40 Important Historical Photos That Might Change Your Perspective On Things, As Shared By This Facebook Page (New Pics)
Every glimpse of the past that we see is a chance for our imaginations to take off on a wild time-warp journey. The beautiful vintage photos of the past gathered by this amazing Facebook page also promise to take you on a journey across time and space.
Indeed, the photos featured by this account come from all around the world. Each photo tells a story of when, where, and who. We are invited to daydream (or, you know, research) about the lives of people in the photos, whether they’re hard-working peasants in a rice paddy, roguish children playing in a street, or businesspeople showing off their new-fangled horseless carriages.
We can be glad that modern technology is helping us preserve and spread these photos. Many old paper or silver plate photos are in danger of irreversible deterioration, and countless more are already lost. These few remaining glimpses of the past are to be treasured and shared, so scroll onwards, brave time traveler. Let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments and share these old vintage photos far and wide!
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Neighborhood Kids Sharing A Laugh In Nebraska, 1910
People forget places like Nebraska were less racially divided than the coastal and deep south states at the time. In fact Nebraska was one of the few states that never had interracial marriage banned. Midwest and Western farming states and communities were a very different place than the rest of the US at the time.
Three Women Who Completed Their Education And Graduated As Physicians In Philadelphia, 1885
Context from the Huffington post: "The first women’s medical college in the world, the WMCP was a magnet for ambitious ladies of all stripes. The three in the photograph -- from left to right, Anandibai Joshi, Keiko Okami, and Sabat Islambouli -- eventually became among the first licensed female doctors in their respective countries: India, Japan and Syria."
Dapper Young Man All Dressed Up To Have His Photo Made, 1905
Portrait Of A Very Handsome Young Man, 1904
The history of photography begins with very tangible chemical processes, far from the powerful digital sensors and endless reproduction we enjoy today. The first photo that has survived to this day was taken in 1826 or 1827 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. In his heliograph, the view from a window in his home was reproduced in low fidelity using a process involving bitumen (a component of asphalt) and lavender oil.
These Progressive High School Girls Learn The Finer Points Of Auto Mechanics In 1927
Three Young Ladies Posing With A Friend, 1930
A Young Woman Posing For A Studio Portrait, Kentucky, 1890-1910
Madame Decourcelle The First Female Taxi Driver In Paris, France, 1909
The first photo approximating modern life-like quality standards was invented by Louis Daguerre. He named the daguerreotype process after himself, so we must be grateful that better and less egotistically named processes were discovered later. Although daguerreotypes required longer exposure times of up to several minutes, this was a vast improvement over the 8-ish hours used for Niépce’s heliograph.
Apache Woman And Child. Fort Apache, Arizona, 1898
Shy Young Woman Smiling For The Camera 143 Years Ago
Louis & Lola, Titanic Survivors
Cultural attitudes towards photography also changed as the technology improved. With the long exposure times of early processes, photographs could be thought of much like still-life or portrait paintings. Families or dignitaries would dress up to sit for a portrait, or artists would select beautiful landscapes or scenes to photograph. As film exposure times shortened and film became easier to acquire and process, photographers were able to start experimenting more boldly and to start capturing dynamic shots.
A Promising Young Photographer, 1880s
4 Generations, 1 Picture, 1905
Young Couple In Love, 1920s
A Father With His 4 Daughters, 1904
The photographs in this collection come from a wide range of different historical photographic processes, but of course, the most fascinating aspect of each is the subject matter. In most, the people depicted are no longer with us, and if their memories don’t live on with their progeny, these may be the only signs of their existence that we have left. We invite you to spend some time with these photos and try to imagine what the moments they captured might have looked, sounded, felt, and even smelled like so many years ago.
Edwardian Woman With Her Friend, 1905
A Beautiful Couple From The 1940s
Hard to believe that just 20 years before this photo there would be almost no skin showing
In The 1940s, Men Dressed In Shorts And Cowboy Boots Served Up To Women At A Drive Through In Texas
Woman And Horse By Félix Thiollier, 1899
Elk River And His Wife, Montana, 1890
Butterfly Boy, New York City, 1949
Mother And Daughter Watch A Tall Ship Navigate The Thames In London, 1880
Mother With Her Daughter, 1880
Having A Little Fun On The Beach In 1940
Barefoot Kids At A Mobile Book Cart In The Appalachian Mountains
Pulling Out A Splinter In 1910
1926 Easter Celebration With Some Very Happy Children!
Happy New Year 1907
Two Friends Strolling In A Cool Stream On A Warm Day, 1910
A 'Man In The Moon' Hair-Beard Combo, 1895
A Family From Wisconsin, Late 1800s
A Stylish Woman Walking Her Dog At The Bois De Boulogne In Paris, 1910
This old photograph then became today's modern distracted boyfriend meme 😁
Young Ladies In Norway, 1890s
Portrait Of A Young Boy, Claude Clark, Sitting On A Rocking Horse, 1902
The High Jump At Olympics Games In London, 1908
What we see high jumpers do today (going over the bar head first and back to the ground) is called the Fosbury Flop, after D**k Fosbury. He won the 1969 Gold with the technique. Before that, like in this picture, people would just jump normal over the bar. Might be why it's so low.
A Mom Asks Not To Kiss Her Baby To Avoid Catching A Bug, 1939
Mistletoe Salesmen, Paris, 1928
A Drunken Man In Top Hat And Tails Clings To A Lamp-Post, London, 1934
A One Room School House, 1923
The Noonans, A Family Of 15 Living In 1920s. Lawrence, Massachusetts
Note: this post originally had 140 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
We need more BP articles like this and less dumb articles recycled from Reddit
Dear that one guy (I think his handle was Klopec) who kept on asking/complaining why nobody was smiling, in those times (mostly Edwardian and Victorian) photographs were seen as serious things not to be smiling for, because they were essentially portraits that would be passed down to future generations, and you had to look smart - the same as you would if you were getting an actual portrait painted. Hope that helps :)
And what pictures do you think Bored Panda is going to show in 100 years from life in the 90's and 2000's? The pictures are amazing but it makes me kind of sad knowing most, if not all, of these incredible people are no longer with us. I wonder where their lives took them after this one snapshot in time?
We need more BP articles like this and less dumb articles recycled from Reddit
Dear that one guy (I think his handle was Klopec) who kept on asking/complaining why nobody was smiling, in those times (mostly Edwardian and Victorian) photographs were seen as serious things not to be smiling for, because they were essentially portraits that would be passed down to future generations, and you had to look smart - the same as you would if you were getting an actual portrait painted. Hope that helps :)
And what pictures do you think Bored Panda is going to show in 100 years from life in the 90's and 2000's? The pictures are amazing but it makes me kind of sad knowing most, if not all, of these incredible people are no longer with us. I wonder where their lives took them after this one snapshot in time?
