AA-2026-93636A
On the image
A family group stands on a frozen body of water on what appears to be a winter afternoon, with an adult holding a small child's hand while another adult waits beside them, both dressed in dark coats typical of the era. Behind them, other skaters move across the ice in the loose, purposeful way of people who have decided this is how you spend a free winter day—no reservation required, no fee, just lace up and go. The bare trees of a midwestern or eastern shoreline rise in the background, leafless and dark. The frozen surface is what made winter social for families too ordinary for the country club: a free public utility that lasted until March, where children could be taught to skate by whoever was near, and where an afternoon could be spent for nothing. The moment captures the exact era when this was still normal, before suburban development would drain or dam or warm these places into keeping their water liquid year-round.
Visually related — by likeness
Ice Skating Outing, Frozen River or Pond, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-93636A. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/ice-skating-outing-frozen-river-or-pond-1950s.
@misc{aaAA202693636A,
title = {Ice Skating Outing, Frozen River or Pond, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-93636A},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/ice-skating-outing-frozen-river-or-pond-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Ice Skating Outing, Frozen River or Pond, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-93636A UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/ice-skating-outing-frozen-river-or-pond-1950s ER -
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