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The photographic record is much richer outside the home than inside, because of complications with indoors photography. Of course this is especially true of the 19th century when even outdoor photography was complicated. With the perfection of simple cameras, especially the Kodak Brownie (1900), Americans and Europeans embraced amateur photogrphy and we begin to see huge numbers ofsnapshots around the home. These snapshots are especially importsant because most of us have only dim memories of our pre-school activities. The home yard was largely a middle-class phenomenon as most middle-class families could aford homes with yards, at least in cities ans subburbs. And here there is an important terminology difference to consider. Americans call the land around a home a yard, both the back and front yard. British readers with carefully cared for grounds make take offence at this. For them the area in back of the house is the back garden. Yard is used for generally neglected areas like junk yards or industrial areas like railroad yard. The yard was not only a recreationl area for children, but was commonly used for raising vegetables and might also have fruit trees. While it was middle-class children who enjoyed outdoor play areas around their homes, working-class children also played outside. Working class children often lived in apartments. Some times this meant streats were the play area. There were, however, other areas. Germany apartments often had interior court yards where children could play and mothers could keep an eye on them.
The photographic record is much richer outside the home than inside, because of complications with indoors photography. Of course this is especially true of the 19th century when even outdoor photography was complicated. With the perfection of simple cameras, especially the Kodak Brownie (1900), Americans and Europeans embraced amateur photogrphy and we begin to see huge numbers ofsnapshots around the home.
These family snapshots are especially importsant because most of us have only dim memories of our pre-school activities.
The home yard was largely a middle-class phenomenon as most middle-class families could aford homes with yards, at least in cities ans subburbs. This is one reson why American children especially had yards in which they could play. The middle-class was especially large and affluent in the United States.
And here there is an important terminology difference to consider. Americans call the land around a home a yard, both the back and front yard. British readers with carefully cared for grounds make take offence at this. For them the area in back of the house is the back garden. A British rede writes, "About the word 'yard' in England. Grassed area at the front is called the lawn and is in the front garden. This will be where flowers are found in borders around the lawn. Children play on the lawn. Older children maw it. Dad can too Sunday morning activity. At the back of the house it is the back garden. Here there will be the back lawn. Play tennis here and other games. Some children will have their first experience of camping out because the tent will be erected here and the children boys and girls will have a camp fire, food and sleep in it during the night. There will also be flower boarders. There might be a rabbit hutch here. If there is a suitable tree then its where the tree house would be built. There will, if room be a vegatable garden. The green house or garden shed would be in this part of the garden area. There is also a back yard. In Britain lots of houses were built without a front or back garden. There was a stone paved area at the back of these houses. There are often a row of terraced houses built in the 19th Century. The paved area is called the back yard. You would not expect to find a garden here. Howerver many people did make a little plot where they had a place to grow vegetables. You are quite correct in the discription of of the meaning of the word yard in its industrial setting. It is rather jaring for an English person to hear American's talk about their yard when referring to a well kept garden and lawn."
Yard is used for generally neglected areas like junk yards or industrial areas like railroad yard. The yard was not only a recreationl area for children, but was commonly used for raising vegetables and might also have fruit trees.
While it was middle-class children who enjoyed outdoor play areas around their homes, working-class children also played outside. Working class children often lived in apartments. Some times this meant streats were the play area. There were, however, other areas. Germany apartments often had interior court yards where children could play and mothers could keep an eye on them.
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