The class photo: another side of school life?
As old as the invention of photography itself, the class photo has been a tradition since themid-19th century and, even in the digital age, remains an essential part of school life from kindergarten through high school. A snapshot of 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'll cherish,'" the teacher tells 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 just one of many signs, in literature and film, that these snapshots are indeed part of our history and our imagination.
The first class photos were taken in themid-19th century at the most prestigious secondary schools, which displayed them. As photography became more widespread in the final quarter ofthe 19th century, these “souvenir” photos were made available to families. The funds raised by school cooperatives were used to purchase supplies or help pay for field trips.
Between the public and private sectors
Delphine Campagnolle, director of the National Museum of Education (MUNAÉ), points out that “it is a highly symbolic object, straddling the line between school and private life, as these images are very often kept—or even passed down—within a family.” A nostalgic approach that can be found on these sites where people hope to reconnect with a classmate they’ve lost touch with through their class photos. This is the case with Copains d’avant, which claims to have over 15 million members.
Starting in the late19th century, photographers began specializing in portrait photography or school photography, such as Pierre Petit (1831–1909). School photography firms were established, including David et Vallois, founded in 1867, and Tourte et Petitin, founded in 1882.
The growing popularity and proliferation of class photos prompted schools to establish guidelines for taking such photos as early as 1927. The most recent French circular on school photography dates from 2003. It aims to prevent abuses by establishing a “code of conduct” for class photography that respects the rights of everyone involved in the photo, whether the photographer, the school, or the minors, who require parental consent.
The teacher in the center
In 2017, the excellent exhibition at the National Museum of Education clearly demonstrated that the class photo was not merely a cultural artifact but a tool for understanding the history of the school system. For example, it helps to debunk the myth that uniforms were worn in19th-century public schools; in fact, this was a phenomenon specific to religious schools.
With the introduction of Jules Ferry’s free, compulsory, and secular school system beginning in the 1881–1882 school year, the class photo became an essential reflection of a “school order” and a formal educational structure, embodying the values of discipline, seriousness, and obedience among students. The 1906 class photo from the school in Buigny-les-Gamaches clearly illustrates a staging intended by the school administration.
It depicts a teacher standing at the front of the classroom and the blackboard, on which is written a quote from Minister Jules Simon: “The nation with the best schools is the leading nation; if it is not today, it will be tomorrow”—a quote that explicitly reflects this desire for redemption following the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871.
More natural
In themid-20th century, thanks to technological advances that reduced exposure times and the institution’s own efforts, photography began to take on a more “natural” look. Faces appear more cheerful, whether they belong to students or teachers. Yet does the class photo serve as an illustration of the transformation or the stagnation of the “school environment”?
For this image of the classroom photo changed little until the mid-1960s. Is this evidence of a society where the status quo prevails? Or does this unchanging ritual reflect the enduring nature of this republican school? But since the 1970s, a “relaxation of the norm” has become apparent in the students’ positioning, their attire, the teacher’s place in the photo, and also in the coeducation—a belated but powerful sign of the school’s evolution.
A nostalgic symbol of childhood, the class photo is thus evolving slowly. Isn’t it a sign of an educational institution that, while undergoing fundamental modernization, remains essentially the same?
Sylvain Wagnon, Professor of Education, Faculty of Education, University of Montpellier
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.