43 Rare Historical Photos That Show a Different Perspective of a Time Gone By

Nowadays, sports photos are usually action shots of athletes running, tackling, or jumping. We don’t usually think of the quieter moments of preparation that professional athletes go through on a daily basis, which are just as important as time on the field. This candid shot of Olympic high jumper Gunhild Larking captures a moment just like that.

Larking, who was just twenty years old when this photo was taken in 1956, looks off into the distance, seemingly concentrated in thought. You’d think this photo was posed, but Larking is naturally beautiful! Larking won five consecutive national titles for Sweden between 1952 and 1956, and she looked effortlessly glamorous while doing it.