Description:Oil painting by Alfred H. Green (c.1822-?).
Past schooling is brought vibrantly to life in this painting. We can see infants sewing, reading, listening, watching, falling asleep, crying, putting on coats, staring into space, falling over, and dancing. Imagine the noise of 90 small children and the smell of their unwashed bodies. The walls are decorated with educational maps and moral messages. In the bottom right corner there is a piece of paper next to a pile of slates on which is written ‘Mrs Smith Class’.
Ann Street School opened in 1826 on the site now occupied by Birmingham's Council House.
Purchased with assistance from the Christina Feeney Bequest Fund.