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A photograph is more than just a moment frozen in time. It’s also a fascinating story told through an image, oftentimes much more meaningful than words alone can express.
Check out these examples from the How History Looks Instagram account. These snapshots are enough to captivate, but reading their backstories may make you want to do more digging.
We’ve collected some snapshots from the page, including unseen portraits of notable figures, events that shaped humanity, and pictures of daily life from nearly a full century ago.
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#2
Nimitz 1 month ago (edited)
She's in her 70s now. Always remember that ALL the parents of that school withdrew their kids rather than allow them to go to school with a black girl. She was escorted past dozens of hateful white people throwing rocks and hurling insults at her. She was just a kid. And she went to those classes and sat alone.
Learning about history provides us with enough context and understanding for the present to make informed decisions about the future. But that’s just one of the many reasons to do so.
According to research by University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Lisa Wexler, a lack of accurate knowledge about the historical traumas of one’s culture creates a sense of grief and stress.
Educator and public servant Shahara McGee shares a similar sentiment. In an article for the University of Nevada, Reno publication, McGee explained how knowing about the African-American legacy is more than just learning about the contributions of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X.
“It is vital and a personal moral imperative to share the breadth and depth of Black History, showing what it is and means to the world,” she wrote.
#9
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago (edited)
This is most likely Nakano Takeko, a famous onna-bugeisha (female warrior) in Japanese history. Nakano fought during the Boshin War (1868-1869) and died aged 21. She (and other women) fought "without permission, since the senior Aizu retainers at the time did not allow them to fight as an official part of the army. Her preferred weapon was the naginata. She was wounded by a rifle bullet to the chest in October of 1868, and Nakano asked her younger sister to behead her in order to prevent Nakano being taken captive. She asked that her sister give her an honorable burial. Her sister and another Aizu soldier carried out her wishes, and Nakano was buried at the temple her family attended, in the Fukushima prefecture.
Many photos on this list were taken way before digital cameras and smartphones existed. It was a very different time. For UC Berkeley journalism professor and veteran photojournalist Ken Light, photographs at the time had the same point of view.
In an interview with UC Berkeley News, he explained how the pre-smartphone era allowed people to be fully immersed in the moment they intended to capture with a camera.
“If you took a picture in 1970 of 500,000 people at an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C., they all had their peace fingers up, or their power fists,” he said. “If you took a picture now, they’d all have their cell phones up.”
#10
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
Woodward and Bernstein of the Washington Post. Had to stop my subscription when the WP didn't endorse Kamala Harris over Trump.
Light adds that photographers played a much more important role decades ago: to witness and record history. These days, he says, everyone sees themselves as their own brand and says, “Why do we need a photographer?”
At the same time, he recognized how images are much more powerful through social media and as a tool for change.
“The number of images and videos that can be captured really changes how people can record history,” he said.
Now, it’s your turn, readers. Which of these photos captured your attention the most? What about them drew you in? Let us know in the comments!
#18
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 month ago (edited)
This happened in France during a syndicalist protest. They were best friends growing up. Man on the left is saying "Well, aren't you going to hit me?"
#24
Susan Reid Smith 1 month ago
Picking cotton is rough , not just from the work itself. The protective case around the fibers opens up into what look and feel like wooden spikes.
#28
Bremusa4u 1 month ago
I met him way back when he was one of the WWF top fighters. I was working at an airport's gate and had to wand him. Well I'm barely 5' 2", and was about to climb a chair to start from the top, but he stopped me and instead crouched down to my height til I got done. Everyone around the gate was laughing and he signed autographs and took pictures with his fans.
#30
#33
bodhisayumi 1 month ago
I love the boy with the huge smile on his face. Making the best of hard times.
#34
Boredandsomea 1 month ago
this is an arranged picture by the people in the picture being there for their in the morning of the change. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H
#36
#37
bodhisayumi 1 month ago
Wow! I've never seen this picture before. I never even knew it dried up like this. What happened?
#39
Robert Trebor 1 month ago
The Black Tom explosion in New Jersey on July 30, 1916 was thought to have weakened the arm, and the stairway was closed to the public. Investigation attributed the explosion to German saboteurs, Apparently there were also logistic reasons for keeping it closed even after the repairs in 1984-86, due to the single staircase available in the arm.
#41
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 month ago
Collapsible Boat A. The canvas sides were not put up during the sinking, so many of those who managed to climb onboard died of hypothermia and fell to the sea. Apparently, only 14 survived and were transfered to another boat. The three bodies were left there and the lifeboat drifted off.
#45
Chewie Baron 1 month ago
I like his art, Guernica for example is a masterpiece. Just a shame he was a moronic príck.
#47
Huddo's sister 1 month ago
I remember when we used them when I was younger life jackets we bulkier and more rectangular, compared to the ones now. I felt a little embarrassed wearing them then, which is silly of course.
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