School uniforms illustrated on the

covers of boys' story books

Since the late 19th century, the illustrated covers of boys' story books have often depicted contemporary school uniform. As this selection shows, the illustrations tend to reflect the artistic style of the period.

This attractive book cover from the turn of the century shows a schoolboy wearing an Eton suit with gleaming white collar and cuffs. Childrens' story books of the period often feature highly decorative covers and made popular Christmas and birthday gifts.

A school story from 1916 set in a bluecoat school. At that time there was still a number of schools where boys wore the traditional charity costume, including Tudor caps and buckle shoes. Click HERE to view the plate upon which the cover is based.

One of the popular Holiday Annuals which featured stories of Greyfriars and other schools invented by the prolific author Frank Richards, creator of Billy Bunter. The Eton-suited schoolboy is imperiously summoning a porter to deal with his vast assemblage of luggage. Click HERE to see a larger version of the picture.

This stylish cover design from the 1930s shows public schoolboys - incontrovertibly healthy specimens of young British manhood - preparing for a game of cricket.

A boys' storybook from the late 1940s. The schoolboy on the left is wearing grey flannels whilst his friends are in cricket whites.

The Jennings stories of life in a preparatory school have been popular since the 1950s. Jennings and his friend are dressed in full prep school uniform, including caps and gabardene macintoshes. Compare this cover picture from an original edition with the paperback reprint from the 1970s below.

Schoolboy racing car enthusiasts of the mid-1960s - a time when it was not abnormal to wear full school uniform to such events. Indeed, many boys could be seen helping their mothers with the family shopping on Saturdays, happily outfitted in their school caps and blazers.

By the time the Jennings books were reissued in paperback in the 1970s, prep school uniform had become a little less formal, although short trousers were still de rigueur.