Before 'health and safety', the 1930s workmen who climbed 100m up to repair the Statue of Liberty WITHOUT ropes or harnesses

They were the days when builders needed a head for heights and couldn't be afraid of taking their life in their own hands.

Vertigo-inducing images from the 1930s reveal workmen repairing the Statue of Liberty and other U.S. landmarks without any safety equipment.

Another brave steeplejack performs a death-defying climb up one of America's oldest skyscrapers to carry out building work.

The stomach-turning pictures show the modern trend of 'skywalking' atop high-rise or precarious landmarks was taking place in New York as early as 1917.

With few health and safety codes or practises, these working class craftsmen risked life and limb on a daily basis to carry out repairs or maintenance on the buildings and monuments without ropes or harnesses.

Perched precariously atop the Statue of Liberty, one steeplejack even performs a death-defying handstand 93 metres high on Lady Liberty's crowned head.
As a forerunner to the thrill-seeking 'skywalkers' of today, some steeplejacks risked considerably more than others.

Seen here at the very top of the famous Woolworth building in Downtown Manhattan, one steeplejack, wearing overalls and a flat cap, hammers at the highest point of the steeple.

At an astonishing 792 ft high, with 57 floors and 34 lifts, the Woolworth building was the tallest in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930.

In another unbelievable image, men are seen hanging from the granite face of George Washington as they carry out repairs on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.