Figure 1.--This school portrait was taken in 1945-46, just after World War II. All of the boys look to be wearing short pants and kneesocks several with suits. We do not notice any of the children wearing smocks.

We do not know much about this school, but it looks to be a small primary school in the village of Rustrel. I do not know just where that is in France. Interestuingly the children do not appear to have commonly worn smocks, even in the 1930s-50s when smocks were still quite common in France. Many boys wore suit jackets before and right after World War II, but more casual dress soon became more common. The boys wear a variety of outfirs. In some years the boys mostly wear long pants and in other years mostly short pants.

The School

We do not know much about this school, but it looks to be a small primary school in the village of Rustrel. The image suggest that it was a very small primary school with only one or two teachers for all the diiferent grades. The children look to range from about 5-13 years old although this varies from year to year.

Rustrel

Rustrel is located in a beautifull mountain region about 150 kilmeters north of the Côte d'Azur, quite far off the main road. Given the size of the school, it must be a rather small village. It is close to Mount " du Vaucluse " and the canyon " Oppedelle ". Before the 1960s, little villages, located far from cities, like this in France were rather poor. A French reader tells us that, "In the days prior to television, the children in isolated villages like this would have had an innocent mentality." Rustel today has undoubtedly changed. Since the 1960s this beautiful area is becoming a touristic place. The prices of the house have greatly increased. The economy has improved and the people now live very comfortably.

School Clothes

The boys wear a variety of outfits. Smock usage varied over time. Through the 1930s boys wear mostly kneepants or short pants. Beginning in the 1940s, the boys mostly wear long pants and in other years mostly short pants. I'm not sure why.

Historical images

We notice smocks being worn at the school in the late 19th and early 20th century. One portrait in 1897 shows mostly the younger boys wearing smocks. Another school portrait taken in 1908 shows almost all of the boys wearing smocks. It is not clear to us why there was such a difference between the 1897 and 1908 portrait. A portrait in 1920 shows that smocks were still won by mosy boys. Some boys still wear smocks in a 1936 portrait, but not as many.

1945-46

Several boys in the 1945-46 photograph shown here wear or are holding caps, but we do not notice any berets (figure 1). Interestingly, the children in this portrait taken immidiately after World War II are no longer wearing smocks, as was common in the older school portraits taken before the War. We know that at the time and even into the 1950s that smocks were still quite common at many French schools. As shown here, many boys wore suit jackets before and right after World War II. More casual dress became more common in the 1950s. The boys in the 1945-46 school portrait here wear a variety of outfits. Here the boys wear mostly short pants. In other portraits during the 40s the boys wear mostly long pants. We are not sure why. We also notice one boy and one girl in the portrait here wearing capes (figure 1).

Smocks

HBC was somewhat surprised that after World War II, smocks werw no longer commonly worn at the school. Here HBC is unsure, we note that in the school photographs for the 1940s (post-war era only) that neither the boys or girls wear smocks. Smocks at other French schools were commonly worn well ino the 1950s. Here there is some difference of opinion.

School portrait

One French reader writes, "The pupils in the image here are not wearing smocks. The children were dressed normaly as usual. It is possible that some of these boys wore smocks to school, but took them off for the photo. At other schools boys kept their smocks on for the school photographs. Frankly I think it was likely that in 1945-46 that at least some boys would have work smocks." As to the question of boys taking their smocks off for the school portrait, a reader comments, "I doubr under normal circumstances that boys would have taken their smocks off for the school photograph. It is, however, not totaly out of the question. This could be the case for a few boys if their smock was - let's say, not recently washed! The smock was the school uniform and therefore generally seen by most teachers as appropriate wear for a class picture. But here I would suggest that this could depend on the teacher. There may have well been a few teachers who thought that pictures without smocks could better reflect the individuality, character, gender and origin of each pupil."

Suits

We note several boys, mostly the older boys, eearing suits to school after World War II. HBC believes that this tendto suggests that thy were not wering smocks to school. HBC wonders if boys would have worn smocks over suits. Another French reader tells us, "Strictly speaking, boys would not have worn smocks over their suits. In case the boys were wearing both suits and smocks, the jacket would have been worn over the smock and taken off inside the school. Such procedure would have been applied only in early spring or late fall. In winter a coat would replace or complement the jacket. Normally younger boys would wear smocks and elder boys would wear suits without smocks."

Chronological change

A notable change in the photographs took place during World WarII (1939-45). Before the War, children were wearing school smocks. No photographs are available during the German occupation (1940-44), but after the War, smocks are no longer commonly seen. We do not know at this time why practices at the school changed.

Prevalence

Nor does HBC know how common the change seen here during the War was at other French schools. We know that children at many French schools commonly wore smocks after World War II and in the 1950s. There apper to be quite a number of French schools, however, where children did not wear smocks after the War. HBC at this time, however, can not quantify how common this was. This school was a small rural school. Do not know if the trend away from smocks was more common at such schools than at city schools. Here we hope to acquire more information on other French schools to better assess this pattern. It could be that the pattern at he Ecole Rustrel was an exception, but HBC is not at all sure about this.

School Site

Readers who would like to see how school clothes changes at this school over time may want to look at the school website. The site manager explains, "Comme vous, je suis persuadé qu'il ne faut pas laisser perdre notre mémoire, d'autant moins aujourd'hui où les moyens modernes facilitent l'accès à tous les témoignages du passé. Les photos de classe en sont la démonstration: j'ai été très étonné de constater qu'on avait laissé disparaître des documents si forts. Beaucoup manquent, mais je ne désespère pas de compléter celles dont nous disposons, elles apportent une telle émotion ! Cordialement, Jacques Risso, directeur de l'école de Rustrel" That translates, "Like you, I am persuaded that one should not let lose our memory, of as much less today where the modern means facilitate the access to all testimonys of the past. The photographs of class are the demonstration: I was very astonished to note that one had let disappear from the so strong documents. Many misses, but I do not despair to supplement those we have, they bring such an emotion! Cordially, Jacques Risso principal of Rustrel School."

Created: February 7, 2003
Last updated: February 11, 2003