Not unlike its Western “great power” counterparts, 1960s France was a time of economic gains and social upheaval. Under the presidency of Charles de Gaulle, the country rebuilt itself from the destruction wrought by World War II, becoming more prosperous and less reliant on countries like the United States along the way.

Students from the Sorbonne kick it in the Luxembourg Gardens, 1950.

From a young age, the French trust their children to do grocery shopping and not spend the money on drugs. 1961.

Doggie, je t’aime: part deux, 1955.

Menfolk in Paris do their part, 1955.

A woman tries to work one of those new-fangled “parking meters,” 1964.

A man and his dog wait for the bar to officially open, 1956.

A ballerina demonstrates the correct way to enter the Parisian métro, 1955.

These people are having highly philosophical conversations. Comme d’habitude, 1956.

A French postal worker makes sure to smell each envelope before delivery to ensure it has been spritzed with the right amount of Chanel No. 5, 1956.

Doggie, je t’aime, 1969.

Dancing in the streets on Bastille Day, 1961.

Beauty in a cafe, 1968.

A very fashionable lady waits. But for whom, we ponder. 1960.

Twin sisters avoid eye contact with a waiter, 1955.

What clubbing in 1955 looked like.

Russian ballerina Sonia Petrovna waits for le bus, showing restraint by not dancing, 1966.

Young ladies sun by the banks of the Seine, 1965.

On a visit to Paris, Jane Fonda demonstrates the single-gloved scarf-tying technique, a very difficult French move to master, 1963.

Couple in La Methode cafe, 1960.

Two fine ladies at a cafe on the Champs-Élysées, ca. 1960s.

Beatniks just chilling, 1955.