In 1949, Doris Morcom, a kindergarten teacher at Sedgwick Elementary School in West Hartford, Connecticut, had a playful idea for the school’s upcoming Father’s Night. She asked her young students to draw their dads entirely from memory. The resulting portraits were both surprisingly accurate and hilariously imperfect, capturing the way each child saw their dad in their mind’s eye.
Once the drawings were complete, Life magazine photographer Al Fenn captured each child standing proudly beside their father, holding up their artwork for the camera. From little George, who depicted his father with neatly combed hair and round spectacles, to Jean, who hilariously captured her dad ‘s balding head, each drawing was full of character. The dads might look serious standing next to their kids, but that was just how people posed for photos back then. You can still spot the hint of a smile in their eyes, giving away their amusement.
As a playful twist to the event, the fathers took their turn drawing their kid’s teacher, Ms. Morcom, and were also captured proudly presenting their portraits to the class. Morcom went on to teach for 35 years before passing away at the age of 87. She likely had no idea that her fun activity idea would still be talked about to this day.
Fenn—known for his iconic images of life in the U.S. and around the world—spent 15 years working for Life. His career began in 1931 when he was gifted his first camera, a Leica, while on his first trip to Europe. Fenn liked to joke that with a physics professor for a father and an actress for a mother, it only made sense he’d end up a photographer. “It seems quite logical.” he said, “that I should be a photographer, which is apparently the genetic result of the mixture of science and art.”
Check out Fenn’s photos of the kindergarten kids and their dads below.
In 1949, these kindergarten kids were asked to draw their dads from memory, and Life magazine photographer Al Fenn captured the brilliant results.
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Source: Kindergarteners in 1949 were asked to draw their dads from memory. The results are stunning
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