Class Pictures: Representations of Race, Gender and Ability in a Century of School Photography

Creator

Eric Margolis

Files

Publisher

Arizona State University, University of South Florida

Publication Date

July 2000

Abstract

This article examines photographs taken of American public school classes between the 1880's and the 1940's. Most of the images were found in two virtual archives: The American Memory site at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Center. These very large photograph collections were searched for representations of race, gender, and physical ability. The photographs were compared and contrasted and analyzed for elements of hidden curricula using techniques drawn from the social sciences and humanities. It was found that these large photo collections have significant gaps and historical amnesias. Collections made under conditions of racial segregation are themselves segregated and continue to reproduce images of hierarchy and dominance. To the extent these sites function as important resources for teachers and students searching for primary source documents for history and social studies projects, the archives convey significantly biased views of the history of education and minority groups in America.

Keywords

Dropouts--United States

Extent

28

Volume

8

Issue

31

Language

English

Media Type

Journals (Periodicals)

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

E11-00175

Creative Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Margolis, Eric, "Class Pictures: Representations of Race, Gender and Ability in a Century of School Photography" (2000). Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA). 54.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/usf_EPAA/54