Figure 1.-- Here we have a CE1 class in 1948-49. This would be like 2nd grade. Quite a number of the boys wear rompers. We have noted boys commonly wearing rompers to the Maternelle level, but usually just a few boys in the early primary years. Here many of the boys wear rompers.

We have a CE1 class in 1949-50 at the Ecole Caroubier. We know very little about the school at this time, except that it was a boy's school. The CE1 class would be like 2nd grade. This would mean that the boys would be about 7 years old, although some of the boys look older. The boys wear a variety of outfits. Many boys wear shirts and shirt pants, but quite a few also weae smocks or rompers.

The School

The school was the Ecole Caroubier, a primary school in Frech colonial Algeria. We know very little about the school at this time, except that it was a boy's school.

The Class

We have a CE1 class in 1949-50 at the Ecole Caroubier. We know very little about the school at this time, except that it was a boy's school. The CE1 class would be like 2nd grade. This would mean that the boys would be about 7 years old, although some of the boys look older. A French reader tells us, "The CE1 ( cours élémentaire 1ère année ) is the second grade classe . The children shoud be 7 years old in October."

Algerian Children

A reader writes, "I have a very good friend who went to school in a British School (at least modeled on the British school system) in the Himalayas. In the school they had children from Nepal, Bhutan as well as India and Great Britain. Some of the children from the more remote areas were several years older than the more Western cultured children. It was the tradition to keep the children at home longer than in England. As a result, it was not unusual for children from Nepal and Bhutan to be 2, 3 or even 4 years older than the other children in the grade. My friend mentioned that they graduated at the level without ever skipping a grade to be with children closer to their age. The same may be true for Algeria that some children in the more remote villages or conservative families followed traditions that had children entering the school system at a later age."Our French reader tells us, "The older boys in the real row are probably mostly Algerian. I was common for them to be backward in the school. The classes were taught in French which was difficult for children coming from Arab-speaking families. Yes this reader is right , when concerning the isolated villages, far from European farms, but not in Algiers and the other main cities. . Since 1900, shool was compulsory for all children from 6 to 14 years old. This law was strictly enforced in the big cities for both Algerian boys as well as girls. The Algerian children learned normaly and were dressed like their French peres. A lot of the children did not do very well in school were sometimes unable to pass to the higher class each year. This was especially true with poor families where the children were more likelt to have difficulties with the French language. So certain schools in the poorer sections of cities could have Algerian pupils several years older than the French pupils in a class. Child labor was forbidden, so one didn't see a children working alone in the street, but with discretion some did at home or helped their father in the street. Their parents could have some trouble with the gendarmerie. In the mountains and rural areas, the school attendance and child labor laws were impossible to enforce. Algeria is a very large country.

Clothes

The boys wear a variety of outfits. Many boys wear shirts and shirt pants, but quite a few also weae smocks or rompers. For some reason the boys in the back row seem to be wearing shirts and shorts while all the boys wearing rompers are in the front row. We wonder if the childten did not have a fashion cobcious lady teacher. Except in maternelle we do not normally note so many boys wearing rompers.

Rompers

many of the boys wear rompers. We have noted boys commonly wearing rompers to the Maternelle level, but usually just a few boys in theaely primary years. Here many of the boys wear rompers. The style the children wear are the suspender romper pants, not the one-piece romper suits. This seems to have been a style for younger boys. We also notice smocks and shorts sets. Some of the boys in the rear look older than the boys in the front, but in the CE class the boys should be about the same age. A reader writes, "I am uncertain but the children in the first row sitting on the bench (three boys on the right) seem to be wearing one piece rompers. One of them has a sweater so it is difficult to be certain. They do not appear to be one piece rompers to me." Perhaps our French readers will know more, but my guess is that the boys at the right are wearing bib-front ot suspender rompers like the boys at left. Of course it is a bit difficult to tell. The first boy on the left looks to hve his shirt tucked into his romper pants. This would mean that he could not be wearing a one-piece romper suit, or rompers with suspenders. The next boy wears a shirt or sweather over his rompers. I do not think he is wearing a romper suit, in part because he has an open cillar. Romper suits were not normally made with open collars. The third boy is a little more difficult to assess becaise his arms are folded at his waist. It is possible that he is wearing a one-piece romper suit. It may be, however, that he is wearing a white shirt with romper pants. The long sleeves in particulasr do not look right for a romper suit. Our reader writes, "If we look at the date, late 1940s and add the fact that it is Algeria, it is possible that the colonies allowed the romper convention to work for later ages than in France itself. This may be one of those nuances specific to Algeria." A French reader tells us, "In CE1 boys rarely wore classic romper suits ( with little Peter Pan collars, balloon sleeves, puffed pant and bottoning at the crotch). Boys did wear a model of suspender romper pants like the ones seen here. The pants were not as puffed as classic romper suits. This model was called " culotte bouffante " and not barboteuse . The boy at the extrem right is wearing a shirt. he traditional romper model size 7 was worn only by the petits garçons modèles ( a bit after 1936 and as late as 1945-58 )."

Smocks

It is a little difficult to be certain, but there look to be six boys wearing smocks. Most are grouped together in the second row. We note both patterened and solid color smocks. As is common in French schools, they were not required. Several mothers, however, saw them as a utilitarian school garment.

Shirts and shorts

Most of the boys wear standard shirts and short pants. We notice two boys in the front row wearing shorts sets.