16 astonishing pictures of Malta life in the 1950s

Malta in the 1950s was the heyday of the baby boomers.

There was no longer rationing post war and the island fortress was undergoing huge social and economic change.

A new Queen was in charge of the British Empire who was vibrantly popular and hope hung in the air for a new era.

It was also the decade when televisions and washing machines first appeared in houses in Malta – something that would transform the lives of housewives – and the standard of living was generally on the up.

Photography was also a popular hobby, as thousands of people starting buying affordable Brownie cameras to capture life in the Maltese Islands.

This never-before-seen collection of images was uncovered by Max Sloan.

He said: ‘A while ago I bought a couple of boxes of photo books at an auction in Canada.

‘In the same lot was a box of bric-a-brac which I had little interest in, but when I got home and emptied out the contents I found two little boxes of postcard sized black and white photographs buried at the bottom.

‘They were all taken in Malta and Gozo between 1957 and 1959.

‘All the pictures are unpublished. They look like they were privately taken so would be unlikely to have been reprinted or published anywhere.’

Until now!

1. One man and his dog at Upper Barrakka Gardens

2. Friends gather for a chat in Rabat

3. Cars head through the King’s Gate in Valletta

4. An ironmonger sells pots and pans from a cart in Pieta

5. A bus from Cospicua heads to Valletta bus terminus

6. A grand view of Marsaxlokk Harbour

7. Sailors admire the view from Upper Barrakka Gardens

8. A monk fishes for his supper at Pieta Creek

 

9. Inside the old boat house at Pieta Creek

10. HMS St Angelo as seen from Senglea

11. A look down Battery Street in Valletta

12. Ships sit in Marsamxett Creek

13. A woman is pictured making Maltese lace

14. Nuns catch up on some gossip in Valletta

15. Mums with prams negotiate the steps at San Anton Gardens

 

16. Is this Malta’s stairway to heaven?

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