20 Vintage Photographs Capture the Boom of Skateboarding New York City in the 1960s

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 1940s 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.

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When Shorts Were Short and Socks Were Long: 20 Wonderful Photos of Sidewalk Surfers in the 1970s

Back in 1977 when shorts were short, socks were long and hair was big, professional photographer Nick De Wolf took these excellent shots of young skateboarders or as they were called in the early days 'Sidewalk Surfers' showing off their skills.

These shots were taken in Aspen, Colorado about the time when freestyle skating was really taking off and before it developed into street skating.

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Pictures of Skateboarding in California in the 1970s

Skateboard culture in California in the 1970s has left an indelible mark on the sport and on America's cultural identity, and photographer Hugh Holland perfectly captured the spirit of this golden age from 1975-1978.

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