Figure 3.--This is a coat with sailor suit styling for an older college (secondary school ) boy which appeared in a 1900 advertisement. This looks like a military school uniform. HBC is unsure, however, how common such military schools were in France.

French boys continued to wear school smocks and berets in the early 20th century. Some boys appear to have worn military styled uniforms. I'm not sure if this was a popular style or if it was required by a school. I'm not sure wih this style began, but it generally passed out of fashion during the 1920s. Smocks became somewhat less common after World War I (1914-18). Before the War most boys wore smocks. Boys mostly worke kneepants with three-quater length socks. Short pants were introduced in the 1900s and their adoption by the Boy Scoyts helped to popularize them. By the 1910s, short pants had begun to replace kneepants. Boys mostly wore kneesocks with short pants.

Garments

French boys continued to wear school smocks and berets in the early 20th century. Smocks became somewhat less common after World War I (1914-18). Before the War most boys wore smocks. Boys mostly wore kneepants with three-quater length socks, although long stocls were more common in the winter. Short pants were introduced in the 1900s and their adoption by the Boy Scoyts helped to popularize them. By the 1910s, short pants had begun to replace kneepants. Boys mostly wore kneesocks with short pants.

Military Uniforms

Some boys appear to have worn military styled uniforms. I'm not sure if this was a popular style or if it was required by a school. We beklieve that this was a continuation of trends in the late 19th century. France suffered a disatrous defeat in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War and Alsace-Loraine was lost and a huge indemnity imposed. It seems likely that military education was given a greater priority in French schools after tyhe Franco Prussian War, incliding increased military education. HBC at this time, however, has few details. This trend generally passed out of fashion after World War I (1914-18) during the 1920s when the French population had a very different attitude toward war than was the case before World War I.

Colleges (Secondary Schools)

HBC notoces advertisements for military styled college uniforms. A French college is a secondary school, not like a university as in the United States. We believe that most French colleges were private secondary schools run by the Catholic church. We do not know how common iy was was for college students to wear military uniforms and to what extent they were operated as military schools. We also do not know know to what extent army or navy uniform styles perdominated.

Observations

A European reader reports, "I dont' have enough experience with France history and schools to be able to fully answer that question. College comes from latin word "coligere" meaning to gather people sharing common interest. As far as I can guess there were in France very few military school aimed at educating children. Military school is for adults learning the art of war (if it really is an art?). These schools were reserved for certain categories of children like orphans whose father was soldier, had military type of uniform but did not dispense a military education. There are still nowadays some higher famed state schools where the students have a military uniform, however reserved only for big ceremonies such as national day procession. Colléges are schools making the link between primary school and university, in France they are also often called "lycées". They can be both either private (frequently with religious teachers) or public and the students wear normal civilian clothes. I presume that collège is used more for private schools, and lycées for public schools, but the education program is equivalent (in fact defined by central government). The only type of uniform, specially for private religious schools could have been in past decades the smock,therefore nothing of a military look."

"In reference to tyhe picture of this military like garment in your page, I wonder if it was not more of a fashion trend (like sailor suit for younger boys), If it would have been official uniform of a military school, the name of that school would have been given in the ad, furthermore, I doubt such uniforms would have been sold in public shops, they would have been sold or rented directly by school." [HBC note: The ad was from a department store, not a school shop.]

Created: November 18, 2001
Last updated: November 18, 2001