Individual U.S. School: Italian School (New York City)


Figure 1.-- This photograph shows learning the trade of shoe-mending or cobbling in a trade school in New York City called the Italian School. The school specialized in training imigrant children in various useful trades and manual occupations. The boys seem to be about 12 or 13 years old. I'm not sure who set up the school. It might hve been part of the settlement house movement. Notice one boy wearing a wrist watch.

This photograph shows learning the trade of shoe-mending or cobbling in a trade school in New York City called the Italian School. The school specialized in training imigrant children in various useful trades and manual occupations. The boys seem to be about 12 or 13 years old. I'm not sure who set up the school. It might hve been part of the settlement house movement. The Brooklyn Italian Settlement was particularly well known. The term Italian School may have been because it was in an Italian community, not because only Italian boys were accepted. The boys are neatly dressed in white shirts with ties, above-the-knee knickers and long black stockings. The photographer is the famous Lewis Hine, who took many photographs of boys in New York and other cities, mostly in the 1900s and 1910s to document child labor and living conditions. This photo is dated 1928. Italians in American were noted for establishing their own businesses. Some began with little capital, pushing carts selling just about everything. Many of these cart men went on whith the money they earned to set up grocery stores, small retail shops of many descriptions, shoe repair shops, and others. Other etnic groups were more known for working in factories. Many did not pursue unibersity educatiin and the professions. This did not chhange until World War II. By this time a fine public school system had prepared immigrant children for university studies and the GI bull gave them the financial ability to enroll.












HBC





Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main Chronology Page]
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s] [The 1990s] [The 2000s]



Navigate the Relate Boys Historical Clothing Style Pages
[Return to the Main Italian immigration page]
[Return to the Main settlement house page]
[First Communion] [Confirmation] [Long pants suits] [Short pants suits] [Kneepants] [Knickers] [Kneesocks] [Long stockings] [Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers] [Button-on clothing] [Blazer] [School sandals] [Bangs]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing School Uniform Pages
[Return to the Main U.S. individual school page]
[Return to the Main U.S. individual school chronology page]
[Return to the Main National School Uniform Page]
[Australia] [England] [France] [Germany]
[Ireland] [Italy] [Japan] [New Zealand] [Poland] [Singapore] [Scotland]
[Singapore]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Girls]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Created: 6:26 AM 2/9/2011
Last updated: 6:26 AM 2/9/2011