Baltimore Anthropometric Study (1922)


Figure 1.--Eugenicists had a passion for measurement. This is a series of photographs taken for a Baltimore anthropometric study in 1922. Here are the 9-10 tear olds. We are not sure yet who conducted the study. Ot looks to have been conducted in a school, but as a wide age range was included in the study, it may have been an orphanage of some kind with an attached school. At the time Maryland had seggregated schools and state institutions. Measurement of black children would have taken place at other schools or orphanages.

Eugenicists had a passion for measurement. This was in part because they insisted that Eugenics was a science. This is a series of photographs taken for a Baltimore anthropometric study in 1922. We are not sure yet who conducted the study. It looks to have been conducted in a school, but as a wide age range was included in the study, it may have been an orphanage of some kind with an attached school. At the time Maryland had seggregated schools and state institutions. Measurement of black children would have taken place at other schools or orphanages.

Eugenics

No where were the principles of eugenics more accepted than America. Eugenics was adopted by the Oneida Community in the mid-19th century. The first American eugenics law was passed in Indiana in 1907 and by 1936 there were 35 states that had such laws. As a result, large numbers of individuals in America were forcibly sterilized--primarily poor children taken in by state institutions. We do not have an estimate yet of the actual number of people sterilized. As these operations were sometimes conducted covertly, an accurate assessment is probably not possible. The mentally ill and retarded were the most frequent victims of this program. There were also, however, children and youths sterilized. These included unwed mothers and boys in reformatories and orphanages, especially if they were judged to be retarded. The extent of the sterilizations varied widely from state to state, but was most pronounced in states that were largely Protestant because of the opposition of the Catholic Church. There were also large numbers of sterilizations conducted on blacks in the South by the largely white medical establishment. These were known as Mississippi appendectomies. An outgrowth of the eugenics movement was the popularity of beautiful baby competitions in the early 20th century.

Meaurements

Eugenicists had a passion for measurement. This was in part because they insisted that Eugenics was a science. This included both physical and intelectual mwasurements. The actual meaurements were a fairly simple matter. The first system for human physical measurements (anthropometry) was developed by the French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon. Eugenicist Francis Galton adopted Bertillon's system. His work with his student assistant Karl Pearson provide the basis for modern anthropometric statistics. Physical measurements by themselves are data of some actual scientific and soicietal utility. The use eugenicists made of the data compiled, however, was not scientific. American eugenicists had already formed their conclusions before even beginning to collect theiur data which as any 7th grade general science call tell you in the anthisis of real science.

Baltimore Study

This is a series of photographs taken for a Baltimore anthropometric study assessing body build in 1922. We are not sure yet who conducted the study. This information sdhould be available somewhere, but we have been unable to find it. And we do not know what conclusions were drawn from the data collected.

School or Orphanage

The study looks to have been conducted in a school classroom, presumably in Baltimore. Note the standard school blackboard. As a wide age range was included in the study, it may have been an orphanage of some kind with an attached school. At the time Maryland had seggregated schools and state institutions. Measurement of black children would have taken place at other schools or orphanages. The children involve are both primsary and secondary age school children.

Clothes

The study here was conducted to assess body build which is why the boys were told to take off their shirts for the photograph. They are thus interesting for our discussion of eugenics. Even so, the photographs also have quite a bit of information about the clothes the boys wore. In parrticular as they have taken their shirts off, we learn a little about their underwear which is usually not availavle from most portraits and family snapshots..

Primary school students (6-7 years old)

The photograph here includes the younger primary children (6-7 year olds). This may be a frst grade class which after the begging of school would have 6-7 year olds. All of the boys appear to be wearing a one piece underwear which is bunched at their waist to show their bare chest for the photo. Notice that 7 of the boys wear straight knee pants. Knee pants were not very fashionable in 1922, most boys worne knickers. This is one reason we think this may be an orphanage. They also wear dark long stockings. The three boys on the left may be wearing knickers, I cannot tell. The third boy in from left appears to be wearing some sort of boots. The variety of length of trousers is interesting. All of the boys appear to be wearing a one piece underwear which is bunched at their waist to show their bare chest for the photo. You cannot tell from the photo but all of the trousers probably attach to under waists or combination suits. Some of the boys’ trousers have fly fronts most do not.

Primary school students (9-10 years)

The photograph here is of 9 to 10 year olds (figure 1). After the first few moths, this would corespond to a 4th grase class. Notice that at least 9 of the boys wear knickers the fourth boy from right maybe wearing short trousers. I cannot tell for sure. At least 6 of the boys wear the knickers above the knees and all wear dark long stockings. Two of the boys are wearing suspenders, I cannot tell for sure but the others may have their knickers attached to either under waists or to combinations. All the boys are wearing high top shoes of different heights. As with the younger boys, all of the boys appear to be wearing a one piece underwear which is bunched at their waist to show their bare chest for the photo. Areader tells us, "These 9-10 year-old boys all wear union suits rather than separate shirts and drawers. Notice the bunching at the waist. They are probably waist union suits which were the usual kind for boys up to the age of 13."

Secondary school students (15-16 year olds)

The photo is of 15 to 16 year olds. All of the boys are wearing knickers with belts. Notice that at least 9 of the boys wear knickers below the knees. I cannot tell for sure. All wear dark long stockings; the boy on the far right may be wearing knee socks his stockings appear not to be black as the other boys are wearing. All the boys are wearing high top shoes of different heights. As with the younger boys, half of the boys appear to be wearing a one piece underwear which is bunched at their waist to show their bare chest for the photo, the other five boys are wearing some form of underpants which is visible from the knickers’ waist. Notice it is the smaller boys here who have the one-piece suits like younger boys. his appears to have been determined by height which may not be the same as age. This also suggests this was a oeohanage and not a regular public school.






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Created: 9:59 PM 9/11/2009
Last updated: 10:00 PM 9/11/2009