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These Vintage Ice Cream Photos Will Make Your Mouth Water

1 minute read
Updated: | Originally published: ;

Brain freezes, sticky fingers and sugar rushes—oh, the sacrifices an ice cream addict makes for her dessert of choice. Though the treat has origins overseas, it is such a fixture of summertime in America that in 1984, President Ronald Reagan (also a connoisseur of jelly beans) declared July National Ice Cream Month. In his proclamation, Reagan called ice cream “a nutritious and wholesome food” and summoned Americans “to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” And, for those who require more specificity, there’s an Ice Cream Day too, which falls on the third Sunday of the month.

And so it was decreed: Eating ice cream—at least for one month out of 12—is not only an American pastime, but an American duty.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Two young boys eating ice cream, 1939.
Two young boys eating ice cream, 1939.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Melinda Bennett eating an ice cream cone.
Melinda Bennett eating an ice cream cone, 1940. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Debutantes eating ice cream at an ice cream parlor.
Debutantes eating ice cream at an ice cream parlor, 1940.William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young boy eating ice cream, 1942.
A young boy eating ice cream, 1942.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A boy eating ice cream at the Kentucky State Fair, 1944.
A boy eating ice cream at the Kentucky State Fair, 1944.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A teenage boy in Iowa eating ice cream, 1945.
A teenage boy in Iowa eating ice cream, 1945.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Businessman eating ice cream cone outside a drugstore, 1946.
Businessman eating ice cream cone outside a drugstore, 1946.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Young girl eating ice cream, 1946.
Young girl eating ice cream, 1946.Roy Stevens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Bathing suit model eating ice cream by a lake, 1946.
Bathing suit model eating ice cream by a lake, 1946.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Little boy eating ice cream on the screened-in porch in Cape Cod, 1946.
Little boy eating ice cream on the screened-in porch in Cape Cod, 1946.Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Teenagers eating an ice cream cone together, 1947.
Teenagers eating an ice cream cone together, 1947.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Kids enjoying ice cream at Linda Vista Shopping Center, 1948.
Kids enjoying ice cream at Linda Vista Shopping Center, 1948.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Triplets eating ice cream cones, Robert (L), Sheldon (C) and Ronald (R) Schwartz, 1949.
Triplets eating ice cream cones, Robert (L), Sheldon (C) and Ronald (R) Schwartz, 1949.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
National Ice Cream Day
Tame lion cub being fed ice cream cone by zookeeper's daughters Janice and Judith Owens who also share their treat with the family dog, at home. A. Y. Owen—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Balinese dancing girls eating ice cream, 1952.
Balinese dancing girls eating ice cream, 1952.Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Charles, Stephen and Kenneth Winston standing with cartons of ice cream, cones and cookies representing a year's consumption, 1953.
Charles, Stephen and Kenneth Winston standing with cartons of ice cream, cones and cookies representing a year's consumption, 1953.George Skadding—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Boy eating ice cream cone at the circus in Madison Square Garden, 1953.
Boy eating ice cream cone at the circus in Madison Square Garden, 1953.Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Two women enjoying ice cream cones at Iowa State Fair, 1955.
Two women enjoying ice cream cones at Iowa State Fair, 1955.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young boy eating an ice cream cone at the local drugstore, 1957.
A young boy eating an ice cream cone at the local drugstore, 1957.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
An "Or-bit" sundae in honor of astronaut John Glenn's orbital flight, 1962.
An "Or-bit" sundae in honor of astronaut John Glenn's orbital flight, 1962.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Chapman College students eating Italian ice cream while participating in four-month educational cruise to Greece and Italy, 1968.
Chapman College students eating Italian ice cream while participating in four-month educational cruise to Greece and Italy, 1968.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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