Based on experiences at Copthall County Grammar School, Mill Hill, London
NW7 in the 1950s
At my girls grammar school in 1950s, north London, there was a school photograph
every summer. These photographs were not of individuals. They were of the whole
school: the headmistress, the teachers and all the girls came together on the
front lawn.
A typical school photograph from the 1950s showing the
entire school: pupils, teachers and the headmistress. Such photographs were
about a metre long.
Rolls of school photographs from the 1950s.
The youngest class, known as the first form, sat on the ground at the front
and the older girls stood on benches at the back. The teachers and some of the
sixth form sat on chairs in the middle. At that time when relatively few people
went on to university, the sixth form were given special privileges. The headmistress,
Miss Heys-Jones sat in the centre.
Strict observance of school uniform was obligatory for the school photo,
but it wasn't an issue because observance was always strict - not only in school
but on the journeys to and from home.
If any of my contemporaries can add information or
correct anything I have mis-remembered, please get in touch
Pat Cryer.
I always marvelled at the camera that was used for the school photographs.
Although everyone was placed round a large semicircle, the resulting photograph
seemed to show us all in straight, parallel lines. The photographer managed
the camera from the centre. He pointed it at one end of the semi-circle and
then stood back. We could watch it sweep smoothly round to finish at the other
end of the semi-circle. How the images didn't judder and blur, I still find
amazing. The distortion that made it seem as if we in straight lines was obviously
very clever and the only way anyone would notice was from the apparent curvature
of the buildings which were of course straight.
The resulting photographs were very wide, and the only way to store them was in rolls.
School photographs: 1946, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1957 and 1961
I still have my school photographs from 1952, 1955 and 1957 and have scanned
them at the largest sizes that the web will reasonably take. You can get to
them by clicking on the thumbnails below. You may be able to recognise yourself
or an old school friend, although unfortunately it isn't realistic to make
the photos large enough here for perfect recognition.
1952
1955
1957
The school photo for Copthall County Grammar School for
1952, 1955 and 1957 respectively. Click the thumbnails for larger versions
which open in new windows.
I also have school photos from 1946, 1949 and 1961, ie before and after I started at
the school. The 1946 one is courtesy of Maureen Blower and Joyce Harris (formerly Maureen Edginton and Joyce Good respectively); the
1949 one was a present from many years ago; and the 1961 one is courtesy
of Hazel Dimond (formerly Hazel Timms).
1946
1949
1961
The school photo for Copthall County Grammar School for 1952, 1955, 1957
and 1961 respectively. Click the thumbnails for larger versions which open in new windows.
