London In The 1950s: Frank Horvat’s Gorgeous Photographs of England's Capital
London In The 1950s: Frank Horvat’s Gorgeous Photographs of England's Capital
For contemporary children, it may be difficult to imagine kids having fun in the 1950s. Not only were there were no video games, even children's television programming operated at a bare minimum, with the medium still in its infancy at that time. Yet such limitations frequently forced them to spend more time outdoors or to play creatively -- activities many child development experts today say lead to more satisfying experiences for children overall. Although parental discipline tended to be more authoritarian, in the 1950s, children generally enjoyed a greater amount of personal freedom during leisure time than they do today. There were fewer cars on the road, so many children roamed freely on foot. They rode bicycles to the corner store, got muddy exploring neighborhood gullies and played street hockey. Dr. Peter Gray of Boston College notes that "trustful parents," or, "those who trust their children to play and explore on their own, to make their own decisions, and to make and learn from their own mistakes," are not as common today as they were in the 1950s. Check out these vintage photos to see everyday life of children playing on the streets of England during the 1950s.
London In The 1950s: Frank Horvat’s Gorgeous Photographs of England's Capital
London In The 1950s: Frank Horvat’s Gorgeous Photographs of England's Capital
Seeing a metropolis from its 'peaks' Review by Andrew Herbert — with an excerpt by Tom Chivers.
Picadilly Circus, London England, probably in the 1950's. Post card I bought.
John Gay’s photograph of Battersea Power Station, London, late 1950s (via English Heritage)
It's debutante season for mid-century London's high society and Life magazine was on the scene to capture all the tea drinking and social climbing at its finest. I found this set of undated photos in the magazine's archives which follows a group of well-to-do English debutantes as they attended the
brand new peel and stick vinyl travel sticker, never used. Die cut to the shape of the artwork. The size is approx. 4"x5". Thanks for looking.
For contemporary children, it may be difficult to imagine kids having fun in the 1950s. Not only were there were no video games, even children's television programming operated at a bare minimum, with the medium still in its infancy at that time. Yet such limitations frequently forced them to spend more time outdoors or to play creatively -- activities many child development experts today say lead to more satisfying experiences for children overall. Although parental discipline tended to be more authoritarian, in the 1950s, children generally enjoyed a greater amount of personal freedom during leisure time than they do today. There were fewer cars on the road, so many children roamed freely on foot. They rode bicycles to the corner store, got muddy exploring neighborhood gullies and played street hockey. Dr. Peter Gray of Boston College notes that "trustful parents," or, "those who trust their children to play and explore on their own, to make their own decisions, and to make and learn from their own mistakes," are not as common today as they were in the 1950s. Check out these vintage photos to see everyday life of children playing on the streets of England during the 1950s.
This looks like it was taken from the 1st floor of the John Somers shop, seen in the previous picture. Straight ahead is Tottenham Court Road, with the taxis and the 73 bus about to enter Oxford Street, just out of shot to the left. The Dominion Theatre, just seen on the extreme right, is still there and doing good business, although the YMCA building, seen a little further on with the domed tower, has been replaced by somewhat more brutalist architecture. The Dominion Theatre was used for many years as a cinema. In this picture, the film being shown is The Battle Of Powder River (Tomahawk in the U.S.) starring Van Heflin and Yvonne DeCarlo. The film was released in the U.S.A. in 1951, but as older filmgoers will remember, up until the 1980's, it would take around a year before American made movies would be shown on UK screens. If the Dominion is giving Powder River its first run, then this picture was probably taken some time in late 1952. N.B. This picture is part of a set showing how one of London's most famous streets used to look in the 20th century, before major demolition work started in the 1960's and more recently, due to the Crossrail development. To take a trip down the Charing Cross Road, starting at St Giles Circus in the north, click here www.flickr.com/photos/59082098@N05/sets/72157629469822347/ to see the Astoria when it was a Crosse & Blackwell pickle warehouse, the old Jacey news theatre and many other buildings, long since disappeared.
