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Traveling back to the distant past isn’t possible and likely won’t be anytime soon. The closest thing we have to turning back the clock are vintage photographs that give us a glimpse of how life was back in the day.
The “Historical Snapshots” Instagram account is one of the many excellent resources for these pictures. It’s an homage to those who’ve lived their lives without many of the luxuries and societal changes we get to enjoy and experience today. The concise profile bio sums it up nicely: “Honor people. Understand the past.”
These are some of the standout images from the page. Enjoy today’s travel back in time!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
"Love Came To Me, And I Was Not Afraid To Marry The Man I Loved Because Of His Color." - Helen Pitts Douglass
RELATED:
#2
Portrait Of A Navajo Native American. Taken By Carl Moon, Circa 1906
#3
American Soldiers Pay Tribute To The Fallen Animals, 1918
Horses, mules and donkeys were used during WWI to transport ammunition and supplies to the front. They did so through the horrors of shellfire and appalling conditions. Eight million of them died during the war.
The invention of photography in 1839 changed the way people lived. All of a sudden, humans had the ability to capture a single moment through a still image and immortalize it for future generations.
As the Modern Museum of Art points out, photographs can help shape our understanding of different cultures, their history, and, most importantly, the people who appear in them.
#4
Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor Feeds A Two Week Old Orphan Kitten
Frank, a marine during the Korean War, found the kitten and named her Miss Hap because “she was born at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Premislaus de Colo 1 year ago
Absolutely had to chceck, and yes, there is a happy ending for both him and the kitten, although they went their separate ways
#5
Portrait Of A Woman And Baby, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico In 1914
#6
Ah-Weh-Eyu (Pretty Flower), From The Seneca Nation, 190
Since we’re on the topic of attention-grabbing vintage photographs, the iconic “Migrant Mother” is a stellar example. Taken in 1936 during the Great Depression, it features an impoverished woman in a pea-pickers camp in California, alongside her children hiding their faces.
It was such a moving photograph that it urged the federal government to send 20,000 pounds of food to the camp.
#7
Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner And Blanche Osborn, Women Airforce Service Pilots During Wwii, Pictured Here As They Leave Their Airplane,
#8
Before She Became Famous As An Actress In All In The Family, Maude, And Golden Girls, Bea Arthur Worked As A Truck Driver And Typist In The United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve During Wwii
#9
O-O-Be, A Kiowa Native American, Circa 1895
“Man on the Moon” is another well-known snapshot that captures one of the most significant human accomplishments in history. It’s a photograph of astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s first steps on the moon’s surface by the great Neil Armstrong.
This 1969 picture shows the lone Aldrin standing with the vast expanse of space as his backdrop. Unfortunately, this photo doesn’t deter today’s skeptics who doubt that the event ever happened.
#10
Portrait Of Two Women. Zanzibar, Circa 1900
#11
Red Cross Nurse And Rescue Dog, Wwi
#12
Portrait Of An Inuit Woman And Child, Circa 1912
The 1945 flag-raising photo on Iwo Jima will always be legendary, especially for military veterans, historians, and loyal Americans. Photographed by Joe Rosenthal, it shows a group of US Marines planting the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi to mark its capture and signify America’s victory in World War II.
Despite doubts about its authenticity, the picture never fails to spark feelings of patriotism, especially among those who served during the war.
#13
Edward Bouchet Became The First African American To Earn A Phd In The U.S. When He Completed His Dissertation In Physics At Yale In 1876
#14
A Snapshot Of Life From Nebraska, 1910
#15
Liberated Survivors Of Auschwitz, 1945
We’d also like to hear from you, readers. Which of these photos stood out to you the most? How do they make you feel? Let us know in the comments below!
#16
Portrait Of Selika Lazevski, Believed To Be A Horsewoman Who Rode At Nouveau Cirque In Paris
#17
Portrait Of A Navajo Woman, Circa 1904
#18
London, 1899. Photo By Leonard Misonne
#19
Portrait Of Flora Stewart. She Was Said To Be Vivacious With A “Remarkably Retentive Memory.”
Willem Andries Oosterhof 1 year ago
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/06/04/flora-stewart-londonderry-nh
#20
Elizabeth L. Gardner Of Rockford, Illinois, A Wasp (Women's Airforce Service Pilot) Pilot, Circa 1940s
#21
Portrait Of Billie Holiday And Her Dog Mister, NYC, Circa 1947
#22
Portrait Of Hattie Tom, An Apache Native American, 1899
#23
Sergeant Karen Hermiston, Or “Hermie” As People Called Her, Was Courageous And Determined, Earning A Place In Canadian History As The Only Official Female Photographer For The Armed Forces To Work Amidst Combat During World War II
Final score:
112points
#24
Kaw-U-Tz, A Caddo Native American, 1906
#25
Roger Williams University In Nashville, Tennessee, 1899
Lauren Wilder 1 year ago
The land this school sat on is now Vanderbilt University. On the night of January 24, 1905, at ten o'clock, a mysterious fire destroyed Centennial Hall. The school reopened, but on May 22, 1905, another fire of unknown origin leveled Mansion House. The American Baptist Home Mission Society closed Roger Williams University and subsequently sold part of the land to realtors and the rest to George Peabody College for Teachers by 1911. Realtors subdivided the land for resale, with covenants on the deeds that restricted sale to any "person of African descent."
#26
Portrait Of The Fisk University Class Of 1888
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Incredible for the time and especially incredible for this being in the southern United States.
#27
Portrait Of Lillian, Cora And Luvenia Ward. Taken In Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900
#28
Portrait Of A Sami Family, Norway, Circa 1890
#29
Portrait Of Nora Oo-Teen'a, An Inuit Woman. Alaska, 1903
#30
“Jitterbugging On A Saturday Evening,” Mississippi, 1939
#31
Portrait Of A Young Girl And Child. Japan, Circa 1908
#32
Iron Thunder, Crow Eagle, Fool Thunder, Slow White Buffalo, All Holding Peace Pipes, Dakota, Circa 1880s
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
This is a good looking group of men, but the fellow in the front is extra fine. Just my humble opinion. ;-)
#33
Portrait Of Chaiwa, A Tewa Native American, Circa 1906
#34
An Unidentified Soldier, Australia, Ww1
#35
Paris, 1900
Ece Cenker 1 year ago
This is during the World Exhibition. The buildings were pavilions of various countries.
#36
Portrait Of A Woman. Ontario, Canada, Circa 1890
#37
Portrait Of A Family. Manzanar Relocation Center, 1943
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
When these people were released from the camps, their houses and possessions had been taken by the government or individuals, probably their neighbors.
#38
Portrait Of A Union Army Soldier From The U.S. Civil War And His Family, Circa 1864
#39
A Spinner And Her Spinning Wheel. County Galway, Ireland, Circa 1890
#40
Five Year Old Warren Bernard Runs Out Of His Mother's Grasp To His Father, A Soldier From New Westminster, Canada Who Was Going To Fight For Canada In Wwii
#41
Portrait Of A Family. Florida, Circa 1900
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
I start to think that's a LOT of kids and then I remember my grandmother had 11!
#42
Portrait Of Cotton Mill Workers In Georgia, U.S., 1909
John Dilligaf 1 year ago (edited)
that woman in the middle looks like she's lost all her f*cks and is about to give someone a beatdown
#43
An Apache Woman, 1888
#44
Florence Was Thirty-Two Years Old, A Mother Of Seven Children, Living In Nipomo, California With Her Children And Partner, Jim Hill, 1936
"I worked in hospitals. I tended bar. I cooked. I worked in the fields. I done a little bit of everything to make a living for my kids."
#45
Mother & Son, Ireland, Circa 1890
#46
Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston In An 1896 Self-Portrait Of A "New Woman," Taken In Her Washington, Dc Studio
#47
Women Making Fun Of Sign At Beach Requiring Full Bathing Suits. Miami, Florida, 1934
#48
Portrait Of Martha Perkins, 1901
#49
Warsaw Ghetto, 1943
#50
A Snapshot Of Historical Fashion From Japan, 1910s
#51
Portrait Of An Inupiat Family From Noatak, Alaska. Circa 1929
#52
Women In Chicago Being Arrested For Wearing One Piece Bathing Suits Without The Required Leg Coverings, 1922
#53
Portrait Of Iron White Man, A Sioux Native American, Circa 1900
#55
The World Knew Him As "Blind Tom" Wiggins, A Musical Prodigy, One Of The Best-Known American Performing Pianists Of The 19th Century
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
He was blind from birth and died fairly young (59) due to a series of strokes.
#56
Portrait Of A Family, 1890
#57
Chief Bone Necklace Of The Oglala Lakota, 1899
#58
Wedding Rings Of Concentration Camp Victims. They Were Found Near Buchenwald By U.S. Army Soldiers In 1945
Cara Vinson 1 year ago
My grandpa was a liberator of Buchenwald. He had nightmares the rest of his life, and he lived a long time.
#59
Portrait Of Kikisoblu, Also Known As Princess Angeline. Born Sometime In The 1820s, Kikisoblu Was The Daughter Of Chief Seattle Of The Duwamish Tribe
#60
Josie, Six Years Old, Bertha, Six Years Old, And Sophie, 10 Years Old. All Shuckers At Maggioni Canning Co. Location: Port Royal, South Carolina. Circa 1911
#61
Photograph Of 1924 Miss America Winner, Ruth Malcolmson
#62
Children Of Miners. Scott’s Run, West Virginia, 1937
#63
An Albanian Woman From Italy At Ellis Island, Circa 1905
#64
Riding A New Tricycle, 1882. Photo By Chas. W Oldrieve
Janissary35680 1 year ago
Tricycle designed for a steampunk version of Mad Max, "Before the Thunderdome".
#65
Elvin Harley Of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Of The 3rd Armored Division, Gets A Peck On The Cheek From A French Girl While Listening To The 9th Armored Division Band Near Aboncourt, France. February 14, 1945
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I had boots exactly like those worn by the soldier when I was a little girl.
#67
A Snapshot Of Life From Denver, 1907
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
I see people who are people just the same as everyone else, regardless of pigmentation levels, out enjoying a bike ride :) May we all remember that human beings are human beings no matter how much melanin you do or don't have, or what shape your eyes are, or what your cultural background is. We are all humans, and we all have hopes and dreams. We all laugh at funny jokes. We all have favorite colors, flowers, animals, and books. In other words, we are all one species despite our differences <3
#68
A Few Miss Europe Candidates, 1930
#69
Tattoo Artist Maud Wagner, U.S., 1907
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Lydia, oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, oh Lydia the queen of tattoos!
#70
Portrait Of John Smith, A Chippewa Native American. He Was Also Known As Gaa-Binagwiiyaas, Amongst Other Names
#71
Jewish People From Subcarpathian Rus Await Selection At Auschwitz-Birkenau, May 1944
#72
Portrait Of Angeline Perkins With Her Children, Nellie And William. Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900
#73
A Snapshot Of Life From New York, Circa 1910
#74
A Snapshot Of Life, Circa 1910
#75
Portrait Of Ute Chief Severo And His Family, Circa 1885
#76
A Snapshot Of Life From Washington Dc, Circa 1920
#77
Central Park, NYC, Circa 1900
#78
Portrait Of A Family In Gainesville, Florida. Circa 1900
#79
An Italian Mother And Child Who Just Arrived At Ellis Island, Circa 1905
#80
Mulberry St., NYC, 1900
#81
Portrait Of A Family, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1862
#82
An Immigrant Family At Ellis Island, Circa 1905
#83
A Snapshot Of Life, 1940s
#84
Charlie Chaplin And Helen Keller On The Set Of Chaplin's Film "Sunnyside", 1919
DEW 1 year ago
I've always been fascinated by Helen Keller. Back in my school days I did a book report about her. Due to book reports I was fascinated Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, and King Henry the 8th. He kept 1 of his wives in the London tower so every time I see it or it's mentioned I think of his wife waiting for her execution. I believe it was Anne Boleyn his second wife. I learned that King Henry is in the vault in St. Georges Chapel Windsor UK when Prince Philip passed away. I want to go in every room of the Palace and just look and I want to look at the Royal jewelery. I don't want photos I just want to see and hear about the history of the Palace.
#86
Taking A Selfie, NYC, 1920
#87
Portrait Of Charlie Chaplin, Circa 1920
#88
Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1905
#89
Hans Langseth, A Norwegian-American, Holds The Record For Longest Beard In History. His Beard Measured 17 Ft 6 In At The Time Of His Death In Wyndmere, North Dakota
#90
Italian Immigrants Arrive At Ellis Island, 1905
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Elladine DesIsles 1 year ago
The Ellis Island photos are all dated 1905. Does anyone know if they are part of a particular collection, or the work of one photographer? My great-grandmother came through Ellis Island en route to the Canadian prairies, but not until 1910.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
My grandparents came through Ellis Island in the early 1900s, but I don't have an exact date. They settled in NYC.
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Elladine DesIsles 1 year ago
The Ellis Island photos are all dated 1905. Does anyone know if they are part of a particular collection, or the work of one photographer? My great-grandmother came through Ellis Island en route to the Canadian prairies, but not until 1910.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
My grandparents came through Ellis Island in the early 1900s, but I don't have an exact date. They settled in NYC.
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