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Public schools were a Western innovation that Asian countries only began implementing with independence after World War II. Japan was the only Asian country to launch a public school system. Thy did not at first have uniforms, but gradually did so. They influenced uniform styles in Korea and Taiwan. China of course had an education system, but only for the elite seeking positions in the imperial service. The European colonial powers promoted the establishment of some schools, but only for a relatively small minority. The Americans did this in the Philippines, but none of the European powers did this. Missionaries played an important role in the schools. A few had European styled uniforms. Clothing at these schools help to identify them. We have not been able to identify all of the school images we have found. Of course ethnicity is helpful, but not always definitive even if we are able to identify the particular ethnicity involved. After independence we see the development of public school systems throughout Asia. Unlike Europe, many Asian countries Adopted school uniforms which are also helpful in identifying the countries involved.
We are not sure where is Asia this school was located (figure 1). The uniform looks like a British summer uniform. We think that it was a British-influenced location, either Hong Kong or Singapore. Grey shorts were very common in Britain. We are not sure which country. Nor are we sure when the photograph was taken, probably about 2000.
This photograph has no accompanying information. It looks like an outdoor school, but we do not know when or where it was taken. it was taken It looks like it was taken in the late-19th century. The children and adults give us a general idea as to where it was taken. We could guess it was taken in Afghanistan. But somewhere else in Central Asia is also possible. Most of Central Asia by this time was in Tsarist hands. We suspect that fezes were not as common in Tsarist controlled areas or British India as countries like Afghanistan or Persia. Some of the head wear look Turkish. We are bot sure about the fur hat. We would be very interested in any insights readers might be able to offer.
Carefull, clicking on these will exit you from the Boys' Historical Clothing web site, but several are highly recommended
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
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Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits]
[Knicker suits]
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[Socks]
[Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer]
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