In my internet wanderings I found this pic: school children in Alabama around 1940. Those boys look like they've never worn shoes.
Great photo! Just the way things still should be, all children should be barefoot everywhere then it should be choice as they get older and I bet most would choose bare feet. From what I've seen in my own internet finding it's kind of the way in south Africa most primary school children are barefoot but once they reach secondary school age they are shod and then that means that in adulthood they are still going around in shoes, such a shame.
Probably if you scan through historic school photos, you will find many such examples, as some decades ago it was pretty normal in many countries that kids went barefoot in their daily life. Thurston Oregon Children at Desks, One Room School House. Breathitt County, Kentucky, 1940 Children playing 'Broken Bridges', Bellsquarry Scarborough School Section No. 7, Old Kingston Road, north side, west of Highland Creek
Sorry missed to embed the example photos, was just low on time erarlier: Thurston Oregon by curtis Irish, auf Flickr Children at Desks, One Room School House. Breathitt County, Kentucky, 1940 by Orianne W, auf Flickr Scarborough School Section No. 7, Old Kingston Road, north side, west of Highland Creek by Special Collections Toronto Public Library, auf Flickr Bill Wilt Collection by curtis Irish, auf Flickr
But if you scroll those archives you do find also pics like these. Not so funny: Scott's Run, West Virginia. Miner's child - This boy was digging coal from mine refuse on the road side, 1936 by The U.S. National Archives, auf Flickr The Supt. and a group of children under 16 years starting work after noon, May 1911 by The U.S. National Archives, auf Flickr Hiram Pulk, 9 years old, cuts some in a canning company. "I ain't very fast only about 5 boxes a day. They pay about 5 cents a box," August 1911 by The U.S. National Archives, auf Flickr
Wow, scrolling through there are some fascinating photos in those collections. Heartbreaking, though to see children working in factories, canneries and mines.
I still stand by the belief that in 80 years time, being barefoot will be considered normal and wearing shoes will be rare in most parts of the world depending on the weather (and state of the city footpaths).
Purely out of interest, because it's clear that these kids are barefoot not out of choice, but you can really see how much better their feet are. You can see that the kid in the middle with the left foot facing out is definitely weathered. His feet do look very tough.
Yes I guess this is obvious. Imagine they don't own shoes and maybe also have to walk kilometers on dirty lanes to reach their school (no parents bringing them there with the SUV) ... But i think we should not make the fault and look on barefooting in an idealizing way without considering the circumstances. I once talked with an older woman because she saw me barefoot at a concert. She said she knows that barefooting is healty and easygoing and that she is happy to see me doing it unbiasdly, but that she can never look at it without reservation or even practice herself any more since after WWII she bacame an orphan refugee as a child and had to walk over weeks, several 100 kms, without shoes to finally find shelter at some relatives in western Germany. I found this very impressive and it changed my attitude how i look an "narrow minded" people - you also have to look about their life.
