A Day’s Work in a New York Public School, excerpt
Date: October 1902
Caption: Photographer Florence Maynard captured a group of New York City public school students lined up to receive a “commendation,” or award, from their principal.
Many photos of New York City schools in the early 20th century show so many students that it is hard to see them as individual people. Photographer Florence Maynard spent several days inside public schools in the city, and her photos gave a closer view than most. Here, we see a group of students who seem to be of a range of ages. Most have light skin, and one is darker-skinned. They appear to be happy or excited — perhaps because, as Maynard noted in her caption, they were “well-doers on the way to receive the principal’s commendation,” or award.
We don’t know the students’ names or individual stories, but we do know that at the time students came to New York City schools from countries all over the world, including Europe and the Caribbean, and from many diverse communities that had lived in New York for a long time. And many New York students attended schools and classrooms that were so overcrowded that often they did not feel known or recognized as individuals.
Categories: K-12 organizing
Tags: photography, imagery, and visual representation, immigrants and migrants, newspapers and the media, childhood
This item is part of "From the “Masses” to “Experts”" in "Who Governs Schools?"
Item Details
Date: October 1902
Creator: William McAndrew, photographs by Florence Maynard
Source: The World’s Work, Vol. 4, No. 6
Copyright: Public domain
How to cite: “A Day’s Work in a New York Public School, excerpt,” William McAndrew, photographs by Florence Maynard, in New York City Civil Rights History Project, Accessed: [Month Day, Year], https://nyccivilrightshistory.org/gallery/a-days-work.
Questions to Consider
- Based on what you know about who was attending school in New York at this time, who were these students likely to be? Where might have they come from, and why? What do you think going to school meant to them? What kind of schooling were they hoping for?
- The article published with this photograph was written by the principal of a Brooklyn school. It included the argument that parents shouldn’t be involved in schools because they had little to contribute. Why do you think the principal felt that way? How would that attitude relate to school governance?
- This photograph appeared as part of an essay in The World’s Work. The essay, and the photographs that were published with it, offer a very positive view of New York schools. The World’s Work was a magazine that often sided with and celebrated New York City’s business elite. Who was in charge of New York schools at this time? How might that have influenced The World’s Work to show NYC schools in a positive light?
References
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