This is a copyright image and use must be cleared with the artist
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Gianni Dagli Orti/Shutterstock (5850863e)
Paris, 1924, VIIIe Olympiade, Jeux Olympiques, 1924 French poster (Jean Droit)
Art (Posters) - various
Artist: DROIT, Jean (1884-1961, French)
Location: Musée de l'Affiche Paris
My takeaway from this is that even in 1924, people appreciated Olympic abs. Truly it's a love that transcends time and space.
Olympic Village
1924: The first ever Olympic Village, built for the 1924 games in Paris. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Informative Caption tells me this is the first-ever Olympic Village. The Amsterdam 1928 Olympics opted out, and Los Angeles in 1932 has what's considered the first "modern" Olympic Village. These ARE truly basically log huts.
Harold Osborn
1924: American athlete Harold Osborn (1899 - 1975) taking gold in the high jump at the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
At this time, Harold was the world record holder in the high jump, at about 6'7". A hundred years later, the record is 8 feet and 1/4 inches, and has held since 1993 (Javier Sotomayor, Cuba). Harold is also, I BELIEVE, still the only athlete to have won both the Decathlon and an individual event.
(Original Caption) The first photos of the Olympic Track and Field Meet shown Leroy Brown, New York AC, just failing to clear the bar at 1.98 meters, the Olympic record, in the High Jump finals at Colombes Stadium. Brown was second but, first place went to Harold Osborne, Illinois AC, having made a record leap of 6 ft, 6 inches. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)
Apparently, in the middle there, we are seeing Leroy Brown miss the high jump, in which he ultimately placed second to the aforepictured Haz Oz. But if you can't pick it out, I get it -- this feels chaotic. And so small. Look at all those empty seats! I don't think you'd ever see that now?
Caroline Smith
(Original Caption) 1924-Paris, France- Caroline Smith, American girl, winning high diving competition at Tourelles Pool.
Caroline, of the USA, won the diving gold. Look how different it is! No acrobatics. Just FLINGING.
England's polo team
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Historia/Shutterstock (7665077fl)
England's Olympic Polo Team For the Paris Games of 1924 Top Left is Major F W Barrett Top Right is Lieut Colonel the Hon J D Y Bingham Bottom Right is Captain the Hon F E Guest and Bottom Left is Wing-commander P K Wise It Was First Feared That Great Britain Would Be Unable to Compete in the Polo at the St Cloud Club Near Paris (to Defend Their Possession of the Olympic Cup) According to the Isdn 'This Difficult Has Been Overcome (largely Due to the Initiative of Captain Guest and A Few Others) 1924
Historical Collection 177
A while ago Jessica's afternoon chat asked what magazine you'd invent, if you could. "The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News" might be my dream publication.
Harold Maurice Abrams, CBE
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Historia/Shutterstock (7665071tj)
Harold Maurice Abrahams Cbe (1899û1978) - A British Athlete of Jewish Origin He Was Champion in the 100 Metres Sprint at the 1924 Olympics in Paris (july 7th) France (a Feat Made Legendary in the 1981 Movie 'Chariots of Fire') His Time Was 10 6 Seconds Jackson Scholz (second From Right) Was Second and Arthur Porritt (far Left) Was Third the Other Named Athlete Was the World Record Holder at the Time Charles Paddock the Other Two Competitors Featured Were Fourth Placed Chester Bowman (second Left) and Sixth Placed Loren Murchison (third From Right) 1924
Historical Collection 171
His victory in the 100m sprint -- and that of teammate Eric Liddell in the 400 -- was immortalized in Chariots of Fire. Yep, get ready for a LOT of flashback packages and to hear that (great) song a lot. Also, look at that cruddy field. Also, I LOVE still photos of sprinters and their dramatic flailing.
Eric Liddell
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Colorsport/Shutterstock (3091685a)
OLYMPICS 1924 PARIS ATHLETICS ERIC LIDDELL WHO WON MENS 400M France Paris
Sport
And here is Eric. He looks like he's running in sleep shorts and Isotoners. Times, they have a-changed.
"Miss Morelins"
1924: Miss Morelins, swimmer in the 1924 Paris Olympics. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
From what I can glean, the photographer messed up her name, and this is actually Martha Norelius, winner of the 400 m freestyle. I don't know if she swam in that or what; it looks like a tennis dress.
Johnny Weissmuller
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Colorsport/Shutterstock (3099113a)
Olympics 1924 Paris Johnny Weissmuller (USA) Ho Won 3 Gold Medals Sweden Stockholm
Sport
And of course here's our champ Johnny Weissmuller. This photo was labeled as being at the Olympics but I wonder if it's not, or if it's just during a warm-up or something. Also, fun fact, he won three golds in swimming AND a bronze in water polo. He ALSO saved the lives of 11 people in a boat accident, while training for the Chicago Marathon, and eventually played Tarzan. I have to think he is ALSO going to get a retrospective package from NBC. They'll probably make Michael Phelps travel to Weissmuller's childhood home or something.
Olympics 1924 Paris France. Wrestlers. Jeux Olympiques (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
This feels more like WWE wrestling.
Olympics 1924 Paris France. Tennis Championship. Jeux Olympiques (Photo by Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty Images)
And I'm not ENTIRELY sure this artist had ever actually seen tennis. Putting the word "tennis" in those quotation marks actually IS kind of correct.
Opening Ceremony
High angle view of the opening ceremony at the 1924 Summer Olympics, at the Stade olympique Yves-du-Manoir, the Olympic stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics, in the Colombes suburb of Paris, France, July 1924. The stadium is also known as the Stade olympique de Colombes. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Think they'll keep it this simple in 2024? Har. I WOULD love it if the French team wore outfits that somehow played off of what they wore for this.
