Photojournalist Bill Eppridge captures skateboarding’s humble beginnings in the urban setting of New York City. While the concept of the sport and makeshift models of the skateboard were introduced sometime in the 40s or 50s, it was in the mid-1960s that skateboarding truly flourished and Eppridge was there to catch it in all its glory for a lifestyle spread in LIFE Magazine.
In his series titled Skateboarding in New York City, Eppridge exhibits the joy and excitement of zooming down a city street and playfully riding past pedestrians on a thin, wheeled board, as clearly evidenced through the skateboarders’ beaming faces. The exhilarating rush that each child, teen, and adult is feeling as they sweep through the city translates through each photo, giving us all a sense of that cool and carefree fun from simpler times. Skateboarding was not yet an athletic career path or the subject of video gaming franchises. It was clearly just a fun thing to do with your friends in the streets of New York City.
via [Building a Wolf, LIFE]