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We notice boys in many different countries earing uniforms. Boys over time have worn a variety of uniforms. These have included institutional, military, school, youth group, and other uniforms. This has varied from country to country, bith over time and along with the popularity of uniforms. We are developing uniform pages for each country. At this time we are working in America, England, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Uniforms were more popular in sime counries than others. The military was sometimes, but not always the deciding factor, The British seemed to have admired uniforms. We nnote the popularity varying over time with many countries affected by the same trends. Political shifts have affected these trends such as the rise oand fall of Comminism and Fascism in different countries. Economomic factors also affected various countries. Poor countfies were less able to finance unifirms for children. We hope to develop pther country pages as HBC develops. We have a good deal of information on uniforms worn in different countries, but we have often not created country pages to tie the various pages together on a national basis.
We notice portraits of many American boys wearing uniforms. There were various types of juvenile uniforms. The most common uniform in the years before school uniforms became common was the Boy Scout and other youth group uniforms. We also note boys wearing costume uniforms of various kinds. Thgese uniforms were commonly carried in the major mail order catalogs. Uniforms were not common in American schools, except at military scgools. They were adoted at parochial schools and now are becoming increasingly common, especially at primary (elementary) schools and junior highschools.
We notice English boys wearing a variety of uniforms. The first uniforms we notice are uniforms worn at the grammar schools founded by the Tudor kings (16th century). The scholar hip boys wore uniforms to identify them, often done in blue as it was lest expensive dye. Uniforms were adopted at the public schools, but we believe this was primarily in the 19th century. Boys wore military uniforms. It was common for boys to join military forces. The youngr boys might serve as musicians, especially drummer boys. Boys served in various capacities with the Royal Navy, such as cabin boys or powder monkeys. Schools begn to be founded in the late-18th century for the children ofvenlisted men. The boys ar these schools wore military uniforms. Some institutions in the 19th country like work houses, orphanages, and reformatories/borstals had uniforms. Youth groups adopted uniforms. The firt was the Boys' Brigade. The best known were the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. ThecScour=ts and Guides place as soecial emphasis on the uniform. At first uniforms were worn in private schools or state condary schools. After Wotld War II we see many state primary schools adopting uniforms.
German children for the most par did not wear uniforms, rather a curious situation given the country's militarist tradition. The boys did wear school caos, a milirary peaked style. There were slight difference from school to school including colored cap basnds. The primary exceotion here was the NAZI era when menvership in the Hitler Youth became mandatory for boys and girls from age 10 years.
Italian children also did not commonly wear uniforms. Smocks were commpnly worn to school, which of course might be considered as a kind of school uniform. There was never one single national dchool uniform universally employed, but school smocks with differenhces from schoolto school were very common. Like Germsny there was a Fascist youth group--Fascist Bailla. Membership was also mandatory, but not so rigorously enforced.
Many Japanese children have worn uniforms, especially school uniforms. This was not common in the 19th century. We see some boys wearing cadet-style school caps with kimonos, but rarely full uniforms. This changed with the 20th century. Many Japanese boys in the 20th century wore uniforms. Uniforms varied in primary school, but many city schools had simple uniforms. They were less common in rural areas. Unifoorms were worn at secondary schools. Boys wore cadet uniforms and girls sailor outfits. This us still common today. Some boys joined youth groups. The Scout movement was more limited in Japan than in America or Europe. There was also a nationalist youth movement, but we know very little about it at this time. School uniforms are still common in the 21st century, although the conventions are varied in primary schools. Most secondary schools, however, continue to have uniforms.
Russian boys before the Revolution (1917) did not wear unforms. An exception was the small prtion of boys attending secondary schools. We also see some yiunger boys in the main citioes wearing uniforms. Thius cahnged after the Revolution, but only slowly as limitatiions on the consumer economy meant that families coukd not afford to purchase uniforms. But gradually we see uniforms, both school uniforms and the Pioneer uniforms. Ar first this was primsrily in the msjor cities. After World War II we uniforms becoming nearly universal, both for school and the schhool-based Oioneer youth group.
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