26 Amazing Vintage Photos of Famous Ice Skaters Through the Years
Some of these rare photos date all the way back to the 1920s.
Between the intricate costumes, enchanting music, and dazzling choreography, there's no denying that figure skating is a captivating sport to watch. While the origins of figure skating date back to the 13th century, it wasn't until the late 1800s that the winter pastime gained momentum.
It was in the mid-1800s that a Philadelphia businessman named Edward Bushnell began making skates with steel blades, which allowed skaters to move more freely. Not long after, American ballet dancer Jackson Haines incorporated dance movements into skating, and voila: the spectacle as we know it was born.
From world champion-winning pairs to others who have been inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, there have been countless iconic figure skaters through the years. Scroll on to take a look back at the sport through the years and see some amazing vintage photos of famous ice skaters.
1924 Winter Olympics
Figure skating debuted as an Olympic sport in 1908, during the Summer Olympics. It moved over to the Winter Olympics in 1924.
Here, two figure skaters, Andree Joly and Beatrix Loughran, posed during a practice skating session for the 1924 Winter Olympics. The Olympics that year were held in Chamonix, France.
Hedy Stenuf
Following an exciting professional career, figure skater Hedy Stenuf founded a skating studio in Denver, Colorado in the 1950s, where she coached and taught skating classes. Here, she leads a group of young skaters.
Maribel Vinson
Maribel Vinson was a nine-time U.S. women's figure skating champion and a three-time Olympian — not to mention, the first female sportswriter for the New York Times.
Posing on the Ice
A group of skaters, including Constance Wilson Samuel, Hulda Berger, Suzanne Davis, and Audrey Peppe, took a photo after a practice in the early 1930s. Check out those high, lace-up skates!
Tenley Albright
Tenley Albright was another figure skating great, who made her first Olympic appearance in 1952. She received a silver medal that year.
Carol Heiss
Famous figure skater Carol Heiss was born in New York City in 1940. She started skating at a young age, and was awarded the U.S. novice ladies’ title in 1951 when she was just 11 years old. She's pictured here accepting a gold medal at the 1958 World Championships.
Richard “Dick” Button
Pictured here in the late 1940s, Dick Button was the first skater to successfully land a double axel. Not only that, but he is also a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time World champion.
Ronald “Ronnie” Robertson
Meanwhile, Ronnie Robertson was known for his incredible spins and jaw-dropping jumps, as you can see here.
Karol Kennedy
Karol Kennedy famously had her brother, Peter, as her skate partner. Nicknamed the “Kennedy Kids,” the duo won a silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics.
Peggy Fleming
Peggy Fleming is pictured here during practice in Grenoble, France for the 1968 Winter Olympics. The skater won a gold medal that year.
Vivian and Ronald Joseph
This brother-sister figure skating team received their bronze medals in the 1964 Winter Olympics — 50 years after they competed! As it turned out, the International Olympic Committee corrected the results from the 1964 Winter Olympics, resulting in the siblings’ delayed medal.
Cynthia and Ronald Kauffman
Cynthia and Ronald Kauffman were another brother-sister pair that took the figure skating world by storm. They won a bronze during the 1967 World Figure Skating Championships in Austria.
1968 Winter Olympics
American ice skater Tim Wood and Austrian ice skater Wolfgang Schwarz waved to onlookers while receiving their medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics.
Dorothy Hamill
Did you know that Dorothy Hamill learned to skate on a frozen pond at her grandparents’ property? The iconic skater took home the silver medal at the 1974 World Championships at the young age of 17.
Linda Fratianne
Linda Fratianne, who reached ice-skating superstardom in the late 1970s, later skated for the Ice Follies and performed in Walt Disney’s World on Ice.
Charles Tickner
Charles Tickner began competing at the age of 18 — in the figure skating world at the time, this was considered to be a very late start!
JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley
JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley skated together for years, placing third at the 1968 World Championships and second at the U.S. World Championships.
Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia
Known as one of the most impressive duos in the sport, Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia won five U.S. Pair Skating Champions and two Olympic medals together. They were inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1992.
Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia
The two are photographed here mid-skate wearing eye-catching sky-blue costumes with sequined rainbows.
1984 Winter Olympics
Pro figure skaters Rosalynn Sumners, Katarina Witt, and Kira Ivanova pose for a photo after receiving gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Brittany is a freelance writer based in her hometown of New York City. She writes about everything from fashion and beauty to food and wellness. When she's not writing, she can often be found at her local library, playing with her cats, or exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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