Introduction

  Shopping

  Wearing

  Examples

Fashion marks an era as surely as anything, and the photographs of early Boston School of Physical Education students set them well apart from today's student, with their bloomers and sailor blouses and their wool stockings. But uniforms were an expected part of study for any girl in the field, and not only in the early part of the century - even through the Tufts years clothing for Bouvé students was standardized.

In some circumstances, the clothing seems as if it would have impeded athletic activity far more than it would have helped. One alumna remarked: "When I see athletes today doing their 'thing' in next to nothing, skimpy clothing I feel that we could certainly beat all of them easily, hands down! If we could make our mark with all that clothing on what could we do without it?" (BBC, Box 54, Folder 3)

For a larger photo of girls dressed for physical education classes, click on the image above.