Fantastic Photos Of Vintage Cuba Show Life Before Castro

Published July 13, 2014
Updated December 1, 2017

Before the island nation of Cuba became an object of political scorn by the United States, it was a glamorous destination for everyone from American movie stars to aristocrats to revolutionaries. While still isolated in many ways, Cuba is experiencing a resurgence in tourists and general travel interest. The island is a living, breathing testament to the mercurial nature of politics, and photos from Ramiro Fernandez’s fantastic Cuba Then remind us what Cuba once was — and what it could be again.

Havana 1925
The sights of Havana in 1925.

Vintage Cuba Teenagers
Teenagers dance at Mariano Beach in 1956.

Vintage Cuba Lucho
Chilean singer Lucho Gatica talks with a friend at the Havana Hilton in 1958.

Crossdressers Carnival
A group of revelers cross dresses during a 1960 Carnival in Santiago de Cuba.

Vintage Cuba Lina Salome
Cuban singer and dance Lina Salomé zooms around Havana in 1956

Celia Cruz
Singer Celia Cruz dons a dress by Cuban designer Manolo Fernández at Havana's Tropicana Night Club in 1954.

Vintage Cuba Havana 1954
Bus riders show their tickets in Havana, 1954.

Soap Box Derby
A young Desi Arnaz can be seen in this Soap Box Derby photo (second from the left in a white shirt), taken in Santiago de Cuba in 1925.

Vintage Cuba Castro Schoolboy
Before he led the revolution, Fidel Castro (seen at the second row from the top on the far left) played basketball. Here he is with his team--from the Belén Jesuit Preparatory School--in 1943.

Vintage Cuba Cruz Behind
Celia Cruz posing again in 1962.

Vintage Cuba Jaguar
A man pushes his broken down Jaguar XK-120 during the Havana-Guinea-Cienfuegos race in 1955.

Castro Guns
Fidel Castro studies an MK51 gun director in 1961.

Vintage Cuba Havana 1957
A couple steps out for a coffee and a smoke in Havana, 1957.

Vintage Cuba Fu Manchu
"Fu-Manchu" breathes fire in front of Havana's Saratoga Hotel in 1949.

Vintage Cuba Agustin Lara Felix
Mexican songwriter Agustín Lara exchanges glances with actress Maria Felix in Havana, 1948.

Vintage Cuba Che Chess
In 1964, revolutionary Che Guevara takes a break from political thought and focuses instead on the chess board.

Vintage Cuba Emilia Guiu
Actress Emilia Guiú lights up a cigarette in Havana, 1952.

Vintage Cuba Havana Shooting
Actor Alec Guinness and director Carol Reed chat on the set of "Our Man in Havana" at the José Martí airport in 1959.

Vintage Cuba Churchill
Winston Churchill meets with Agriculture minister Germán Alvarez Fuentes to ogle over a box of cigars in 1947.

Vintage Cuba Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway trades words with Spencer Tracy on the set of "The Old Man and the Sea" in 1957.

Vintage Cuba Cesar Romero
Half-Cuban actor César Romero (whose grandfather was famed Cuban poet and revolutionary José Martí) chats with Mexican actress Elena de la Cruz in Havana, 1946.

All photos come courtesy of New York Magazine and Parade. And if you enjoyed these beautiful photographs of Cuba, be sure to check out our posts on Afghanistan in the 1960s and amazing facts! Then, read the most powerful quotes ever by Ernest Hemingway.

author
Savannah Cox
author
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.