27 boys in uniform, plus an adult
Click here to view it larger.
What it is:
Photo approx. 9 x 7 inches, mounted to a slightly larger cardboard backing that appears to have been removed from a frame. (I’ve cropped some of the backing from the scan.)
What I know about it:
Nothing! Undated and unidentified.
Comments:
I’m guessing this is a class photo from some sort of military prep school. I get a European feel from it. But, as always, I could be way off base. I’m always amused by the vintage convention of using two recumbent people to frame the bottom of the group. Whoever they are, it’s another fun assortment of faces from the past to stare at and ponder. As uniform as they are expected to appear, there is a lot of individuality.
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I see two adults in the front row, far left and center. Maybe this is a British school in India?
Is those really adults? I took them as teenagers, especially Mr. Baby Moustache, but maybe the lighting confused me.
I was thinking the one on the far left was probably just an older teen, but yes, I noticed that he stuck out as older than the rest. Interesting idea of a British school in India. It had reminded me of photos I have of groups from Austria-Hungary that include a mix of people who look Germanic and Turkish.
I think this one looks more European (maybe Eastern European), because of the military-style uniforms.
Yes, the uniforms were leading me in that direction, too.
Not a smile in the lot. I assume this is a long exposure and not moving was paramount, but couldn’t just one of them crack a smile?
Perhaps a smile would suggest a lack of discipline. Hopefully they were smiling on the inside.
I’m sure you are right, and I wouldn’t want the lads to be punished anymore than they appear to be in that photo.
For such a somber and formal photograph, the background lends it a slightly comical feel, with it being a mismatch in height and tone. These group photos are always worth a second look as more often than not there is something special to be found in the small details.
I agree. One of the things I like about group photos is the subtle variations between people who are otherwise posing the same way.
I wonder what kind of fur the kids in front are on? The boy on the right looks to be a rapscallion.
I don’t know what kind of fur it is. Hopefully something soft.