Figure 1.-- Here we see a class of boys from the Reverend Woods's Church School in Montreal during 1885. We don't know the name of the church, but I suspect that it is an Anglican school, possibly a choir school connected with one of the Anglican churches in Westmount, an English-speaking section of the city.

Here we see a class of boys from the Reverend Woods's Church School in Montreal during 1885. We don't know the name of the church, but I suspect that it is an Anglican school, possibly a choir school connected with one of the Anglican churches in Westmount, an English-speaking section of the city. The boys seem to be of choir-school age--from about 8 to 15. They are formally dressed for their school photograph. One boy in the front row wears a sailor suit with a white middy blouse, knee pants, and black stockings. The other boys seem to be in knee-pants suits. All of course wear long black stockings, standard wear for the period. Notice the variety of hats. One of the boys wears a rather citified black derby hat while others wear felt hats with small brims and encircling ribbons. A few boys wear small brimless hats. Some faculty members standing in the rear are wearing their academic gowns (typical of English-style church-connected schools) and mortarboards. We thought that this might be a Sunday school class because the portrait was taken in front of the Church. A reader writes, however, "I don't think a simple Sunday School would be only boys, do you? The priest, maybe Father Woods, is standing at the right rear with some other faculty members in their academic gowns and mortarboards. It might be a class preparing for confirmation, but the fact that only boys are present makes me think it is probably a day school connected with the parish church." Our reader is probably right. Most Subday schools with which we are familar were coeducational.

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Created: 3:22 AM 5/18/2005
Last updated: 3:22 AM 5/18/2005