A flat roller skate and a high-heel roller skate, circa 1939. Courtesy of City of Toronto Archives.
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Original JPG File3448 × 2643 pixels (9.11 MP) 29.2 cm × 22.4 cm @ 300 PPI 1.7 MB |
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Resource ID
12140
Access
Open
Credit Line
Courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives
Date of Creation
1939
Keywords
Program Category
Rights
City of Toronto Archives
Caption
A flat roller skate and a high-heel roller skate, circa 1939. Courtesy of City of Toronto Archives.
Description
Roller skates were popular throughout the 1940s as a stress-relief activity from the reminders of war and continued to rise in popularity in the 1950s as a suburban past time event and in the 1960s due to the disco culture, specifically the roller disco culture. A high-heeled roller skate was the popular choice in the 1960s due to the roller disco culture, but also because it was great for beginners by providing great ankle support and minimizing the chance of falling backwards. Flat-heeled roller skates were meant for the more extreme roller skating that involved tricks, speed racing and impacts as it provided more power and balance in those circumstances than high-heeled roller skates.