The Winter Olympics are right around the corner (February 9th) and I’m ridiculously excited because they are hands down my favourite (sorry Summer). Maybe it was because I grew up downhill skiing, watched figure skating on TV with my mother and cheered on Canada’s hockey team to gold medal wins. Whatever it is, I love these Olympics and so today’s Vintage Photo Tuesday is dedicated to them.

Vintage Photos of the Winter Olympics-1920’s to 1950’s

1st Winter Olympics: Chamonix, France 1924

General view of the Olympic Stadium.

1920s Vintage Photo: 1924 Winter Olympics Stadium view Chamonix, France
Source: Olympics.org

Figure skaters Medalists-Herma Planck-Szabo of Hungary, Ethel Muckelt of Britain and Beatrix Loughran of the U.S.A. Planck-Szabo won gold, with Loughran and Muckelt taking silver and bronze respectively.

1920s Vintage Photo: Herma Planck-Szabo of Hungary, Ethel Muckelt of Britain and Beatrix Loughran of the U.S.A. Planck-Szabo won gold, with Loughran and Muckelt taking silver and bronze respectively.
(Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Pairs Figure Skating: Andrée Joly and Pierre Brunet (FRA) 3rd.

1920s Vintage Photo: BRUNET, Pierre, Chamonix 1924 France, Figure skating, Winter Olympics
Source: Olympics.org

English speed skaters training in Chamonix for the Games.

1920s Vintage Photo: English speed skaters training in Chamonix for the Winter Olympic Games, 16th January 1924.
(Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

British Four-Man Bobsleigh team (this totally looks safe).

1920s Vintage Photo: The British four-man bobsleigh team in action at the Winter Olympics at Chamonix, February 1924.
(Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

28th January 1924: The British Curling team.

1920s Vintage Photo: 28th January 1924 The British Curling team during the Winter Olympics at Chamonix, France.
(Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

St. Moritz, Switzerland 1928

These Winter Games were the first to be held in a different nation from the Summer Games of the same year.

Opening ceremony-the Canadian delegation.

1920s Vintage Photo: Saint-Moritz 1928-Olympic Opening ceremony-the Canadian delegation
Source: Olympics.org

Competitor jumping over barrels.

1920s Vintage Photo: Olympic Games at Saint-Moritz 1928-Competitor jumping over barrels.
Source: Olympics.org

15-year-old figure skater, Sonja Henie of Norway takes the Gold during the Games. Her record as the youngest winner of an individual event stood for 74 years.

Sonja Henie Figure Skating - 1920s Vintage Photo: Olympic Games at Saint-Moritz 1928
Source: Olympics.org

Lake Placid, United States 1932

Group portrait of the American men’s Olympic ski team seen on the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, February 4, 1932.

1930s Vintage Photo: Group portrait of the American men's Olympic ski team seen on the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, February 4, 1932.
Source: FPG/Getty Images

Ski trail finish line.

1930s Vintage Photo: Olympic Games at Lake Placid 1932-Ski trail finish line
Source: Olympics.org

Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany 1936

Alpine Skiing-Oddbjörn Hagen.

1930s Vintage Photo: alpine skiing olympics games 1936 at Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany- HAGEN Oddbjorn
Source: Olympics.org

German skater Maxi Herber practives her jumps in preparation for her performance, with partner Ernst Baier, in the Mixed Doubles Figure Skating Competition. Herber and Baier went on to win the gold medal in the event.

1930s Vintage Photo: Olympics games 1936 at Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany. Maxi Herber Practices Her Jumps 1936 Winter Olympics Skating
Source: Olympics.org

16 Feb 1936: Fireworks explode above the big ski jump tower during the Closing Ceremony.

1930s Vintage Photo: Fireworks at Olympics Closing Ceremony 1936 Garmish Partenkirchen
Source: Olympics.org

St. Moritz,  Switzerland 1948

After a 12-year break, caused by World War II these Games were named the “Games of Renewal”.

1940s Vintage Photo of the Olympic Games at St. Moritz, Switzerland 1948. The vintage photo features olympic athletes and others enjoying lunch.
Lunch Break. Source: Olympics.org

Hedy Schlunegger (Switzerland-Left) becomes first women’s downhill ski winner.

1940s Vintage Photo of the Olympic Games at St. Moritz, Switzerland 1948. Saint-Moritz 1948-SCHLUNEGGER Hedy (SUI) 1st and BEISER Trude (AUT) 2nd. Hedy Schlunegger (Switzerland-Left) becomes first women's downhill ski winner.
Source: Olympics.org

Barbara Ann Scott (Canada’s Sweetheart) becomes the first and only Canadian woman to win figure skating gold.

FURTHER READING: Barbara Ann Scott “Canada’s Sweetheart” on Figure Skates

1940s Vintage Photo of Figure Skater Barbara Ann Scott standing on the podium at tthe Olympic Games at St. Moritz, Switzerland 1948. Saint-Moritz 1948
Source: Olympics.org

Oslo, Norway 1952

Austrian skier Trude Beiser-Jochum (#8, left) and German skier Anne Marie Buchner (#3) watch one of their competitors in the Women’s Slalom event.

1950s Vintage Photo: 1952 Winter Olympics women's slalom at Oslo, Norway.
(Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy 1956

Speed Skaters Training.

1950s Vintage Photo: Winter Olympics - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 1956. Speed Skaters training
Training. Source: Olympics.org

Anne Heggtveit (CAN) 29th, at the start of her downhill skiing race.

1950s Vintage photo: Winter Olympics - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 1956. HEGGTVEIT Anne (CAN) 29th, at the start of her downhill skiing race.
Source: Olympics.ca

This last image is the conclusion of our Vintage Photo Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed taking a chilly but interesting walk down Winter Olympics lane?

Question Time: Are you a fan of the Olympics? And if so what is your favourite sport? Share in the comments below and Happy Tuesday Friends!

FURTHER READING: 1928-Canada’s First Female Olympic Medalists & Vintage Summer Olympic Posters & Advertisements

Liz

6 Comments on Vintage Photos of the Winter Olympics-1920’s to 1950’s

  1. Great photos! I love the one you posted on Instagram of the three figure skaters, it’s such an adorable photo. The one of the finish line at Lake Placid makes it look so basic to what we have now. xx

  2. I like the lunch break one the best, but these are all so neat. I confess I don’t like cold weather, so most of these make me shiver and say “no, thank you.” The closest I want to get to snow is watching snow in a Hallmark movie, but more power to the athletes. I wince just thinking how quickly a back could get thrown out!

    • LOL! And back then the clothes would of be so much lighter then what we have now to keep us warm. I was also thinking about how quickly one could die from no helmets on some of these sports. yikes!

  3. Looking at these photos I’m struck by the massive difference in the clothes. These people were just in their ordinary winter outfits. I wonder what today’s competitors would make of competing dressed that way.

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