Figure 1.--This French elementary class about 1950 shows the boys wearing a wide variety of clothes.

I believe that smocks were still commonly worn in the 1950s, although by increasingly younger boys. Their use varied substantially from school to school. Only a few boys at this school wear smocks, but all the boys you can see wear short pants. Other notable styles are casual shirts, suspener shorts, kneesocks, and sandals. Also many of the boys' book bags can be seen. This school is unidentified, but it is a state elementary school. I would guess the photograph was taken about 1950. It appears to be a fairly large class. About 35 boys can be seen and therewas probably another row of desks. Notice the complete lack of teaching materials and classroom decorations, certainly no a very interesting looking classroom. The boys look to be about 10-years old.

Berets

Berets were not commonly worn at school after the War, although they were worn by Scouts. I'm not sure why the beret disappeared from French schools. This picture was of course taken inside, but there is no sight any where of a bere laying around. The beret does not seem to have been replaced by any alternative headwear.

Hair Styles

While there is some variation in style, all of the boys in this class have short hair. Someboys have extremely close cropped hair, rather like a buzz cut. Only the boy innfront wears his hair anyehere near his ears. Clearly long hair had not yet become an acceptable fashion.

Figure 2.--The boys that are wearing smocks all seem to be wearing the same back buttoning style. The were probably all the same royal blue color.

Smocks

I believe that smocks were still commonly worn in the 1950s, although by fewer and increasingly younger boys. Their use varied substantially from school to school. The smocks observed in the 1940s and early 50s were mostly back buttoning smocks. Also the boys wear smocks without any kind of collars or bows. Two boys wear their smocks over their shirts. One has his collar showing outside.

There are only about three boys in this class that wear smocks. A few others may also have smocks on, but the photograph is indistinct. I'm not sure if the weather had anything to do with that. As most boys are in shirt sleeves, it was probanly a warm day. This photograph showed that at this school the smock was not required. The boys that are wearing smocks are doing so because their mothers insisted on it. HBC presumes that it was not the boys' choice. The fact that so few boys are wearing smocks tends to suggest that ir was not the boys' choice themselves. The boys that are wearing smocks all seem to be wearing the same back buttoning style. They aeem to be worn without any belt. The were probably all the same royal blue color. Conditions were improving in 1950, but times were still tough, thus there was still some utility in wearing smocks to protec a boys' clothes.

As far as can be told by the photograph, the boys seem not to think the smocks were unsusual. Although boys being boys they cerainly noticed differences in dress. The three noys wearingsmocks probably did not want to continue wearing smocks if the other boys were not wearing them. Of course we do not know what was saif outside on the playground or on the way from home.

Suits

French boys in the inter-war era commonly wore suits to school. After the war, school seems a more casual place with boys rarely wearing suits, but rather open necked shirts amd sweaters in the cooler weather. Notice that none of these boys are wearing suits. They all are wearing casual clothes.

Figure 3.--These are the only three boys that are clearly wearing smocks. One boy in the back against the wall may wear one, but the photo graph is not estinct nough to tell. Notice the boy in front wears his collar outside his smock. Notice the book bags.

Shirts

Most of the boys wear casual colored shirts. None of the boys wear a dress shirt or a tie. Most of the boys whonare not wearing smocks wear short-sleeve shirts.

Sweater

One boy has a jacket-type sweater. If it had been winter there probably would have beem more boys wearing sweaters. Note that even though he seems to be chilly, and took his sweater with him to school, he still wears short pants and sandals. This was not because of a school rule, but simply because boys at the time mostly wore short pants.

Pants

Almost all French boys wore short pants year round in the 1940s. Even older boys wore shorts in the 1940s and early 50s. Because they are at their desks, and a few wearing smocks, it is only possible to tell what a handful are wearing. Those than can be observed are all wearing short pants. One boys wears suspender pants, presumably suspender shorts.

Shoes

Shoes varied widely. Many boys wore sandals, especially in the warmer months. The only boy whose footwear is clearly vissible wears sandals. On close inspection, another boy can be seen to be wearing leather shoes. Unfortunatey not enough of the boys are shown so that it possible to dertermine what kind of shoes or sandals they are wearing.

Figure 4.--One of the boys here wears suspender shorts. The suspender-style was especially popular in France and Germany.

Socks

Ankle socks became increasingly common after World War II, even with short pants. Boys still wore kneesocks. The two boys in the front row wear kneesocks. One has dark colored kneesocks. The othr boys has paterned kneesocks with a colored band. Unfortunatey not enough of the boys are shown so that it possible to dertermine what kind of socks they were wearing.

Bookbags

Many of the boys appear to have bookbags. Thet seem to be the same folding portfolio style. Some are hung up on a hook at the side of their desks. The desks have a convenient hook at the side so the bags can be hung at the side, making it easy to get to whatever is needed. Not all the boys, however, are using the hook. Other boys have laid them on the floor under their desks. The bags were needed because French teachers tended to assign a lot of home work.

Figure 5.--This boy wears patterned kneesocks with sandals. Notice how the boy beside him has laid his book bag on the floor.

Created: February 4, 2000
Last updated: February 4, 2000