Children Playing: 1890-1979

~ beetleypete

I often post photos of children who suffered because of poverty and poor living conditions. By contrast, here are photos of children playing and having fun, taken during 1890-1980, and from all around the world.

1890. This lucky boy wheels his toy train past a shop window.

America, 1900. Leap-Frog is still popular today.

Europe, 1910. A set up photo to show a girl and her cat.

Edwardian children with their stilts. 1910.

America, 1920s.

Boys playing in old car tyres.

Sisters on their new tricycles.

Wartime Britain.

1950s Lamp-post swing in post-war Britain.

Play in the park.

American boys with a toy car and bike.

Hanging upside down is always popular.

1960s.

Japanese children.

Walking the rails in rural America.

School break time.

Potentially dangerous inner-city play.

1970s.

Russian children playing in snow.

New York City, still enjoying trying stilts.

38 thoughts on “Children Playing: 1890-1979”

  5. (1) While passing the toy shop window, the boy lost his train of thought.
    (2) The French version of leapfrog is called saute-mouton (literally “leap-sheep”). I guess the French wanted their children to distance themselves from the ethnic slur (“Frogs”).
    (3) Later, the girl was seen playing on a hot tin roof.
    (4) The two children are kinfolk who not only share the last name Rumpel but also love having fun on stilts. They’re Rumpel stilts kin.
    (5) Boys never get tyred of playing.
    (6) Later, the sisters bought themselves identical Ford Model A’s.
    (7) Wartime tailgate party.
    (8) Fortunately, those girls are lightweights. Otherwise, they might have bent or even uprooted the lamppost.
    (9) That’s one way to get an upskirt.
    (10) The foot power required to drive that station wagon proves that technology hadn’t improved much since the days of Fred Flintstone.
    (11) Watching girls hang upside-down was popular with the boys. (Note that one girl is sticking out her tongue at the photographer.)
    (12) Japanese children played a different version of tug-of-war.
    (13) Five boys walking the rails (#BalanceTraining). I think one of the boys has his hand in his pocket (count the arms!).
    (14) Some of those kids are break dancing.
    (15) Inner-city play is okay as long as the boys post no bills.
    (16) Does the snow in Russia ever melt?
    (17) Those are well-built stilts. (Note: The taller the stilts, the harder the stilt walker falls.) #MokoJumbie

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  8. Seems kids no matter where in the world always managed to enjoy themselves with the minimum not sure thats the case now, best toy I ever got was a small wooden fort (very basic) that my dad made hours of fun.

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  13. Pingback: Children Playing: 1890-1979 | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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