Kindergarten drawings capture fathers in 1949
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In 1949, Doris Morcom, a kindergarten teacher in West Hartford, Connecticut, asked her students at Sedgwick Elementary School to draw portraits of their fathers from memory as preparation for Father’s Night.
Life Magazine photographer Al Fenn visited the class and documented the children presenting their drawings to their fathers. The resulting photos show the children beaming with pride while the fathers, all wearing suits, appear more reserved.
Online viewers commented on the photographs, noting the fathers’ serious expressions and more conservative style of dress for the time. Some observed the fathers appeared older than many contemporary parents, while others suggested this was simply a reflection of different cultural norms around presenting in photographs. Commenters also praised the accuracy of the children’s drawings, despite their simplicity, and the evident pride the children felt in their work and their relationship with their fathers. Ms.
Morcom taught for 35 years and passed away in 1992, unaware of the lasting impact of her classroom activity. The photos continue to circulate online, valued not for artistic skill, but for the tender glimpse they offer into family relationships.
