Untitled (older boy’s football team, Friends School) 1939

Editor: This photograph by Harris & Ewing shows the Friends School football team. It’s a pretty standard team photo, but what strikes me is its potential to represent early athletic culture, particularly for young men. What stories do you think it tells? Curator: It certainly hints at stories of early 20th-century masculinity, doesn't it? The formation itself speaks to a hierarchy and conformity inherent in team sports, yet the individual expressions, however limited by the photographic style, suggest diverse personalities. How might this image challenge or reinforce ideas about class and access in early athletics? Editor: That’s a great question, and I’m not sure I have an answer yet, but it’s something I’ll consider as I look closer. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! The photograph prompts us to consider the intersections of identity and social structures within a seemingly simple portrayal of a football team.