Figure 1.--These French children in a Doisneau 1956 photograph are waiting for a train at a Paris satation with their mother. The blazers and suitcases suggest that they attend a boarding school.

These French children in a Doisneau 1956 photograph are waiting for a train at a Paris satation with their mother. The blazers and suitcases suggest that they attend a boarding school which were not as common in France as in America.

Photographer

Robert Doisneau is one of France's most noted photographers. He is noted for the many playful and unsuposing images chronicling everyday French life. His prolific output over the course of several decades provides us a marvelous record of French life. His images don't seek to overcome the viewer. They are often modest in scope and playful. He is at his best with people. His images of French childhood are especially helpful for HBC. He was influenced by the work of Kertesz, Atget, and Cartier-Bresson who also provided wonderful images of childhood. He published over 20 books providing realistic, but charming images of quiet, often personal moments in the lives of individuals. He wrote: "The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street."

Chrnology

This image was taken in 1956.

Identity

The children are unidentified. They may to be a family of two brothers and a sister, although the second boy in the backgrond may not be part of the family.

Location

The photograph was taken at a Paris train station. The children are headed toward a seaside destination.

Travel

The children look like they are off to boarding school at the beginning of the school term. This is suggested by the fact ythazt it does not appear to be cold and the children's cloting looks new. Also they have their suitcases and trunks--only taken to school at the beginning of the term. The blazers all three children wear certainly look like a chool uniform. If this was a British it would clearly be boys headed to a boarding school. Even if France it may also children off to boarding school, but we are less certain. It was much less common for French than British children to go to boarding school.

Net

HBC was not sure what the boy is holding. A HBC reader suggests a butterfly net. This occurred to HBC, but we thought a butterfly net was longer and we have not seen a crossbar like this in a butterfly net before. Our European readers inform us that the boy is indeed not holding a butterfly net, but a special fishing net used to harvest shellfish like mussels etc. We are not sure why he would be taking this to school, it would seem more likely something one would take to summer camp. But surely children would not wear blazers to camp.

Clothing

The outfits the children wear certainly look like school uniforms. The children all wear blazers, although no school badge can be seen nor can we see any ties. Notably they do not wear any caps. The boys seem to wear identical and the goirl a plaid skirt. Note that they wear ankle socks. Kneesocks were not as common in France as in England, especially when kit was not cold.

Reader Comment

A Swiss reader comments, "I would have said that the family was going on holidays, the blazers are for France certainly not as stong a clue for attending a boarding school, similarly I doubt that the two boys AND the girl would go to same school, genders were not mixed at that time. And if really it's the case, let's imagine that this school was located near the sea: Many boarding schools are either in mountains or at seaside for the climatic benefits to children." [HBC note: Some interesting observation. The fact that most schools were single gender schools is an important point. And the fact that blazers were not necessarily a school uniform is another valuable insight. HBC does note, however, that three children (one who might not be in the family) wear the same blazer does rather suggest a school. A girl wearing a blazer ih a plaid skirt also rather suggestds a school.]

Created: December 28, 2001
Last updated: December 31, 2001