School girls and mothers

Posted on in General

School needlework class with girls parents looking on.

Up until the mid 1970s, needlework for girls was part of the NSW primary curriculum. This was part of the training of girls to train them in domestic skills  in preparation for managing their house and family. From 1913 home science courses were taught to girls in Superior Public Schools, some primary and evening schools. Domestic Science Schools, a type of secondary school for girls, were established from 1923. In the 1950s these courses were abandoned. Further information on home science schools.

In this 1910 photograph the girls are being observed by their mothers while they undertake a needlework lesson.