Why have pictures of what look like high-school students recently appeared in every store window?

These pictures are known as tablo (from the French tableau) and feature the members of graduating high school classes. The tradition of posting these pictures goes back more than a century and was intended to draw attention to the achievements of graduates in the absence of American-style graduation ceremonies. Styles have of course changed - while older tablos featured entire classes lined up in their Sunday-best, today’s posters are far more creative as a few samples posted here attest.