Earliest Class Photo?
This class was at Holmston Primary, or Smith's Institution as it was
called then, around 1912, eightyseven years ago.
The picture is very
faded and the teacher, on the right-hand side, is almost impossible to
see in the shadows - you can only see her face, like a ghost.
On the back row, second from the right, is Jane Todd Yule, who was born in
1907. After going to Smith's Institution from 1912 to 1918, Jane won a
Bursary, a money prize, by passing an examination. With the Bursary, she
was able to go on to Ayr Academy to finish her education.
There are no boys in the photograph, probably because there would be
separate classes for boys and girls, and Jane's class would have
only girls.
Jane, sadly, has now died, and the picture was sent to us by her daughter.