Monday’s child is fair of face
Tuesday’s child is full of grace
Wednesday’s child is full of woe
Thursday’s child has far to go
Friday’s child is loving and giving
Saturday’s child works hard for his living
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
These 26 boys and girls are all violinists with some unknown school orchestra in Great Britain. Probably they are in England, but as the large photo, 8 ¼" x 5 ½", is unmarked and without photographer's name or date they may just as well be from Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. The gentleman teacher's suit and the children's clothing looks similar to fashions for the late 1890s to 1915. The children, 10 girls and 16 boys, are roughly the same age, perhaps 9 to 11 years old. I think they have a quality about them that is more middle class than working class. My guess is the photo was taken about 1905.
On the lower left, placed in front of the knelling girl in a dark dress, is a chalk slate which has a ghostly imprint of handwritten words. Alas the letters, even with digital pixel adjustments,.are too faded to us to read.
The variety of faces in this school orchestra, some more innocent, others more worldly, reveal personalities that I think are often formed at this preadolescent age, so that is why I chose to highlight a few of the children. What happened to them? Did they marry? Have children? Serve in the Great War? Survive the Great Influenza Epidemic?
We can never know any answers to those kinds of questions. But there is one thing I feel certain of. For the rest of their lives all 26 children valued their shared musical instruction and remained proud of their skills on the violin. It's a prediction that holds true for every day of the week.
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where every photo always has class.
where every photo always has class.
3 comments:
As usual, you've come through here with flying colors - or in this precise case, perfect faces! Good show. :) Always look forward to your posts!
What a moment in time...the lives of children who had interest enough to learn some violin skills, and whose parents were able to afford their lessons as a class! I love the poem too, though have always wondered if there was any truth to it...would hate to be the woeful child.
I always enjoy your slow walk through a photograph. But I must tell you that I giggled when I read Violins in School because I just watched a clip of Gilda Radner doing her Emily Litella character lamenting violins on television. Never mind!
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