The class photo, another story of school?
As old as the invention of photography itself, class photos have been a ritual since themid-19th century and, in the digital age, remain an essential part of school life from kindergarten to high school graduation. A witness to its time, the class photo reflects, sometimes unwittingly, the political, cultural, and social history of the school.
Sylvain Wagnon, University of Montpellier
It's "a memory you will cherish," says the teacher to her students in the first chapter of Little Nicholas, presenting the class photo as a future image of a lost world, that of childhood. This is one of many signs in literature and cinema that these photos are indeed part of our history and our imagination.
The first class photos were taken inthe mid-19th century in the most prestigious secondary schools, which displayed them. With the democratization of photographic technology in the last quarter ofthe 19th century, these "souvenir" images became available to families. The money raised by school cooperatives was used to buy supplies or contribute to school trips.
Between public and private
Delphine Campagnolle, director of the National Museum of Education (MUNAÉ), points out that "it is a highly symbolic object, halfway between school and the private sphere, because these images are very often kept, or even passed down within a family." This nostalgic approach can be found on websites where people hope to find a long-lost friend from their class photos. This is the case with Copains d'avant, which claims to have more than 15 million members.
From the end ofthe 19th century, photographers began to specialize in portrait photography or school photography, such as Pierre Petit (1831-1909). School photography companies were created, such as David et Vallois in 1867 and Tourte et Petitin in 1882.
The democratization and proliferation of class photos forced schools to regulate the terms and conditions for taking photos as early as 1927. The latest French circular on school photography dates from 2003. It aims to prevent abuses by drawing up a "code of conduct" for class photos that respects the rights of all those involved in the photo, whether the photographer, the school, or minors, with the necessary parental consent.
The teacher in the center
In 2017, the beautiful exhibition at the National Museum of Education clearly showed that class photos were not only a cultural witness but also a tool for understanding the history of educational institutions. For example, they contradict the legend of the use of uniforms, which never existed in public schools inthe 19th century; this was a phenomenon specific to religious institutions.
With the introduction of free, compulsory, secular education by Jules Ferry in 1881-1882, class photos became a necessary reflection of "school order" and school culture, embodying the values of rigor, seriousness, and obedience among students. The photo of the class at the Buigny les Gamaches school in 1906 is an illuminating example of the staging desired by the educational institution.
She shows a teacher standing in the middle of her classroom with a blackboard displaying a quote from Minister Jules Simon: "The people who have the best schools are the leading people; if they are not today, they will be tomorrow." This quote clearly expresses the desire for revenge after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
More natural
In themid-20th century, thanks to technical advances in shutter speed and the institution's own desire for change, photography evolved toward a more "natural" look. Faces are smiling more, whether they belong to students or teachers. But does the class photo illustrate the transformation or the immobility of the "school universe"?
This vision of the class photo remained largely unchanged until the mid-1960s. Is this evidence of a society where the status quo prevails? Or does the unchanging ritual reflect the permanence of this republican school? But since the 1970s, a "relaxation of the norm" has been noticeable in the positioning of the students, their clothing, the place of the teacher in the photo, and also in the mixing of genders, a late but strong sign of the evolution of the school.
A nostalgic symbol of childhood, the class photo is slowly evolving. Isn't it a sign of an educational institution that, while undergoing fundamental modernization, remains unchanged in its academic form?
Sylvain Wagnon, Professor of Education Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Montpellier
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