As yearbook creators, advisors, designers, and students, we know that yearbooks are more than just pages and photos, they’re memory capsules. While it’s easy to get caught up in themes, deadlines, and design details, yearbooks play a much bigger role. They capture friendships, fashion, school spirit, and unforgettable moments, preserving the stories and emotions of their time long after the final bell rings.
FROM SCRAPBOOKS AND SILHOUETTES
The story of the yearbook begins long before digital cameras and design software. As far back as the late 1600s, students created scrapbook-style keepsakes filled with handwritten notes, drawings, clippings, dried flowers, and personal mementos. Before photography, creativity and personal expression were at the heart of documenting school life.
The first widely recognized “official” yearbook appeared in 1809, created by Yale University’s graduating class. Titled “Profile of Part of the Class Graduated at Yale College”, it featured printed silhouettes instead of photographs…smiling for cameras wasn’t an option yet. As printing and photography advanced, yearbooks slowly evolved. By the early 1900s, they had become a common tradition in schools across North America.
As demand grew, yearbooks began shifting from homemade keepsakes to professionally produced publications. In Canada, Friesens played a major role in this evolution, dabbling in yearbooks prior to the 1960s as a seasonal business. In 1965, Friesens officially began selling school yearbooks in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, helping schools across Canada tell their stories in professionally designed and printed books. For more than six decades, Friesens has partnered with educators and students, combining expertise, innovation, and service to support yearbook programs year after year.
Today, Friesens is recognized as one of Canada’s most trusted yearbook printers, proof that great storytelling, when paired with craftsmanship and care, truly stands the test of time.
A REFLECTION OF THE TIMES
One of the most fascinating things about yearbooks is how clearly they mirror the world around them. Flip through different decades and you’ll see changing hairstyles, fashion trends, and attitudes. During the Great Depression and the World Wars, yearbooks documented rationing, military service, and shifts in school life shaped by global events.
Even smiles tell a story. Studies of senior portraits show how expressions changed over time…from serious and reserved to wide, confident grins…reflecting advances in photography, evolving social norms, and even improved dental care. These subtle details offer a surprisingly personal window into history.
GROWING INCLUSION AND GLOBAL MOMENTS
Yearbooks also illustrate cultural progress. Early editions often reflected the biases of their era, but over time, they began to showcase increasingly diverse student populations. During periods of social change, yearbooks recorded important milestones and continue today to reflect conversations about identity, inclusion, and belonging.
Major world events don’t stop at the school doors, either. The COVID-19 pandemic is now documented in yearbooks filled with masks, Zoom classes, and socially distanced activities…proof that even in challenging times, students found ways to connect and create memories.
WHY YEARBOOKS STILL MATTER
From black-and-white pages to full-colour spreads, from scissors and glue to digital design tools, yearbooks have continually evolved. Yet the goal remains the same: capturing the spirit of the year.
So, take a moment to think about your own yearbook. When was the last time you opened it? Inside those pages is a piece of history, your history…preserved for generations to come.
