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[feline groovy]

I was born during that decade so I don't remember much, but I'm a hippie at   

When London really was swinging! Naked hippies, Mods and miniskirts star in fantastic collection of photos from the psychedelic 1960s

• The Swinging Sixities saw Hippies, Mods and Rockers emerge and youth culture become a force of change
•  Frank Habicht's photographs of the 1960s in London are evidence of an emerging generation in upheaval
• 'As It Was' is Habicht's treasure-chest of the swinging, groovy, hippie, and psychedelic Sixties in London 

MailOnlineUK                                                                                     

PUBLISHED: 05:54 EST, 5 December 2018 | UPDATED: 10:44 EST, 5 December 2018

For a time, London in the Swinging Sixties became the centre of the universe. Hippies, Mods and Rockers emerged and youth culture became a dominant force of change.

Now a stunning collection of photographs offers a snapshot into a time of radical cultural and social upheaval; when Cool Britannia ruled the waves, the Beatles and Rolling Stones battled for chart supremacy, free love was all around and the personal became political. 

Frank Habicht's photographs of the 1960s in London are evidence of this generation in upheaval.

'As It Was' is Habicht's treasure-chest of the swinging, groovy, hippie, and psychedelic Sixties in London. It offers an eye-opening contribution to the history of a country that is currently undergoing yet more social transformation.

For a time, London in the Swinging Sixties became the centre of the universe. Hippies, Mods and Rockers emerged and youth culture became a dominant force of change. Above: A female biker clad in leather revs her Triumph racer outside the Houses of Parliament 

Make Love Not War: For an emerging generation of politically conscious youths, global injustices became national talking points. The Vietnam War, seen by many to be as unnecessary as it was brutal, became a focus of political anger, spread through university campuses and on to the streets. Frank Habicht's photographs of the 1960s in London are evidence of this generation in upheaval, such as this photograph, capturing a young actress Vanessa Redgrave protesting the war

(NSFW photo)

No Loss of Face, Earl's Court, London, 1960: The Swinging Sixties saw a se*xual revolution where former conservative values towards se*x were, for some, usurped by experimentation and openness. 'As It Was' is Habicht's treasure-chest of the swinging, groovy, hippie, and psychedelic Sixties in London. It offers an eye-opening contribution to the history of a country that is currently undergoing yet more social transformation

When the German photographer (above) arrived in London in the 1960s, the pop revolution was still in the starting blocks. Flower power, free love, 'make love, not war' - what would become the mottos of a progressive youth culture were still to emerge

Flower Power: A young girl sat among what was said to be 250,000 fellow Rolling Stones fans during their infamous 1969 Hyde Park concert, performed just two days after their guitarist Bryan Jones was found dead in a swimming pool

(NSFW photo) 

Bare-faced cheek: For young woman (including the one pictured), nudity and ownership of their bodies became very political statements. Challenging the traditional conservative values of older generations, the Swinging Sixties saw women embracing their bodies and pushing against expectations of modesty and se*xual subservience. The counterculture rejected the mores of post-Victorian Britain with an ethos that encouraged communal living, artistic experimentation, and a harmony with nature

The capital became known as Swinging London and the places to be were Carnaby Street, the King's Road and Kensington. The baby-boomers had come of age and with the end of National Service in 1960 and with economic recovery they had more freedom and disposable income than their parents. The contraceptive pill had also arrived at the beginning of the decade fuelling a se*xual revolution. Singers of ‘Je t’aime’ Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin share an intimate embrace

In the mid to late 1960s the phenomenon known as the Swinging Sixties took over Britain. It was a youth driven cultural explosion encompassing, music, fashion and art

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[SuesCat]

@feline groovy  I still miss those days!  'Luv that you posted this!  You're Smashing!  LoL  Take care & be well!

and....

((( hugs ))) ~ sue : )

[patbz]

As one who was a young adult in the 60s ( and also in London and San Francisco), Haigt Ashbury was much more like you "think" it was!

[feline groovy]

((( @SuesCat ))):  LOL

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you, and no - YOU behave!  

Hugs to you and your furbabies - hope this thread finds you all happy and feeling good. 

Peace, baby!  

[feline groovy]

@patbz::  heh - good to hear 

[blackhole99]

My friend was lucky enough to be able to take a trip to London in 1969. I don't remember her saying it was too wild, just that the clubs were fabulous and so was the fashion.

[BirkiLady]

My sister traveled to Europe for the summer in 1968. She enjoyed it so much, she stayed for an entire year. She ended up going to school in Paris at the Soirbonne (sp?). I'm sure the party-time was great, but she also was becoming adept at French and furthering her journalism career. (She was majoring in journalism at Uni. of Nebr. when she left.) Upon her return she de-pledged her sororiety! It was life changing in many ways. LOL  She  graduated with her J-school degree from U of N a couple of years later and moved to FL. 

Made my summer vacation to Germany to see my then-finance (later husband) seem pretty tame. We toured Germany, then drove to Spain and back during his R&R from the Military. I returned home (my apartment) within five or six weeks and life returned to normal. 

[PilatesLover]

[PilatesLover]

[PilatesLover]