30 Utterly Unique Historical Photos That Have A Much Deeper Backstory (New Pics)

Many of the pictures on this are likely the work of a photojournalist. In a nutshell, photojournalism involves using images to convey a story. The practice began during the American Civil War in the 1860s when photographs accompanied news reports.

But photojournalism didn’t enter its golden age until the 1920s. Around this time, smaller cameras began entering the scene after being invented in Germany in 1925. 

What sets a photojournalist apart from a photographer is their code of ethics. Images must convey the truth and tell all sides of the story, regardless of how unpleasant or graphic they can get. 

Likewise, time is of the essence. Photojournalists must feature subjects currently talked about in the world or among a group of people.

Photography, on the other hand, is a form of self-expression. A photographer’s primary goal is to showcase the human condition in its rawest form, as seen in many of the pictures on this list. 

That raises the question, is photography an art form? According to Adobe Research Principal Scientist Aaron Hertzmann, there have been debates about it. As he explains in an article for Medium, artists like painters initially saw photography as a “threat to ‘real art.’”

Eventually, artists like the great Vincent Van Gogh learned to accept photography as a supplement to art. However, they believe an artist can capture something a camera cannot. 

“Van Gogh and many other artists of their generation viewed realism as the job of photography,” Hertzmann wrote. “And the goal of the real artist was to find a way to go beyond realism—to do something that cameras could not do.”

What about you, dear readers? Which of these photos captured your attention the most and why? What is it about them that drew you in? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!