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Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Washington Sanitarium gymnasium." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Up until 1921 it was for Master at Arms, Chief
That's a Navy Chief Petty Officer (CPO) patch on the right sleeve of the young lady in the front row. The rating insignia is a star. I'm not familiar with that particular rating.
After doing a little side research, wonder if these were nursing students, since this apparently was a gymnasium in the old hospital, formerlily known as a Sanitarium. (As a nurse myself, I find the histories of other hospitals and programs interesting.)
I find the expressions fascinating, and the fact that the young lady in the front row does not have her eyes closed as most of the rest of her classmates. Interesting logo on her right sleeve...anyone have any idea if that means anything?
[In most cases, their eyes are both open and closed; it's the old Shorpy favorite, the flash powder phenomenon: the shutter is open long enough to capture the eyes both open and blinking in response to the flash. result: eyeballs superimposed over eyelids. -tterrace]
This reminds me of the scene in 'The Music Man' where the ladies are doing interpretive dancing 'Greek Urn' :>)
[my mistake, it was 'Grecian Urn'[BAXADO]]
I can bet as kids we would have doing our best Johnny Weissmuller imitation on those suspended rings. Me Tarzan!
Charles
As awful as these outfits are, I think I prefer them to the one-piece shorts-and-blouse with snaps in sickly blue-green that we had to wear in the early 1960s. At least these girls wouldn't freeze if they had to run around outside on a brisk fall day.
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