Childhood and Youth

In the 19th century, childhood was brief. From an early age, children would help their parents with farm work. Most people began laboring for wages as teenagers, unless working at their parents’ farm.

Parish-operated itinerant schools were introduced in Loimaa in 1862. The first primary schools started operating during the second half of the 1870s, but were fiercely opposed by many locals for twofold reasons. First, they were seen as an economic burden and waste of time for little gain. Secondly, children studying in school were not able to provide labor for the benefit of their families.

The Loimaa secondary school was founded in 1909. With school commutes and recess, children gained a new sense of independence and free time. Youth emerged as a distinct phase of life, separate from childhood and adulthood. This gave rise to a previously unheard-of idea—a “youth culture” autonomous from parents’ influence.

Caption: The Loimaa Youth Association’s play “The Blue Bird”, April 5, 1914.
Photographer: Elias Hollo.
Photo: Loimaa-Seura Collection.