We may read about the French cabarets of the Belle Époque or the acid tests of ’60s San Francisco, but how often do we get to see photos of how regular people partied in the past? That (along with the beautiful, black-and-white composition and mid-century, Central European fashion) is what’s so fascinating about Anders Petersen’s Café Lehmitz series, which we discovered via How to Be a Retronaut. Taken in a Hamburg bar between 1967 and 1970, the photographs show regulars behaving naughtily — lovebirds making out in public, drunkards passing out at their tables, middle-aged gals flashing bra, elderly gentlemen removing their shirts to either fight or dance (we can’t tell). Witness the debauchery after the jump.
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen
Photo credit: Anders Petersen