AA-2026-E84B41
On the image
A child has fallen flat on a frozen pond, arms flung wide, skate blades up, in the posture that every generation of new skaters has contributed to before and since. In the 1950s, learning to skate on an outdoor pond was simply what winter was, not a scheduled activity with an instructor and a helmet waiver but an afternoon someone's parents pointed at and said go. The mittens are still on, which means this happened recently enough that no one has had time to feel embarrassed. The child has not moved yet, which is either the dazed pause before crying or the practiced stillness of someone who has learned that getting up is the harder part. Whoever was holding the camera waited for exactly this moment, which suggests the fall was not entirely unexpected.
Visually related — by likeness
Down on the Ice, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-E84B41. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/down-on-the-ice-1950s.
@misc{aaAA2026E84B41,
title = {Down on the Ice, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-E84B41},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/down-on-the-ice-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Down on the Ice, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-E84B41 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/down-on-the-ice-1950s ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.