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Article created by: Ieva Pečiulytė

Photos play an important role in our understanding of history. They provide additional details about people, places, and events from different eras that written records sometimes simply cannot portray. Thanks to the surviving images, the past feels more tangible and relatable.

The Instagram account 'History in Black & White' is an excellent example of this. Trying its best to share historical pictures in their original form, the account allows us to take a look at everyday life and pivotal moments that otherwise wouldn't be available to us.

More info: Instagram

#1

Historical picture showing a streamlined locomotive with art deco design in a city setting.

Mercury Trains photographed in 1936. Mercury was the name used by the New York Central Railroad for a family of daytime streamliner passenger trains operating between midwestern cities. The Mercury’s started operating in 1936 and lasted until 1959.

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    #2

    Group of men shaking hands outdoors in historical setting, wearing badges and hats, with trees in the background.

    A 16-year-old Bill Clinton, future 42nd President of the United States, shaking hands with 35th US President John F. Kennedy at a American Legion Boys Nation event on July 24th, 1963.

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    #3

    Child playing banjo with a dog, a nostalgic historical picture in original form.

    A young boy playing the banjo to his dog in 1920.

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    #4

    Historical pic of two soldiers in uniform playing guitar and drums outdoors.

    Private James Hendrix of the 101st Airborne, playing guitar at Fort Campbell Kentucky in 1962. Jimi Hendrix went on to become one of the most influential guitarists of all time.

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    #5

    Man with a suitcase at Animal Rescue League door in historical photo.

    a cat escaping from the Animal Rescue League in Boston, Massachusetts in 1940

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    #6

    Elderly woman wrapped in a white shawl sitting outdoors in a chair, showcasing historical photos.

    Harriet Tubman photographed in 1911 at the age of 89.

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    #7

    Young girl in glasses holding a small frog, showcasing original historical photography style.

    A little girl holding her pet toad at a pet show at Venice Beach, California, USA in 1936.

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    #8

    A historical image features a man playing a trumpet near the Sphinx, with a woman seated nearby, capturing a moment in history.

    Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet for his wife Lucille in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt, in 1961.

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    #9

    Historic cylindrical structure in an ornate room, showcasing original architecture.

    Statue of David by Michelangelo, encased in bricks to prevent damage from bombs, during World War 2. Photograph taken in the 1940s.

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    #10

    Man in a coat shaking hands with a huge walrus by a snowy pond, showcasing historical pics in original form.

    Roland, a 4,000 pound elephant seal, getting a snow bath from his handler at Berlin Zoo, Germany in c. 1930.

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    #11

    Historical pic of a man with arms crossed, wearing traditional clothing, conveying a confident look.

    Oda Nobuyoshi, Japanese Civil Rights activist and dentist during the Meiji Era. Photograph taken in 1880 when he was 20-years-old.

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    #12

    Dog wearing helmet in historical pic beside sandbags; sign reads "Beware the Dog."

    A helmeted bulldog guarding a family outside a block of flats during the Blitz on the 15th October 1940

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    #13

    Historical pic of a shoe with wooden platform, showcasing unique vintage fashion.

    Cow shoes used by moonshiners during the Prohibition Era to hide their footprints, June 18th, 1924.

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    #14

    Historical picture of an old building with people standing outside in vintage attire, showcasing original architecture.

    Photograph of the oldest house in Hamburg, Germany taken in 1898. It was built in 1524 and, despite protests from locals, was demolished on the 8 December 1910.

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    #15

    Crowd gathered in historical Times Square, celebrating a historic event with a replica of the Statue of Liberty in view.

    A large crowd in Times Square, New York City celebrating the surrender of Germany, May 7th, 1945.

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    #16

    Historical pic of a cathedral interior fortified with sandbags, showcasing original architectural details.

    Amiens Cathedral photographed during World War I showing the walls lined with sandbags in order to protect the building from artillery. Taken in Amiens, France in 1918.

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    #17

    Historical photo featuring a tall man with a cane standing among a group of people in a formal indoor setting.

    Robert Wadlow, the tallest man to ever live, with his family in c. 1930s. Wadlow stood at 8 ft 11.1 in (272 cm) tall.

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    #18

    Historical photo of a group in front of the Sphinx, showcasing ancient architecture in its original form.

    A group of Japanese Samurai photographed in front of the Sphinx in Giza, Egypt during a visit to the country, 1864.

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    #19

    Historical classroom outdoors, children at wooden desks, teacher by a blackboard, surrounded by nature.

    An open-air school in the Netherlands photographed in 1957.

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    #20

    Young girl working at a textile mill in historical pic, showcasing early industrial life.

    Sadie Pfeifer, a young girl working at the Lancaster Cotton Mills in Lancaster, South Carolina, in 30 November 1908. At the time of the photograph, Sadie had worked at the mill for half a year.

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    #21

    Two men standing with a large historical horse, showcasing the sheer size and strength of the animal.

    One of the largest and heaviest horses ever recorded, Brooklyn Supreme, photographed in c. 1940s. He stood 19.2 hands (198 cm (6 ft 6 in)) tall and weighed 3,200 lb (1,451 kg).

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    #22

    Historical picture of royal family members, featuring elegantly dressed women and a child at a formal event.

    A young Prince Charles standing between his grandmother, The Queen Mother (left), and aunt, Princess Margaret (right), at his mother Queen Elizabeth's coronation on 2 June 1953

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    #23

    Person in a vintage suit and coat on a ship deck, showcasing an original historical photo.

    Salvador Dali on a ship arriving in New York, United States on the 7 December 1936.

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    #24

    Elderly couple in historical attire, showcasing original form of historical pictures.

    British veteran of the Napoleonic Wars and his wife sitting for a photograph in the 1860s. This veteran served in the Peninsular War which took place from 1807 to 1814 and saw Bourbon Spain assisted by Great Britain against the First French Empire for control of the Iberian Peninsula.

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    #25

    Two men in vintage suits, one sitting and one standing, captured in a historical photograph.

    Future King George V of the United Kingdom sitting next to his cousin, future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia while posing for a photograph at Marlborough House in London, England in c. 1893. George and Nicholas shared the same maternal grandparents.

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    #26

    Hotel site for sale sign in desert, historical image showing original Las Vegas development plans.

    What is now the fully developed Las Vegas strip, 1955.

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    #27

    A man in a dark suit runs alongside a historic horse-drawn carriage with three men in top hats.

    A beggar running alongside the carriage of King George V of the United Kingdom somewhere in London, England, 1920.

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    #28

    Three men playing cards around a table in a historical photograph, capturing a moment from the past.

    The tallest (Cornelius Bruns), shortest (Unknown), and fattest (Cannon Colossus) men in Europe playing cards and drinking together in 1913.


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