What teenagers from 23 countries looked like 100 years ago
Each generation, reaching a certain age, begins to resent modern teens, their manner of holding and dressing, their make-up and hairstyles, their lifestyle and looks. It always seems to us that we certainly were not. And someday it will seem to them that they were more restrained and well-mannered than the next generation. Because of this cycle, it is especially interesting today to look at what teenagers from different parts of our huge planet really were in the not so distant past, at the beginning of the 20th century. Of course, we won’t be able to judge from the photographs what kind of people they were, but still we will see a lot of interesting things.
Algeria
Such photographs were a popular subject for postcards.
Germany
The sisters of Gertrude and Ursula Falke are pictured on the left.
Nepal and China
England
Left: a schoolgirl from Kensington (London), accidentally falling into the photographer’s lens.
Right: A group of children and teenagers heading to Lake Serpentine in Hyde Park to go fishing.
Scotland and Ireland
The photo on the right is one of the very first color photos of Ireland, taken around 1913. It depicts a 14-year-old girl in traditional dress.
Romania and Albania
The photo on the right shows two Albanian girls 13-14 years old. One of them (the one on the left) in the future will become known as Mother Teresa.
Japan
Left: Maiko girls (future geishas) are resting on the balcony.
Right: Pupils of the Fukuoka school - it was there that the famous "sailor" school uniform first appeared to everyone.
Argentina and Mexico
The serious girl in the photo on the right is 13-year-old Frida Kahlo.
Spain
Left: Infanta Maria Cristina and Beatrice.
Right: 16-year-old Federico Garcia Lorca.
Poland and Estonia
The Estonian schoolgirls in the photo on the right seem to imitate the movie “Roaring Twenties”, trying to look “cool” like an adult.
Greece and Cyprus
Left: young Greek partisan Konstantinos Murikis.
Right: Maria Cristodulu School.
Hungary
Austria and Luxembourg
Left: Prince Ernst von Hohenberg, one of the four children of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Right: Princess Anthony of Luxembourg.
India
Australia and New Zealand
USA
Left: 16-year-old Walt Disney.
Right: Oy-bi of the Kiowa.
Belgium
Brother and sister: Prince Leopold and Princess Maria Jose of Belgium.
Netherlands
Sweden and Finland
The photo on the left shows Princess Ingrid of Sweden.
Russia
France
In the photo on the right is young Rene Lacoste, future tennis player and founder of the clothing brand Lacoste.