Friday, January 10, 2020

Raw Future On Parade In Victory Year

S E P I A    S A T U R D A Y    5 0 2


At some stage, I came into possession of these three photographs of school groups from, I suspect, the same school. One of the photographs includes a date: two children holding a slate with "Victory Year, 1919" written on it. The first and second photographs were obviously taken in the same classroom, and the third one is probably the same school at the same time. I have no idea who any of the children are, but that doesn't matter. It was Victory Year, and there was so much raw future gathered together. Hindsight tells us that Victory Year was soon followed by decades of economic depression and warfare, but the children gathered together knew nothing of what was to come. Their futures were in front of them.



This post is in response to the prompt for Sepia Saturday 502 which features a group of children from about the same period as these three photographs. 

To see more Sepia Saturday posts in response to this prompt, go to the Sepia Saturday Blog and follow the prompts.

7 comments:

  1. And so those young faces, and knees (which don't look as scraped up as mine used to be at that age) have had their lives, their careers, their children and grandchildren by now. And being over a hundred years ago, I'm glad you focused on their futures, since none of them are alive still to talk about them.

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  2. I love how in old school photos everyone looks happy and well-behaved. No little devils existed in the schools back then, apparently.

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  3. I love these group portraits.

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  4. Great - and fun - collection of auld tyme classroom photographs!

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  5. It's interesting to see the progression of innocence to maturity in the three age groups of children. But there's something in their teachers' expressions that maybe reflects the previous terrible 4 years of war. They look worn, tired, and serious. The hope of youth in the children is tempered by somber realism from the adults in the room.

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  6. Most children behaved for school photos on pain of death so to speak. I amsure little devils abounded just as they do now. Great set of photos.

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  7. Such an optimistic set of photos. The resilience of youth has a way of persisting through adversity. I agree with Mike, the instructors seem far more serious that their young charges.

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