People Are Sharing Pics Of Life 100 Years Ago, And They Might Put Things In A New Perspective
InterviewHumans are nostalgic creatures. There's simply something magical about traveling back in time to witness the black and white (or bronze tinted) world before us. Is it the nostalgia for better, simpler times? Or perhaps a hunt for costume ideas for an Edwardian-era party? Either way, scrolling through photos of the bygone days is a joy in itself, no matter the reason.
That's why today we gathered some of the most captivating photos that were taken 100 years ago. Right about when horses were still the most popular (although fading) form of transportation, and Mount Rushmore was nothing but a rock. So whether you’re a photography aficionado or a history nerd always looking for new pieces of a puzzle that is life before us, we hope you enjoy this century-old album.
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Phoebe Ann Moses Butler, Also Known As Annie Oakley, Aiming A Rifle In 1922
The power of nostalgia is undeniable. And historical photos, such as the ones you see on this list, can be a quick one-way ticket to the source of this enigmatic emotion. But what exactly is nostalgia and why is looking at a bunch of Napoleonic veterans so effective at evoking it?
Well, before we go any further, we need to agree that history and nostalgia are not the same thing. As a Guardian journalist once wrote in his piece about vintage pictures: "Looking at Cornelia Sorabji [first woman to study law at Oxford University], it is not so much her historic achievements that move me as the fact she is there, before my eyes, as immediately as my parents or my childhood self."
In other words, not knowing the history or significance of the photo you're looking at may not affect its nostalgic charm on you. Just think of the iconic 'V-J Day Kiss in Times Square' photo. Does not knowing what in the world was happening behind the lens lessen the frozen moment's magic? We doubt it.
Beauty Show In 1922
For some, the nostalgic value of a historical photo lies purely in the visual and aesthetic qualities of the image. This may also explain why social media brought into fashion the use of a retro filter (thanks Instagram!). According to one study, 63% of respondents said that they prefer vintage-style photos to modern ones.
And yet, think of a picture of your grandparents on their wedding day or a hazy shot of your hometown before it was filled with multi-story offices and Starbucks. Can you feel the warmth and fuzz? Well, that's the other kind of nostalgia that works because of our personal memories and cultural associations - something that films like last year's Oscar winner Aftersun manage to capture in all its colors.
Youngstown, Ohio Confectioner. Harry B. Burt Filed The First Patent For His Signature Method Of Chocolate-Coating His "Good Humor" Ice Cream Bars
Delegation Of Minnesota League Of Women Voters With A Mile Signatures For World Court Proposal
"If we let women vote, people would want to marry goats next! It's unnatural, I'm tellin' ya!"
One would think we'd have evolved our rationales and stopped passing laws targeting the rights and freedoms of people just because they're "not like us".... All those old white guys who tried like hell to keep rights away from and take away rights from everyone who wasn't a white Christian man must be so damn proud... Here we are in 2023 and a bunch of white Christians are still trying to take away the rights and dignity of others, just because they're "not like us". In another 100 years when people look at whatever their internet looks like, how many "aren't you glad you weren't alive when..." compilations will feature Trump, DeSantis, Jordan, McConnell, Bannon, McCarthy, MTG, Boebert, Hailey, etc?
Load More Replies...100 years later they have figured out how to rig the elections in some states!
Load More Replies...And to this day the us are not part and do not recognize any international court. They even fight them.
Someday, maybe, women will have the vote. Then they'll take control of their bodies, I tell you! Because I find it hard to believe the women of America filled their Congress with almost all men.
Well when you have an ex president who packed the supreme court with extremely right wing people, and they serve for life, and the Republicans have control of the house they can pass some crazy laws, e.g. reversing Roe V. Wade
Load More Replies...There have been several times when a person would start a petition to end women's suffrage and collected loads of women's signatures. Until it was pointed out that suffrage meant the right to vote. They all quickly changed their minds of course!
That was a prank done for a YouTube channel outside of a California college
Load More Replies...We should go back in time show them how messed up our world is now all cuz women voti g lol truth hurts
Helen F. Day, A Blind Woman, Who Published Searchlight, A Publication For Blind Children. She Is Probably Holding A Device For Printing In Braille
Believe it or not, there was a time when nostalgia, and the leisurely act of flipping through scrapbooks, was seen in a negative light. Physicians in the 17th and 18th centuries viewed it as a neurological disease, sometimes even using it as an excuse to discharge soldiers from the battlefield.
Obviously, the prevailing view on this bittersweet emotion has changed over the years. As one research study has found, nostalgia generates positive feelings, improves self-regard, and even enhances our bonds with others.
My Family's Jewelry Store Is In The Exact Location It's In Now, But In 1922
A Woman Holding A "Cane Flask" During Prohibition In 1922, Washington, D.C.
I still use a similar thing to circumvent paying the exorbitant prices for booze charged at racecourses in the UK !!
National Women's Party Group In 1922 April
But can nostalgia explain why many of us enjoy an occasional dip in century-old photo albums? According to Clay Routledge, a leading expert in the psychology of nostalgia, to whom Bored Panda spoke to better understand our collective fascination with this bittersweet emotion, it most likely can.
“Our personal stories are part of a broader social and cultural fabric that link people across generations. For instance, the movies from my childhood that are connected to my personal nostalgia have characters and themes that were inspired by the creative works of previous generations,” Routledge said, giving examples of the timeless classics, Star Wars and The Terminator.
Does this mean there'll be a time far in the future when a photo of Mr. Beast playing with a fidget spinner will unleash the same wave of nostalgia as a couple taking a mirror selfie in the 1920s does for us? Probably so.
Fire Engine Drawn By Running Horses
Madame Asta Souvrina And Her Dog Listening To The Radio
A School For Girls In Arabian Peninsula, Bahrain
Another great reason why many of us enjoy looking at online lists such as this one is hope. Not just any hope, but hope for the future. "Even historical nostalgia that appears largely unrelated to our memories might have a comforting and motivating effect if it helps give us ideas for solving today's challenges and building a better future," Routledge explained.
Although this kind of nostalgia is mostly associated with our personal memories and is often used as a coping mechanism (instead of a spark for action); one study has found that people who recalled a nostalgic event reported feeling more optimistic about their future than those who remembered an ordinary event.
A Broken T Model Ford
1923 Girl Basketball Team
In 1922 In The Volga Estuary, A Beluga Sturgeon Was Caught. It Was Around 23 Feet And Weighed 3,463 Lb. They Truly Are Dinosaurs Of The Sea
Recently, a catchy new term emerged on the internet which explains why current generations enjoy scouring through vintage photos. "If I understand the concept correctly, 'retronauting' is about reflecting on the past in order to feel better about the present," David Ludden, a professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, explained to Bored Panda. "We see these vintage photos and think, 'Wow, life was really hard back then. We’re really lucky to be living in modern times.' And this sentiment is largely accurate. We’re healthier, we live longer, and we have so many modern conveniences."
While nostalgia and the so-called retronauting share the same appeal, David notes that they both do it in completely opposite ways. "Nostalgia is the act of reflecting on a past time that was better than the present to make us feel better now," he said. "While retronauting sees the present as better than the past" for the same effect. So no matter which camp you belong to, you will still reap the joys of nostalgia.
"No More War" Demonstration In Germany. 1922 July 10
Four years after the First World War, the war to end all wars. If only...
Albert And Elsa Einstein In Japan With Local Hosts, 1922
Austrian Nobleman Takes "Traveling Candy Store" On The Road In 1922
Am I the only one getting a distinctly "child catcher" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vibe?🤔
Another phenomenon that became more and more apparent the longer we've dealt with the pandemic over the last few years: we use nostalgia as a blanket to get through the difficult times. Just think of all the sourdough starters you or your friends made. The binging of 90s cult classics like "Friends", which experienced a massive 30% bump in viewership right after we collectively got stuck inside.
Routledge thinks this is because nostalgia has the power to remind us of better times, and that everything will eventually be alright. "We tend to become more nostalgic during times of rapid change and the uncertainty and anxiety such change creates because nostalgia is psychologically stabilizing," he said.
Pharoah's Daughters, Water Carriers. Egypt
Chemistry Class Teacher
Pharmacist Mixing Medicine With Mortar And Pestle. 1923 March 5
A dash of opium, some cocaine, dissolve in grain alcohol and you're cold medicine is complete mam.
You may have noticed the increasing popularity of TV shows based in the years when people still, unironically said "gnarly." Just look at the popularity of Netflix's "Stranger Things". Likewise, the slow but steady comeback of record players. This may have to do with our digital lifestyles, Routledge explains. "Interestingly, and ironically, the age of the internet may be both increasing our need for nostalgia and providing more ways to meet that need," he told.
Matt Raoul, the founder of the TimeHop app which feeds users their forgotten social media photos, told WIRED magazine that smartphones might be responsible for that as well. "[They] gave us the ability to document every single aspect of our lives – but they don’t help us make sense of the information. Reflecting on past memories is a way to slow down and make sense of all that noise," Raoul explained.
Test Flight Of Pescara's Helicopter, 1922
It actually flew! Before this I've only seen photos of it failing to fly.
Tornado Over The Capitol In 1922, May
2022 Energy Predictions. New York Sunday Newspaper In 1922 May 7
For anyone wondering, I found the full article: https://thefinanser.com/2022/11/what-the-world-will-look-like-in-a-hundred-years-from-now
Man Holding North-Western Type Of Spearthrower And Wearing Pubic Fur Tassel. Wardaman People, Northern Territory
The Last Message Left By 47 Entombed Miners In Argonaut Mine, Jackson, Calif. Written With Carbide Lamps On The Face Of The 4350 Foot Drift
The message on the wall reads: "3 O'clock, gas getting strong"
High School Pageant In 1923
Blizzard In 1922 January 28
Moroccan Making A Carpet
U.S. Army Men Seated Around The Table, While One On Horseback Jumping Over It
International Conference Regarding The Use Of Esperanto
Esperanto was a synthetic language devised by Polish eye doctor Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof, who in 1887, published a pamphlet in Russian, Polish, French, and German describing Esperanto and proposing it as an easy-to-learn second language. An international Esperanto movement developed in the 1890s, culminating in the first world congress of Esperanto speakers in 1905. After WWI, the League of Nations considered adopting Esperanto as a working language and recommending that it will be taught in schools, but proposals along these lines were vetoed by France.
The good thing about Esperanto is that it doesn't have hugely complicated grammar rules, a gazillion exceptions to those rules (like English does), and it's a relatively easy language to learn. It's a shame that it didn't take off.
A Berlin Banker Counting Stacks Of Bundled Marks In 1923
Medical Students At The Clinical Club, 1923
Hired Mourners In A Jewish Cemetery In 1923
Knickerbocker Theater Disaster. 1922 January 30
98 patrons killed, 133 injured. Both owner and architect killed themselves, 1927 and 1937 respectively.
Clowns Perform At Children's Hospital
Tokio Survivors Of The Earthquake Receiving Rice At Shita Park
Allan Dwan Is Making Himself Heard By Twelve Hundred Extras Through The Medium Of The World's Largest Megaphone. Four Feet In Diameter And Ten Feet Long
Women Selling Vegetables In The Market. Hungary
Bulgarian Peasant Women In Marketplace, With Piles Of Black And White Wool
Hang on a cotton picking minute! How do we know that the wool (in a black and white photo) isn't vibrant pink, tartan or whatever? 😋
Demonstrating Hot Stupes. Safeguarding From Danger Of Fire By Placing Solidified Alcohol In Deep Basin So It Cannot Be Overturned
January 1st In 1922
Red Cross Class In Home Hygiene And Care Of The Sick. Bathing The Baby. April 1922
Women Working With Sewing Machines In The Factory. Leicester, England
Singing Girls. Hong Kong, China 1922
New Mothers Learning Infant Care At A Hadassah Child Welfare Center, Jerusalem
Demonstration Of Artificial Respiration At The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company in Washington, D.C.
Photograph Shows An Interior View Of The USS Shenandoah Under Construction At The Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey
The USS Shenandoah famously and spectacularly crashed. On 2 September 1925, Shenandoah departed Lakehurst on a promotional flight to the Midwest. While passing through an area of thunderstorms and turbulence over Ohio early in the morning of September 3 the airship was caught in a violent updraft that carried it beyond the pressure limits of its gas bags. It was torn apart in the turbulence and crashed in three main pieces near Caldwell, Ohio. Fourteen crew members, including Commander Zachary Lansdowne, were killed; two men who fell through holes in the hull; and four mechanics who fell with the engines.
Milk Distribution At A Children's Health Clinic In Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland
Woman Using Typewriter In The Shower
Handmade Pots
Excavation Of The Tomb Of Tutankhamun
Landing 250 Bars Of Gold Worth 2 Million Dollars From America Via The Baltic. Liverpool, March 26, 1923
From in2013dollars.com: "The 2.91% inflation rate means $2,000,000 in 1923 is equivalent to $35,302,456.14 today. This inflation calculator uses the official US consumer price index ..." Thats 35 billion.
Machine Spreading Asphalt, 1923
Auto Wreck
That is an early Chevrolet. The company was founded in 1911 (11 years earlier) by William C. Durant. It was named for a popular French race-car driver Louis Chevrolet.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle And His Family Looking Over The Wall And Pointing To New York City
Destroying Liquor In 1923
Tuileries, Prix De L'aero-Club, Departure Of A Balloon In 1922 May 14
Students Training Camp
Blackfeet Squaw At White House, 1923-06-07
Lincoln Memorial In Washington, D.C. 1923
I wish we were still allowed to do this! Although in recent winters it hasn't even been cold enough to freeze the pool. :(
Italian Opera Singer Claudia Muzio Listening To The Radio With Headphones While Holding A Dog Who Also Has Headphones
2 Women Operating Gum-Wrapping Machine At The American Chicle Company Plant
Rugby Team. 1922
Sorry, not rugby - in those days, no headwear or armour - I suspect that is American/Canadian (as it's from Alberta's archives) football
Hospital Roof Tent, 1923
Photographer Constantin Grünberg Stands On The Wing Of An Airplane On The Beach Of Katajanokka On The Way To Tallinn
Grace Coolidge And Girl Scouts At The White House, Washington, D.C.
"What yummy cookies you girls have brought me!" This was back when the cookies were realistically affordable
Horse Christmas Party
The Police On Motorcycle Trailing Car With Smoke In 1923
Bathing Group At Hai Mng, Guangdong, China
A Race Car Driver Enrico Giaccone At The 1922 French Grand Prix
Hospital Operating Room, 1923
A. Buck Carving The Lord's Prayer On The Walking Canes. He Has Sold $2000 Worth Of These Canes In 1922
Surgery In 1922
First Australia's National Soccer Team
World Billiard Championship. Charles Darantiere. Party Hall Of The Academy Of Abbesses
Baseball In 1922
Man Baking Bread
Nurse In 1922
Scene From "He Who Gets Slapped" Garrick Theatre In NYC
"He Who Gets Slapped" became a WONDERFUL horror movie, starring Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, and John Gilbert. A famous inventor (Chaney) gets his invention and wife stolen. Depressed and suicidal, he disappears. Under a new identity he funnels his self-hatred and becomes a famous circus clown whose act consists of other clowns lining up and slapping him. Then he falls in love with a beautiful aerialist (Norma Shearer) who hurts him worse. FANTASTIC movie - true horror - see it.
Black Girls And Women Employed In A Lamp-Shade Factory
A View Showing The Business District Of Smyrna. Photograph Showing Horse Drawn Carts And Trolleys On A Busy Street In The Izmir Business District
Dragon Balloon, Norra Frosunda In 1922
What on earth kind of shape was this supposed to be? Very odd looking
The Fire Destroyed The Old Imperial Hotel In Tokyo, Japan. 1922 April 16
This Imperial Hotel was replaced by a bigger hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It officially opened on September 1,1923. Wright designed it to look like an IH (Imperial Hotel), with the guest room wings forming the letter "H", while the public rooms were in a smaller but taller central wing shaped like the letter "I" that cut through the middle of the "H". Wright designed a special, flexible foundation to help the Hotel withstand earthquakes. Indeed it did! The Wright-designed Imperial Hotel was one of the few buildings to survive the 1923 Great Tokyo earthquake.
The Kinner Airster Which Was Built For Amelia Earhart
Boxer Siki Doing Shadow Boxing
Roy D. Haynes In 1923-12-26
A Ceremonial Bed In The Shape Of The Celestial Cow, Surrounded By Provisions And Other Objects In The Antechamber Of The Tomb
Yankees In 1923
Central Post Office In Louvre Street
Illinois River Flood At Beardstown In April 1922
Auto Show In 1923 At The Grand Palais
Girls Of Slovakia In Their Beautiful Colored Costumes, Czechoslovakia
I'm going to guess that these aren't "costumes" and are probably traditional clothing. I could be wrong though.
University Parking Lot, 1923
Sterilizer University Of Alberta Hospital, 1922
Rudolph Valentino, Mrs. Richard Hudnut, Winifred Hudnut, Richard Hudnut. On The Deck Of The Steamship Olympia In 1922
Air Service Pilots In 1923
Legion Game
Refugees Returning To Poland From Russia
Greece Refugees
These villagers of Asia Minor were driven into the mountains near their homes shortly after the Smyrna debacle. People ate grass, roots, and similar food for three months, occasionally raiding an olive grove by night.
Are these refugees from the great fire of 1922? Tens of thousands dead.
J. Walter Lang And Francis Lang, Twins Who Narrowly Escaped Death On The Steamboats Island Queen
The forward deck of the boat collapsed, injuring 27 children and leaving one paralyzed.
Cooking Class In 1922
Paul Zweifel Performing A Gynaecological Operation In 1922
Swimmers On Wooden Structure In The Potomac River. Lincoln Memorial In The Background. Washington, D.C.
The Airport "Waalhaven" With Several Planes On The Ground And One In The Air. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Patients Waiting In An Infirmary. Jerusalem
Warren G. Harding's Funeral In 1923
Man Working At Machine In The Voice Control Room At The U.S. Capitol. 1922 December 6
Marshal F. Thompson Voting Machine
Long Beach Oil Field In California
Yep. There's lots of photos of all the oil derricks around the area then. Some of the pumps are even still pumping, too.
French Ambassador Jusserand And J.J. Broderick Of The British Embassy Holding Bags Of Douglas Fir Seeds At The Headquarters Of The American Forestry Association
Officers Of Colorado In 1923
Aerial View Of The State Capitol, 1922
The S.S. Carmania Arriving With Immigrants From Eastern Europe In 1923, Docking In East Boston
University Of Alberta Hospital, 1923
New York City's Public Library, 5th Ave. And 40th St. Crowded Street Scene In Foreground
Locomotive Draped For Harding Funeral In 1923
Naval Submarine Plane
Timbers Sold For Food
Moffett At Bolling Field In 1923 September 24
Teletype Radio Plane Set, Used By Navy Department, To Receive Typewritten Radio Messages From Naval Airplanes. 1922 August 30
"Public Receiving Days At The White House Have Proven Very Popular As Evidenced By This Line About The Executive Offices During The Public Reception Today", 1922 April 15
A Participant In The Monaco Cup In 1923, April 19
Men's Basketball Team, 1922-1923
Medical Building, 1923
Marines During Reenactment Of Pickett's Charge At The Battle Of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Shriners Parade, Washington, D.C.
Naval Reserve
“Did you enjoy the voyage?” “I’d rather not say, if you don’t mind.” “Oh, I see. Naval reserve.”
Circle In 1922
Central Control Station With Several Automatic Ticker Tape Machines On The Tables. 1922 December 5
People's Drug Store No. 10 In Washington, D.C.
USS Olympia And Florida In The Middle Chambers. Gatun Locks, June 13th, 1922
Panama Canal. Opened in 1914 I believe. It was still a fairly new luxury in 1923.
Mr. Santos-Dumont And Kapferer In The Nacelle Of The Astra-Torres 47 Under Construction, 1922
University Of Alberta Hospital
Grounds In Front Of Arts Building
Road After Asphalt Applied, 1923
Convocation, 1923
"Sells-Floto Circus" In 1922. An Elephant Was Pulling The Canvas-Covered Cage Wagon Number 24 Into Position
Thank god there aren't animals exploited in the circus anymore (UK at least)
Administration Volunteers. Volunteer Office Assistance In The New York County Chapter, 1923
Is it just me or does the lady second from left look like Jessica Fletcher?
The First Service Station In Winnemucca, Operated By Fritz And Emil Buckingham In 1922
Surahammar's Mill. The Tuning Plant. Packing Transformer Plate For The Export
Military Group At The Camp. Washington Monument In The Background
That is Marine Gen. Smedley Butler in a 1916 Fiat. Gen. Butler was instrumental in stopping the "Business Man's Plot", a 1934 attempt by Conservative Republicans to overthrow the government and replace Franklin Roosevelt with a dictator. (The 2022 movie "Amsterdam" is about this plot. A general based on Butler is played by Robert De Niro.) At the time of his death, Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history (including TWO Congressional Medals oh Honor.).
Breaking Raw Chicle At The American Chicle Company
Large Group Of People Waiting For An Outdoor Baptism To Begin. Shantou, Guangdong, China
Koompartoo Launch 1922
Airplane In 1922
Pacific Terminal Oil Tank Farm On Naos Island Breakwater. July 1923
University And High Level Bridge
Gettysburg
These types of articles are on here constantly. And I am SO here for it!
I love these historical & little known facts articles! It gets me outta the hot hell mess of the 2000’s , and some even give me hope ! Thanks BP 💋
You can do better than this BP. Check out old Antarctic photos https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/best-historic-pictures.php Then read about how they hauled the glass negatives across the ice and across open Antarctic waters to bring them back to us. https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/antarctica-frank-hurley/shackleton-expedition
These types of articles are on here constantly. And I am SO here for it!
I love these historical & little known facts articles! It gets me outta the hot hell mess of the 2000’s , and some even give me hope ! Thanks BP 💋
You can do better than this BP. Check out old Antarctic photos https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/best-historic-pictures.php Then read about how they hauled the glass negatives across the ice and across open Antarctic waters to bring them back to us. https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/antarctica-frank-hurley/shackleton-expedition