It’s that time of year—school is back in session! To celebrate, enjoy this nostalgic collection of vintage school photos and back-to-school advertisements from the 1930s to 1960s.
Further Reading: Part 1 – Back To School We Go! Roundup of All Things “School” from the 1940s, 1950’s and 1960s
Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase
1930s-1960s Vintage School Images & Advertisements
Two girls enjoying an ice cream after their school day. 1950s vintage photo.
Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage
Bond Bread vintage 1930 print ad. “For school lunches, choose the bread that keeps its flavor.
Bus Station, 1943. Schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop in a small town in Tennessee. Photograph By Esther Bubley, September 1943.
“Back to School and Early Fall Fashions by Berth Robert”. 1941 Back-to-School Fall Fashions Magazine (Digital Download).
This 16 page fashion catalog is a great example of early 1940s teenage fashion, featuring daily wear as well as evening dresses. It was published in 1941 by Berth Robert, a company that offered “semi-made fashions,” or partially completed clothing items that could be finished by a home sewer. Most Berth Robert catalogs come from the 1930s, and the company likely went out of business in the early 40s.
Example of the 1941 back-to-school fall fashions for young Women. Fantastic fashion illustrations.
Source: Etsy-20thCenturyFrocks
LIFE Goes to a School For Kid Geniuses, 1948
LIFE visited what might be called a genius school at Hunter College—a school filled 450 apparently well-adjusted, engaged kids from ages three to 11, who just happened to enjoy IQs averaging around 150.
Source: LIFE
1950s advertisement for “Good Hot Soup For Lunch” from Campbell’s Soup.
Further Reading: The Vintage Advertising for Campbell’s Soup Company
Source: Etsy-EncorePrintSociety
Taking the school bus. A 1950s vintage photo of teenagers on the bus.
September 1945 Miss America Teen Life Magazine | Back-To-School Edition.
Further Reading: Plaid: A Fall Fashion Trend. The Vintage Edition
Source: Etsy-Jimpiphanys
Carole King women’s back-to-school fashions 1948 ad.
Those are some pretty stylish young women!
Source: Atticpaper.com
1960s teenagers chatting outside of their high school.
Source: pixels.com
Protesting the high school dress code that banned slacks for girls, Brooklyn c.1940.
Further Reading: The Brooklyn high school pants protest of 1942.
“Should high school girls, particularly students of Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway . . . be permitted to wear slacks to class?”
Source: ephemeralnewyork
1949 LUNCH BOX Sandwich Spread (made with Mayonnaise) for back to school sandwiches (sorry for it being a bit blurry, but I really wanted to share this ad with you).
Source: Etsy-KristensVintagePaper
Two students filling prescriptions in School of Pharmacy at Howard University in Washington D.C in 1946.
Source: Essence.com
Bellas Hess c.1955 back-to-school catalog featuring 1950s fashions for everyone in the family (PDF EBook – Digital Download).
Source: Etsy-ivarose
Sept. 1936–Students wait to enter school on the first day in 1936.
Source: jacksonville.com
1960s ad Fall & Winter 1960-61 sport coats & slacks for young men. “Campus-Educated Casual Clothes”. “Dickies trend styling inspired by Pat Boone”.
Source: METV
Thanks for dropping by and spending some time at the Vintage Inn! This was another fun post to put together for all of you (and brought back lots of memories of my OWN school days).
Further Reading (Archived blog posts):
Please share any thoughts or memories you have on this topic in the comment section below.
Thanks for dropping by
Liz
