I don't know where this classroom is located, or whether it represents a Swede School. "Sweede school" is mentioned in the message on the back of the postcard: "Harold wanted to send this to you he started sweede school this morning."
This photo looks like a regular school classroom with the children wearing their Sunday best clothes. I am not sure whether all Swede Schools took place in the summer. Maybe this photo was taken at the end of the regular school year, and Swede School started in the summer after the end of the regular school year. It probably is safe to assume that Harold is one of the boys in the photo. If I had to guess, I would say that Harold is the proud-looking young boy with the suspenders in the front row.
The book Swedes in Minnesota, by Anne Gillespie Lewis mentions summer "Swede schools" and reports that he Swedish language was still being widely used in Minnesota Swedish-American churches and Sunday schools in the early twentieth century. Another one of the few references to Swede Schools found online is this in an article The Immigrant Church As A Symbol Of Community And Place In The Upper Midwest : "The church tried to combat the erosion of language and culture through the maintenance of a "Swede School" and seriously pursued the goal of full attendance among the young."
There is a photo of a summer Swedish School class in the Swedish language taken at the closing program in July, 1910 on the Minnesota Reflections website here.
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From the looks of the card, it must have been enclosed in a letter. I have several cards that have addresses and a comment, but no stamp or postmark. How I wish that more of the family letters had been kept. Interesting post, both in the card as well as your comments on the Swedish culture at that time and place..
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tidbit of history for the school system at the time. I do wonder which one of those kids was the proud relative of the sender.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful photo. I wonder how many were printed. These early class photo postcards have a special quality that tells us a lot about America. The immigrants desire to keep up national traditions shaped communities in ways we are forgetting as the generations pass. I've found census records from the midwest where every farming family was from Sweden. Turn the page and they are from Norway. Two more pages and it's Finland.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers look nasty!
ReplyDeleteClearly a serious class, with no smiling allowed. The surname of the addressee sounds Swedish, so she was probably pleased to get the card.
ReplyDeleteI think Mike's comment is right on -- trying to maintain their culture in this enormous, foreign land. Language, behaviors, customs, values....all so important when keeping culture within a group of misplaced people!
ReplyDeleteVery serious group! Hope they enjoyed the course off camera....
ReplyDeleteLooking closely at the various expressions on faces I see some looking worried, some bored, some curious, but sadly, no one even looks remotely like they might break out in a forbidden smile any time soon. As Rosie says, hopefully they smiled elsewise. My great grandmother, Johanna Magdalena Hedman (or Hedmon), came to the U.S. from Norrkoping, Ostergotland, Sweden.
ReplyDeletethis postcard is a lovely momentum of the past, great that it has survived.
ReplyDeleteSwede School - How absolutely fascinating. I do so love all these strange corners of social history which are lit up by Sepians in their posts.
ReplyDeleteWell that’s a new one on me - Swede School, but as an ex-teacher I’m always fascinated by anything to do with schools.
ReplyDeleteI presume that is Swedish on the chalkboard? If you hadn't told us it was in the US I wouldn't have guessed.
ReplyDeleteThat is English on the blackboard.
DeleteI'm sure the possibility of loss of language is very frightening. I wonder how long Swede School lasted.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the possibility of loss of language is very frightening. I wonder how long Swede School lasted.
ReplyDelete