[Collection of Four Vernacular Photographs Depicting Students at the Federal Indian School in Tomah, Wisconsin]

[Tomah, Wi, 1931. Very good.. Four photographs, ca. 4 x 6 inches. Minor wear. Images clear. Four images picturing students from the Federal Indian School in Tomah, Wisconsin in the early half of the 20th century. One pictures a whole class group, while the other three show female students dressed for skits or performances -- in one case, as Indians. The content of the images support the Wisconsin Historical Society's assessment of the aims of the school in the following quote: "Opened in 1893, the Tomah Indian Industrial School was intended to teach Indian children how to shed their cultural background and to become more like white, middle-class Americans. Funded primarily by the federal government, Indian boarding schools were established throughout the United States in an attempt to acculturate Indians to 'American' ways of thinking and living. The children's time was carefully monitored, with boys receiving instruction in agriculture or trade and girls in the domestic arts.