Figure 1.-- Jean wore a smock to his nursery school. I don't know if it was required by the school or not. Smocks were very commonly worn at French schools during the 1920s and 30s, especially in nursery schools by both boys and girls. Many nursery schools did require them. They were also common in primary schools, but less commonly required there. Jean appears to have worn his smock with a belt.

Jean wore a smock to his nursery school. I don't know if it was required by the school or not. Smocks were very commonly worn at French schools during the 1920s and 30s, especially in nursery schools by both boys and girls. Many nursery schools did require them. They were also common in primary schools, but less commonly required there. Jean appears to have worn his smock with a belt. That was not very common. Normaly the children wore their smock to go to the school , but they could keep it, even at hime. This varried from family to family. Jean often kept his smock on when playing after school, although his mother commonly took it off. She wanted him to have a clean smock for school. Older boys would have been more likely to take their smock off themselves when they got home, but not all boys bothered. As a result one might see boys with and without playing in the street. Here we see him playing with his little brother in their pedal car. A companion photograph shoes him after his mother took off the smock. It mist have been cool because Claude is wearing a snowsuit and Jean has a sweater on over his smock. He wears unusual stripped ssocks. I have not noted them very commonly during the 1920s and 30s. The boys seem to be in the court yard of their home.