16 January 2009

the way we played

I love these old photographs of some of the first Minneapolis city parks from the early 1900s. So delightfully unsafe! And readying innocent children for the hard knocks of a grown-up world:

"A city without playgrounds keeps its children growing in straightjackets. Some become physically and morally deformed; all are deprived of a fair chance." -Charles Loring

2 comments:

kindra said...

Ms. Aimee.
I first saw these photos at an event in powderhorn park this fall and was captivated by the metal contraptions. i'm so happy to see them again! can you tell me where you found digital versions or did you scan the real thing? I really want to see more.

notions and potions said...

The images are scans from a recently released book titled City of Parks: The Story of Minneapolis Parks, written by David C. Smith. There are a few copies available for check-out at Minneapolis Public Libraries––I got my copy from the Linden Hills location. Check it:

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1081

Thanks for asking, Kindra! Hope this helps.