The classroom photographs situated throughout this exhibition provide viewers a window into primary, secondary, and post-secondary New England classroom environments from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Hundreds upon hundreds of photographs of local schools, children, and teachers exist in museums, archives, and historical societies around New England. Many of these images feature the exteriors of various school buildings, primarily because such public school buildings, especially in smaller communities, were a great source of civic pride.

For this exhibition, since I am a photo historian by training, I went on a deep dive into local archives and museums to see if I could discover photographs of classroom interiors. While such photographs are not as prominent as exterior shots, with the help of fellow librarians and archivists I found a trove of intimate New England classroom views from the turn-of-the-century, such as the ones you see here, produced as glass plate negatives, stereographic views, and cabinet cards. In an effort to depict and describe how Geography and History were taught to students, I wanted viewers to be able to immerse themselves in the classrooms where so many of these maps, globes, and other teaching aids functioned alongside students and teachers.

The visual culture of the turn-of-the-century New England classroom is incredibly rich, and the more you look, the more you will see. Pay particular attention to the ubiquitous nature of both maps and globes, as well as nods to patriotic Americana in the form of flags, portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and others. You can also see the evolution of classroom seating, displays of student work, and read what is on the chalkboards. Most of all though, I hope you take a close look at the students; perhaps you will find that aside from their outfits, not much has changed.

Medfield, Massachusetts, Grammar School, 1886.
Courtesy of Historic New England

Shaker School Room with Teacher and Pupils, undated.
Courtesy of Historic New England

School room with teacher and pupils.

West Kennebunk School, Spring Term, 1914.
Courtesy of the Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine.