CMP Review 2024-08-22

August 22, 2024

A few years ago when I was exploring some vintage Parents’ Review volumes, I came across an advertisement for the Parents’ Union School uniform. The illustration was only in black and white, and so I could only imagine what the outfit might look like in real life. Since then, to my amazement, Rachel North of Charlotte Mason Beehive was able to obtain a vintage uniform. She describes it this way:

As a longtime collector of all things Charlotte Mason and the PNEU, finding an original uniform is surely the crème de la crème of my collection. Not only is it an exciting discovery but the uniform is the perfect size to fit my six-year-old son and he has worn it with pride, most recently at a 1940s event in our local town.

The school blazer is tailor made by the name of Sundale and is fashioned from a wool and nylon mixed fabric, purportedly “for greater strength.” It is grey with silver metal buttons and two large pockets in the front. A further pocket is hidden inside the blazer and can be fastened with a metal zip. The hat is made in England by the brand Swan Lake and is 100% wool. Both items of clothing display the Parents Union School badge, bearing the iconic phrase “I am, I can, I ought, I will.”

The uniform was previously owned by a family with the surname Llewellyn, a distinctly Welsh name. The name tag on the blazer shows the name G. J. Llewellyn, while the name on the hat shows S. Llewellyn. Whoever these people were and whatever their experiences with the Charlotte Mason method of education, I am thankful to have the opportunity to own this beautiful vestige from history as I too carry on the legacy of Charlotte Mason’s work through my own children.

There are moments when I feel like the wonder and beauty of a Charlotte Mason education belongs to a past that is forever out of reach. But when black and white images from bygone days come back to life in full color, it gives me hope. This uniform is a reminder to me that all the wonderful things that Charlotte Mason imagined can really be for us too.

@artmiddlekauff