School uniforms in Russia: from Imperial decrees to anarchy

Do you remember the dark brown woolen dress wool blend pants, ties and boil-and-white bows to match the apron for the holidays? Or you are a bit younger than we think, and remember only your Director attempts to introduce a dress code in private school? Maybe you have never been faced with any kind of uniform and I think that the attempt to make different people look exactly the same infringes the rights?

In fact, the school uniforms throughout the history of the world had two purposes: it either elevates students of elite schools over the "mere mortals" and in such cases, made of fine expensive materials, or introduced at the state level, played the role of "egalitarianism" and were made of cheap cloth.

Prototypes of uniforms appeared long before this phenomenon caught up with Russia. The schools of scribes in the cities of Mesopotamia, in the first Pythagorean school in Greece, schools in Ancient India the disciples were to appear in the classroom in special clothes, different from the everyday.

Sumerian school for scribes (Mesopotamia, third Millennium BC)

The disciples of the Pythagorean school

Uniforms for European students first appeared in 1522 in England. In the school of Christ's Hospital for the disciples was put a suit of dark blue jacket with tails, ankle, vest, leather belt and trousers just below the knee. About this form form preserved to this day, the only difference is that in our day the pupils of Christ's Hospital is not the orphans, and the future economic and cultural elite of great Britain.

The first English school uniforms of Christ's Hospital

In Russia since the first mention of formal education in speech of any form not talking at all. The first evidence of the emergence of school uniforms dates back to 1834. Then Nicholas I issued a decree that approved separate civil clothes. These included his school and College uniforms.

Sample school forms, approved by Nicholas I

Sample school forms, approved by Nicholas I

Sample school forms, approved by Nicholas I

Uniform was worn everywhere: at school, on the street, during the holidays. She was the pride and distinguished students from other teenagers. The uniforms were military style: invariably, caps, shirts and jackets, which differed only in color, edgings, buttons and logos.

The first maiden school uniforms in 1764, the Smolny Institute for noble maidens, founded by Empress Catherine II.

A graduate of the Smolny Institute for noble maidens

Student of Smolny Institute for noble maidens

Student of Smolny Institute for noble maidens

For the next hundred years the Russian Empire was filled with different kinds of schools and colleges for girls, but every educational institution has sought to distinguish the girls and introduced their own uniform.

Schoolgirl in nineteenth-century Russia

Schoolgirl in nineteenth-century Russia

Schoolgirl in nineteenth-century Russia

Schoolgirl in nineteenth-century Russia

The students in nineteenth-century Russia

After the revolution of 1917, the Central Executive Committee decided that all the attributes of education in pre-revolutionary Russia — a vestige of the bourgeois past, has entered a decree "On the unified labor school" and abolished the segregation of schools at schools and high schools. Together with the gradation of the schools in the past have sunk to the bourgeois and the school uniform, and because the money on new tailoring for all public institutions of education have had no power, the parents began dressing their children — who in that much.

Graduates of the school in 1917

The disciples after the revolution of 1917

Since 1949, seven-year education became compulsory, and with it appeared the General for all school uniform. The boys wore gray-blue tunic with patent leather black belt, pant in the color of the tunics and caps. Girls wore dark brown dresses and aprons: usual black, in a festive white. Mandatory steel braids and bows had to get out the color of the apron.

School in the 1950s

Schoolgirl in 1956

Students of the 1950s years

Ceremonial uniforms of the 1950s years

Students 1950-ies in the lens of the French scientist Jacques Dyupake

Students of the 1950s years

In connection with the demilitarization in 1962 shirt boys gave way to jackets. But for girls, virtually nothing has changed.

It is possible that someone shared a demilitarized form had no taste

Wool blend grey school suit

The pioneer form of the 1970-ies

After the collapse of the Soviet Union have a common school uniform has sunk into Oblivion. Since 1992, schools are free to introduce a uniform for their students. All that is required is to lock the position about the dress code in the local statutory act of educational institution.