Unidentified Argentine School Group (1950s)
Figure 1.--Here we see a group of boys an unidentified Catholic School in Argentina, we think in the 1950s. (The bust should help identify the school.) We are not sure just what the group is. The age difference means that it was not a class group. Perhaps they are new students, we just are not sure. Readers have commented about this school group.
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Here we see a group of boys an unidentified Catholic School in Argentina, we think in the 1950s. (The bust should help identify the school.) Readers have commented on the image, both on just what the group was and on the way the boys were posed. We are not sure just what the group is. The age difference means that it was not a class group. Perhaps they are new students, we just are not sure. Nor are we sure about who would have done such careful symmetrical posing based on how the boys were dressed--something that Agatha Cristie's Herculr Poirot might have done.
Nature of the Group
A reader had some comments about this school group.
" With 5 boys in sailor suits and one in Buster Brown styled hairdo and at least 3 others wearing Eton style collars. Are you certain the image is from the 1950s? I think it is interesting that the two boys flanking the
priests are wearing identical collars, sweaters, socks and shoes. Maybe they are brothers." Well we are ot sure about the date. There was no information on the back. But overall the outfits look rather modern to us. We thought that it might be a First Communion group as sailor suits were a popular First Communion outfit. This was not the case in America, but sailor suits were worn in Europe--and European influenced countries like Argentina. But the age differential and rather casual dress of some of the boys argues against that here. The fact that only the really young boys wear the sailor suits argues for the 1950s. The two boys dressed alike with cardigan sweaters and Eton collars surely must be brothers--rather an unusual combination. We still see Eton collars in the early 1950s, even in America. Quite a number of the boys wear long pants which also argues for the 1950s, but the late-1940s is surely possible.
Our reader adds, "You may be right about the school group here which could be a First Communion preparation classs. These preparation classes if small often have children in different ages (the older children going through 2nd
and final confirmations) I have attended a few of the final confirmations for children of friends and the final ones for the two I attended the children were 18. In the early-50s Eton collars, Sailor suits and the other outfits were popular.
So maybe you are right. That would explain the combination of older more
traditional styles and more modern styles as well as class with children of
different ages though they may be all close in age but different heights and
in Argentina then the schooling may have started with children at different
ages (within a year or two)." We think that this rather well summrizes the possibilities. But the fact that several children are dressed casually makesus suspect that it is not a First Communion group. It is possible that the photograph was not taken on the day of the actual First Communion celebration. Perhaps it was boys being prepared for First Communion.
Symetrical Posing
Another reader has commented on this school group portrait. "Interesting detail : the six boys in the front row are symmetrically dressed." Actually the second rowe boys have also been symetrically posed. notice four variously dressed boys on the wings, then two sailor suit boys, teo dark suite open collar boys and then two more sailor suit boys. What we are not sure about is who was doing the such careful outfit posing. Were the fathers involved? Or perhaps the nuns supervising the boys did it? The most likely person was probably the photographer, but we have no ways of being sure. Also notice how the boys are very carefully following instructions as to what to do with their hands, also arrange symetrically.
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Created: 4:58 PM 3/29/2017
Last updated: 6:47 PM 4/2/2017
