Children playing with a van in a Balham street, SW London
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Mary Evans Picture Library
Children playing with a van in a Balham street, SW London
Children playing in and around an abandoned van in a Balham street, SW London. Date: circa 1961
Mary Evans Picture Library makes available wonderful images created for people to enjoy over the centuries
Media ID 14186693
© The Paul Kaye Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Abandoned Balham Childhood Dirty Terrace Terraced Urchin Urchins Vans
EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph, a group of children eagerly engage in playful activities around an abandoned van parked on a narrow, terraced street in Balham, South West London, circa 1961. The van, with its rusted exterior and peeling paint, seems out of place amidst the red brick houses and cobblestones, yet it serves as the perfect prop for the children's imaginative games. The scene is filled with the energy and innocence of childhood. Boys in short trousers and sweaters sit on the van's hood, while girls in dresses and pinafores stand nearby, their rosy cheeks flushed with excitement. One boy clings to the van's side, his eyes focused intently on the ground, as if searching for treasure. Another boy, wearing a cap, leans against the van with a mischievous grin, as if daring his friends to follow him on an adventure. The children's clothing and the state of the van suggest a time long past, a time when life moved at a slower pace. The grime on the children's faces and the dirt on their clothes add to the authenticity of the scene, highlighting the rough-and-tumble nature of childhood in the 1960s. This photograph captures a moment in history, a moment when children found joy and excitement in the simplest of things, an abandoned van in a Balham street. It is a reminder of a time when the world was a playground, and the possibilities were endless.
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