items were hosiery--especial black long stockings. We see boys' styles becoming more ingprmal in the 1920suth dewer boys wearing suits. We see fewer changes with girls' clothing. The major changes were fewer hair bows an more knee socks rather than long stockings.

Boys' Schoolwear

Boys commonly dressed in suits for school in the 1910s. We still see that after World War I in the 1920s, but not as commonly. And there werefewer boys wearing ties. Sweaters became nore common, in many cases replacing suit jackets. Especially by the end of the decade we see many boys wearing more casual clothes for school. The youngest primary (elementary) boys might wear shorts pants for school, but knickers were much more common, especially by about the 3rd grade. Knickers replaced knee pants in the 1910s and were quite common even in secondary school. Knickers continued to be standard schoolwear for boys in the 1920s, although we no longer see older high school boys wearing them. Sweaters and corduroy knickers were a popular combination. The 1920s were the first decade in which sweaters became a major school item. Knickers were worn mostly with long stockings until the end if the decade when we begin to see brightly patterned knee socks. Boys almost never wore knickers with ankle socks. We also see a shift from high-top to low-cut shoes over the decade, Sneakers were becoming popular during the 20s, but were not commonly worn to school.

Girls' Schoolwear

Girls still almost always wore dresses or blouses and skirts to school. There were many different styles. Sailor styles were popular. We still see some large hair bows. We no longer see pinafores. High school girls often middy blouses and bloomers for gym in the 1910s. We still see that in the early-20s, but we also see romper suits. We thought that these outfits were only for gym. But here we se two girls in gym romper outfits. We are not sure they wore these outfits to class. Perhps they just did not have time to change for class or there ar oher explanations. This is a issue we are working on in the gym suit 20th century conventions. Girls like the boys commonly wore long stockings. Black continued to be common. We also see knee socks. They wer more commo for girls than boys.

Hair Styles

These school portaits are not only excellent sources of information on fasgion, but also hir styles. We see a lot of different styles here, both boys and girl's hir styles. The boys all hve short hir although done in different ways. All but one of the boys have side parts. Center parts were very fashionable earlier. The girls have a range of different styles. We see some girls with page boy/Dutch boy cuts which began as a style for younger boys. There are many schools with far more girls wearing Dutch boy haur styles. One girl has long ringlet curls, which Shirley Temple would soon make much more popular. Large hair bows still seem popular.

1920s School Portraits

We have a collection of 1920s school portraits for readers who wnt to investigate the decfe in greater detail. There were changes in schoolwear in the 1920s. Some garments continued to be popular. Flat caps were very common. Many boys in secondary school wore suits and neckties. Norfolk and knicker suits were very common. More boys were wearing long pants, but knickers were still common for younger high school boys. Kneepants disappeared in the early 20s. Boys commonly wore knickers with long stockings. Boys in primary (grammar/elementary) schools began dressing more informally. Some younger boys wore short pants to school, but knickers were much more common. Boys at private schools tend to dress in suits, but few schools have uniforms. Bib-front overalls were very common at rural schools. Most boys wore leather shoes to school. Corduroy knickers are very common. We notice very few children wearing sneakers. Almost all of the girls wear dresses. It is common to see children at rural schools coming to school barefoot, especially in the South.

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Created: 7:19 AM 12/31/2015
Last updated: 8:56 PM 1/1/2016