A school in Victoria, circa 1890.  Some 71 children of different ages surround their teacher. The girls wear pinafores and be-ribboned curls and some of the boys have wide lace collars. Five children are of  Chinese descent, reflecting the goldfields era.     Source:  The Ellwood family archive

Collections of family photographs are often a treasure trove, holding images of early schooling that may be of historical interest. These images may also be found in local history collections.

ANME wants your old school photographs!   To mark the centenary of the Great War, we are collecting images of schooling before 1920 that may be held in private hands..

We are especially keen to have photographs showing teachers and classes,  school events and early school buildings. ANME intends to share the assembled collection in digital form if the response to the project generates significant interest.

We welcome the donation of original images or good scanned copies (450dpi at original size, digitally uncorrected). Please  contact us about a donation or directly upload a digital copy here.

View a gallery of early school photographs here.