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50 Fascinating ‘Old-Time Photos’ That Show You Just How Much The World Has Changed
Interview With Expert
Taking a photo has never been easier than it is today. You can swipe up on your cell phone, snap hundreds of pics in only a few minutes and almost instantly upload them online for others to see. And while the convenience and accessibility of being able to document our lives is amazing, knowing how much work it took to develop film in the past makes photos from a century ago even more special.
One page that is dedicated to celebrating photography from history is Old-Time Photos on Facebook. This account shares digitized versions of photos from the late 1800s all the way up to the 1980s. So enjoy scrolling through these historical pics, pandas, and be sure to upvote the ones that you’re glad were captured decades, or perhaps even a century, ago. And keep reading to find a conversation with Ed Padmore, founder of Vintage Photo Lab!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Blackfoot Tribe In Glacier National Park, 1913
Michael Largey 1 year ago
You call yourself "Justin Tyme" and complain about something that's been used before?
Floeckchen 1 year ago (edited)
I read "It'd be cool if someone could COLONIZE this" the first time and thought: WTF?
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Mary Wood 1 year ago
I want to go back in time, give each of them a hug, and profusely apologize for our colonizer ancestors.
fly on the wall 1 year ago
You moving back to the land of your ancestors soon? Perhaps Africa?
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#2
A Smartly Dressed Lady From Kentucky, C.1900
Helena 1 year ago
Looks like she could whip out a math proof and slay a vampire in the same day
Bob Jones 1 year ago
The sad thing is that her parents were probably slaves.... except that many Americans aren't allowed to learn about that anymore and pretend it never happened
May 1 year ago (edited)
Didn't downvote you but as we say here 'What is excessive is insignificant' (Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand).
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Crystal Spencer 1 year ago
This is rare in the fact that women of color were not of that class often. She certainly lived a privileged life compared to most of the black community.
PhaseWitFact 1 year ago
Eh, it just looked like it. Everyone looked so nice because they prioritized appearance over comfort. Now we're mostly ugly but damn comfortable. I'm writing this in my yoga pants. I haven't worn a dress or make up in decades but I'm so comfy and I don't waste time getting dressed in uncomfortable clothing.
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OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 year ago
Am I the only one getting pareidolia from a shadow or marking over the woman’s left shoulder? I swear I see the face of a cartoony frog. Or a weasel?
#3
Tricycle Gang In Brooklyn. New York City (1930s)
Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Meet the original Brooklyn bad boys! This tricycle gang roams the mean streets with juice boxes and animal crackers, striking fear into the hearts of sidewalk chalk artists everywhere. Remember folks, always wear your helmet – safety first, rebellion second!
Greenmantle 1 year ago
They're planning their latest heist over a bottle of spaghetti-o's
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To learn more about the fascinating world of photography from the past, we got in touch with Ed Padmore, founder of Vintage Photo Lab. Ed was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss why it's so important to preserve these old pictures.
"When I launched Vintage Photo Lab, I was lucky to still have three grandparents. Today, I no longer have any. Their generation was the first to experience affordable cameras, and whilst lots of families have photos pre-dating this time, it was this period where modern photographic family history began. The Baby Boomer generation came along after them and had even more options: cheaper cameras, instant cameras (Polaroids) and even home movie cameras. With global travel becoming more affordable and commonplace, families were keen to immortalize their new lifestyle (and possibly humble brag to The Jones' next door)."
#4
A Portrait Of Hollow Horn Bear, A Man From The Brulé Native American Tribe. 1907
#5
Unbelievably Stunning Couple (Love How Their Hands Are Clasped Together), 1960s
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
I wonder what they're doing today. I do hope they had/have a very good life.
Robert Larson, LPN, JD 1 year ago
I wish people still dressed like this. They look like they know they are both stylish and worth looking at.
#6
Lota Cheek, Winner Of A NYC Beauty Contest In 1922
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
She was a harlot. Look at the way she's exposing her shoulder.
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Ezigma 1 year ago
My first thought was a mix of Drew Barrymore, Madonna, and Amy Lee.
Load More Replies... Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Lota Cheek, the epitome of grace and beauty, crowned as the winner of a NYC beauty contest in 1922, represents a timeless elegance that transcends generations. Her poise and charm from nearly a century ago continue to inspire and captivate. Here's to celebrating beauty and elegance that stand the test of time! 🌟👑✨ Absolutely breathtaking! 🥂🌺
Bobby Honea 1 year ago
Very pretty girl, Todays contestants have 3 pounds of make-up lots of airbrushing done, I bet she has very little on.
Ke Sigerson 1 year ago
Dude, she is obviously wearing a lot of makeup. Do you think a red lip is natural? skoal around the eyes? Come on
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"My generation (Generation X) came along, and we had 'real' cameras and developed prints, but also lived the transition to digital," Ed continued. "So, between us, this generational triumvirate accidentally became the creators – and keepers – of what was the printed, non-digital photographic memorabilia that tell the stories of our recent family ancestors."
"All of the stories and information are held in the brains of parents and grandparents, and if we don't record that information now, it will be lost forever," the photo expert shared. "We've all sat round and listened to Grandma say '...and that's your Great Aunty Mabel, she was an acrobat and married the ring master and ended up touring the continent', or something along those lines. Humans have been telling stories for centuries, and now is no different."
#7
A Cowgirl From The 1880s
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Also oddly, to go by the movies you'd swear that all cowboys were white. In reality, large numbers of them were Mexican immigrants, and recently freed Blacks. And cowboy was, at best, a dismissive term for a profession considered menial. Something modern cowboy cosplayers would rather you didn't know.
Load More Replies... Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Meet the original queen of the Wild West! This 1880s cowgirl is rocking her era with so much flair, she could probably lasso gravity itself! 🤠✨
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
My mother has a VERY similar photo of my Great Grandmother. She was amazing. People didn't cross her I am told.
StretcherBearer 1 year ago
My grandma once rode a horse through the house of a guy she liked when she was a teenager 😂 probably in the early 1930s Arkansas.
#8
Settler Family On The American Prairie In The 1880s
Helena 1 year ago
Given the surroundings I'm just impressed that white dress is so white. I'd have messed it up just walking to that spot.
JoNo 1 year ago
Imagine having to wash and press these dresses, as well as keep them white!
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Broadredpanda 1 year ago
I I'm not from America, but I do know that the words Sunday Bests belongs to those who dressed in their best to go to church every Sunday. There's a few who still do, but not as many. Im atheist and don't go near a church other than for funerals. I only know from old photographs.
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A Japanese Woman Carrying Her Children In A Bucket On Her Head, Japan 1900s
Stephanie Barr 1 year ago
That's quite the set of neck muscles. I get a headache if I wear my glasses too long.
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Possibly picked up the tub and balanced it while it was empty, and stood next to something where the kids could climb up and get in the tub. Or maybe she just picked up the thing, already loaded. Could have done it either way.
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ShyWahine 1 year ago
This makes my head, neck, and back hurt... plus, how on earth does she manage to balance 4 children ?!?!?
Auntriarch 1 year ago
I'm guessing this was staged for a lark. But I used to carry my suitcase on my head before wheely cases
Load More Replies... Joshua David 1 year ago
Imagine lifting this up to even be above her head? Did she have help i wonder. I want to think she did it all on her own.
Lee Harrington 1 year ago
First of all, one has to use one's brain and not be so suggestable. This is clearly impossible. I very much doubt this woman could even lift the barrel sans children. Faked photo's have been around forever folks. If you really look you can see that something is a little off with the image.
We also asked Ed what we can learn from these vintage photos. "So much! They're actually very different. And if you think about the difference between then and now, it's even more marked. We all have a camera in our pocket now. You could trip down some steps today, and several people have captured it, shared it on WhatsApp and posted it on Instagram. Every single photo back then was planned, or at least thought through and more thoughtful; just by the very nature of having to have had a camera with you (not common), having a roll of film, and having a spare exposure in order to take a shot in the first place," he told Bored Panda.
#10
A Young Jimmy Carter Working As A Nuclear Engineer In The Us Navy In 1948
Ann Kapoxeet 1 year ago
He's such a wonderful human being. Honest. Compassionate. Hard-working. The absolute antithesis of Trump.
n75mk9nk2n 1 year ago
Remember when even a hint of socially-unacceptable scandal would ruin a political career? Now we elect convicted felons.
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Andy Frobig 1 year ago
The only president to spend time inside an operational nuclear reactor, and he's 100 years old. And apparently not taking this "hospice" thing seriously either
Calvan North 1 year ago
He is the model of nwhat a good man, a good citizen and a true Christian is.
Major Harris 1 year ago
he personally prevented a nuclear meltdown in a submarine. he was dosed with so much radiation that he was quarantined for a while.
Jane Hower 1 year ago
His 'fix' for a nuclear problem was AMAZING!! Should look it up if you don't know about it.
#11
Farmhouse Kitchen, Ireland, 1910
Not-a-Clue (she/her) 1 year ago
It says kitchen, but I imagine that was the entire living space.
#12
Three Sisters, 1926, Portrait By James Van Der Zee
Auntriarch 1 year ago
The right hand one looks so much like a school friend of mine, RIP Dulcie
Joshua David 1 year ago (edited)
The middle child is holding what looks to be a photograph but i can't tell what it is when I zoom. Edit: i zoomed again and it looks like an upside down woman?
Maisey Myles 1 year ago
I took a screen shot and turned it upside down. Maybe some ‘it’ girl from that time.
"That's why funny, unexpected and random events in old photos always seem so much more magical to me," Ed continued. "The odds of capturing that moment were infinitesimally smaller than now. Photographs cost money to take as well. Buying the camera, buying the film, developing the film. You'd didn't just shoot randomly, willy-nilly. Which, thankfully, means less photos of food, and certainly less selfies! So in a way, it's a more honest snapshot throughout time. Because it was more real."
#13
A Skateboarder Zipping Through Central Park In The 1960s
BunnyMommy 1 year ago
When finally interviewed, after capture, D.B. Cooper said, "With the state the airlines are in? I'll never fly again!"
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#14
Teenage Sisters Gertrude And Ursula Falke. Germany, 1906
Bryn 1 year ago
You can read about it: https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft167nb0sp&chunk.id=d0e5330&toc.id=d0e5163&brand=eschol
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Gabriel Sbárbaro 1 year ago
I'm not trying to diminish the girl on the left... but the girl on the right it's drop dead gorgeous... like, a faerie from the woods gorgeous... I just can't stop looking at her...
#15
1970s
Jimifan 1 year ago
Ernie Isley (second from the right) is one of my all-time favorite guitarists, being heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, who played with the Isleys in the early '60s.
But Ed doesn't necessarily think it's a good thing that it's so easy to take photos today. "I don't know anybody who doesn't think it's ridiculous, the number of photos we now have amassed on our phones," he shared. "We ran a straw poll recently, and the average was 23,000. What are you even going to do with all those? Which ones are people using or doing anything meaningful with? If you're organized, you might order a print of a super-special one, or print a photo book to commemorate an event like a holiday or birthday. But it's a fairly rare that people are that organized."
#16
Young Girl During The Great Depression, 1930s
Aballi 1 year ago
It's horrifying. I'm a case manager for an underserved population in Santa Cruz, CA. We already struggle to find housing and other resources for clients; I can't even let myself think of what's going to happen over the next 4 years. I'm grateful I live in California, where Gavin Newsom has sworn to protect us from Trump's ridiculous, dangerous rhetoric and policies...but I'm still terrified. I feel like we're at a turning point, and another Hitler is coming into power (I mean no disrespect to anyone who suffered due to the Holocaust). It seems insane to me that we're just...letting it happen. But what can any of us do? Anyway. Today is a lovely day, the sun is out and I've got two happy dogs at my feet and I'm going to try and focus on that. I wish you all a happy weekend.
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Granny's Thoughts 1 year ago
Even have scalloped curtains made out of newspapers. There was pride in that home.
Shirley D Harnish 1 year ago
I put my trust in God; He will outlive anyone in the White House.
Mare Freed 11 months ago
At least it's a roof over their heads and somewhere relatively safe to sleep. I see homeless people living entirely on the street every single day in my city.
#17
Men In Harlem Gather In Front Of A Shop To Listen To The Radio, 1940
#18
A Beautiful Couple From 163 Years Ago!
Linda Riebel 1 year ago
But imagine having to grow your hair out long enough that it makes a huge pile like that !
In fact, Ed believes it's a real problem that so many of us have thousands upon thousands of photos. "How will people pass down those images to the future generations? There's likely quite a bit of sorting most people would want to do before they let anybody have full access to their entire digital camera roll. But when will we get around to that? Have people made provisions for allowing relatives access to their digital life? Some people might include passwords to their digital world in their will but not all."
#19
Wilt Chamberlain At 17. 1954
MisterE 1 year ago
Well, he was listed at 7-1, but may have been a couple inches taller. He was a tremendous athlete, setting many track and field records amd was a world class volleyball player. Also claimed to have slayed 20,000 "dragons" too.
Load More Replies... Learner Panda 1 year ago
I guess at 7'1" those legs accounted for much of his height. Still too young to die at 63.
Vivian McBride 1 year ago
My brothers saw him at a personal appearance once. He drove up in his car. They said it looked like he was in the back seat, but he was driving!
Crystal Spencer 1 year ago
I love that character on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends that is based on him. So adorable!
#20
A Mother And Her Eight Sons, All Served, All Came Home
GrowingThruConcrete 1 year ago
A family local here had 13 go and 13 return, the oldest was almost 90 and showed me the news clipping
dan gerene 1 year ago
He was almost ninety when he went or came home? That's some patriotism there.
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#21
San Francisco (1960)
Michael Largey 1 year ago
We had one f those. It would start in any weather, even if left outside all night in winter. We had to get rid of it when the driver's floorboards rotted away.
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featherytoad 1 year ago
I would hate to be stoned and having to walk up that.
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Panda'sMom 1 year ago
Back when it was clean and safe! I lived there then, so not rhetoric. Yes, I have been back. Cried.
"And you can think again if you're hoping Apple will help you access a device that isn't yours," the photo expert continued. "There's actually lots of sad stories about this happening and couples losing photographic memories that they can't access from each others' phone and Cloud accounts. But I suppose future generations will learn a lot more about our day to day lives from the avalanche of digital photos they might receive one day. There's just more. Even if half of that is shared pictures from other people via WhatsApp or random memes that were topical or even mildly funny in that moment but which now might not make all that much sense."
#22
The Hindenburg Floating Past The Empire State Building In 1936
Richard Graham 1 year ago
The point at the top of the Empire State Building was originally designed as a Zeppelin mooring station. The prevalence of wind shears proved that idea impractical. Plus I'm not stepping out of an airship over 1000 feet off the ground.
The Announcer 1 year ago
It makes me think about all the well-dressed people in the city when that photo was taken and what life was like in the 30's in New York.
Charlotte 1 year ago
Don't forget about the people dying of cold and hunger on the streets as well It wasn't all glamorous
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Looks like an opening shot from 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'.
Calvan North 1 year ago
I've never seen anything about how the transition to building was supposed to work; I don't see how it could have been done with the wind at that altitude.
Kalikima 1 year ago
That's why they scrapped the idea to use it to moor airships, the wind was too strong that high up.
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The Opening Of The Eiffel Tower During The 1889 World’s Fair
Justin Tyme 1 year ago
And there were already 27 scammers waiting for tourists at the base of it.
Janissary35680 1 year ago
I'm guessing all those buildings were temporary structures put up for the fair and taken down later?
Winnie the Moo 1 year ago
Shame the little curved roofs on top of the first base aren’t there anymore. This looks so much more art deco 💘
Say No to Downvoting 1 year ago
The lines at the opening are still shorter than they are now on a Tuesday.
#24
A Cable Worker During The Construction Of The Empire State Building
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
No, this is the photo before the photo that shows why OSHA was created.
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Richard Graham 1 year ago
Shout Out to all the fearless, strong, brave men and women who build and maintain the infrastructure that we rely on, but never think about.
G A 1 year ago
That would be dangerous to have, clambering up and down a cable...
Load More Replies... Fishpanda (fish/panda/it) 1 year ago (edited)
At those heights wouldn't it be cold? /j
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Ed says that he's always loved looking at old photographs, so he's lucky to live in a time where his grandparents didn't leave behind 25,000 selfies.
"I love the way it feels like a form of time travel. I particularly like everyday shots of real people just going about their business, but in the 1950's, 60's or 70's especially," he shared. "They also reveal a much simpler time. If you look at street scenery or pictures of town centers several decades ago, it just feels calmer. There's no street signs telling you not to do this or not to do that, or not to park here, or to only park there. They don't have metal barriers at every road junction because apparently people were trusted to cross the road sensibly back then."
"There's signs and street 'furniture' everywhere you look these days. But I suppose that's all just rose-tinted spectacles and something that easily gives away my age," Ed added. "Most generations think their childhood was the best, but growing up the 80's was pretty hard to beat. But possibly only if you grew up in the 80's."
#25
Behind The Scenes Photos From The Making Of The First Godzilla Movie, 1954
The Announcer 1 year ago
How in the world did they find literal giants to work on the movie with Godzilla???
MygrandsonscallmeNia 1 year ago
When I was younger, I loved watching Godzilla, because when he won, he always did this little dance! It still cracks me up to this day!
Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
Godzilla to the rescue of Japan when another monster comes to mess with them.
#26
This Farmhouse Once Stood In Manhattan Where 84th Street And Broadway Now Cross. (1879)
robin aldrich 1 year ago
It's a shame progress of "civilization" equates to leveling everything and covering in in asphalt and skyscrapers
Hope-Diana 1 year ago
I thought NYC was considerably more populated than this photo by this time.i woyld have expected most all of the island to already be full of houses and apts and businesses!
#27
This Bride And Groom Were Photographed In The 1860s
panther 1 year ago
I bet no one would complain if a guest came wearing a white dress to their wedding.
geezeronthehill 1 year ago
White for brides came later, copying Queen Victoria.
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whineygingercat 1 year ago
The style for wedding dresses uset to be the nicest dress the bride had. It changed to the white gown tradition when Queen Victoria married, wearing a white gown. Queens and President's wives ALWAYS set the latest fashions to emulate.
Joe Reaves 1 year ago
Black was unusual though. Most likely she's in mourning. Not wearing a black veil or anything so it's probably half mourning (which you changed too after a certain amount of time depending on who you'd lost). Likely a parent or a sibling (probably more likely a parent as a sibling would have a short enough mourning period that you could just get married after it was over, but a parent would be longer and you might not want to postpone that long)
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Ann Kapoxeet 1 year ago
I bet they wouldn't complain if they didn't get the "proper" amount of money from each guest.
Hope-Diana 1 year ago
If only Almonzo was closer to this guy's age. I know it was a different time and all, but gosh! 23 and 15, was it?
Load More Replies...Are you feeling inspired to go digging through the photos that your grandparents left behind, pandas? We hope you're enjoying scrolling through this list, and feel free to let us know in the comments which images stand out to you. Keep upvoting all of your favorites, and then if you'd like to check out even more photos from the past, we recommend reading this Bored Panda article next!
#28
John Candy And Dan Aykroyd Together On The Set Of The Great Outdoors In 1987
Detroit Citizen 1 year ago
Everytime Im offered a hot dog at a cook out I hear Roman (dan aykroyd) say " Theyre made out of lips and a$$holes"
#29
Handsome Man From The Late 1800s
#30
Residents Of West Berlin Show Their Children To Their Grandparents Living In East Berlin, 1961
n75mk9nk2n 1 year ago
Get used to it. It's going to happen again, right here in the US. It's already begun.
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Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
I'm old enough to remember when the Berlin Wall came down. I was only 9 but it was such an awesome time.
Auntriarch 1 year ago
I was three when it went up. So jubilant when it came down
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robin aldrich 1 year ago
I was there on a class trip in 1973 and it was eerie standing on one side and looking at the other: the tank traps, the minefields, the guard towers... crossed into East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie and they were having their version of an "Up with People" Festival (if anyone remembers those back in the day) trying to put on a good face while going through the horrible oppression they suffered.
El Dee 1 year ago
The 'anti-fascist' wall the DDR called it. Walls don't ever help, they simply allow you to more easily dehumanise the people on the other side of it..
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
This one was more intended to keep people in rather than out though
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Emily Motley Schneider 1 year ago
Because we have and they have not! My children, my children Because they want what we have got! Because we have and they have not! Because they want what we have got! The enemy is poverty And the wall keeps out the enemy And we build the wall to keep us free That's why we build the wall We build the wall to keep us free
#31
The Great North Dakota Blizzard Of 1966
Sara Frazer 1 year ago
Wow that unlocked a core memory for me; 17 years ago or so, working in my uncle's antique shop, those glass insulators used to fetch a pretty penny! And they were blue!
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#32
Taken In 1924, Some Friends Enjoy Riding In This New Car, Which Could Travel At Mammoth Speeds Of Up To 25mph
Mike F 1 year ago
The two passengers look like they will need a change of pants when the ride done.
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
... if for no other reason than that they'll be covered in mud.
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Richard Graham 1 year ago (edited)
That is a 1910 or so International Harvester "High Wheel" farm wagon. (Notice the "Circle I H" logo on the grill.) International Harvester, Sears, Schacht, Black, McIntyre, and others made automobiles with large, buggy-type solid wheels for farmers. (These cars are nick-named "High Wheelers") Rural roads were mud-pits then, and most cars would get stuck in them.
Laugh or not 1 year ago
Thank you for all the information on the cars. Are you a mechanic, a collector or an enthousiast lover of cars ?
Load More Replies... Andy Frobig 1 year ago
That was not new in 1924, maybe 1914, and how fast would you want to go on those wheels and that ground?
#33
Harley-Davidson School For Motorcycle Mechanics, 1917
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
No nostalgia for the cuspidor that had a place in any room where men gathered
Limey 1 year ago
Or for the fact that, due to HD’s contract with the army, most were destined for The Front in Europe.
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Nonna_SoF 1 year ago
The bikes were used by the Army, someone had to maintain them.
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Sand Ers 1 year ago
Arthur Harley and the Davidson brothers would be unimpressed with the fetish for recreational noisemaking their company's current managers and customers have mainstreamed. Their first successful V-Twin motorcycle was the 1911 Model 7D, part of a line called Silent Gray Fellow(s). In 1911 they understood the value of not being a nuisance. Something that has since been broadly abandoned.
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keyboardtek 1 year ago
They all would be flabbergasted to learn modern tough guys are getting rid of their Harleys because they think Harley-Davidson is "woke".
#34
Rare Photo Showing Niagara Falls Completely Frozen Over In The Year 1911
Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Feast your eyes on this rare and mesmerizing sight: Niagara Falls completely frozen over in 1911! This incredible photo captures the raw power and beauty of nature, transformed into a frozen masterpiece. It's a chilly reminder of the breathtaking spectacles our world is capable of creating. ❄️🌊
keyboardtek 1 year ago
I have a great idea! Let's take the kids to a cliff covered in slippery ice. What could go wrong?
Major Harris 1 year ago
just think about this photo and its implications regarding climate change. if you talk with very old people about the climate when they were young, you would hear stories of events such as this. "we ice skated on that lake when we were kids." "remember when there once were ice yacht races (look it up) on the lakes and the rivers?" now, places that once got feet of snow in the winter barely get a dusting. and our climate is not changing?
Laura Maeflower 1 year ago
I'm only 31 and I can say that my childhood winters were much colder than they are now. We had snow drifts every winter, and we had snow above my head a few times. Now we're lucky to get halfway up my shins.
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Joanne Mendonza-Earle 1 year ago
I think this happened a few years ago too when there was a stretch of super cold weather up there.
Brian Droste 1 year ago
You usually see pictures of Niagara falls frozen from the bottom of the falls.
#35
Miss Mary Mccandlish, 1840s
May 1 year ago
Me at the coffee machine secretly planning for my revenge after Robert yet again interrupted me during that Weekly Business meeting
XenoMurph 1 year ago
Looks like there should be a burning building behind her
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Karina 1 year ago
I dont know how old she is, and its not nice to laugh at childrens expressions, but otherwise i would laugh out loud😆
Load More Replies... #36
Natalie Wood (1950s)
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
I've got a hypothesis that might answer your question.
Load More Replies... sofacushionfort 1 year ago (edited)
She had a protruding wrist bone. Self-conscious of it, usually wore a heavy bracelet
Broadredpanda 1 year ago
The husband got away with m*****r! She was terrified of water and couldn't swim. He's a POS!
30ninjazinmybag 1 year ago
Christopher walken heard or knew more than he has admitted too.
Load More Replies... #37
A Family During The Great Depression
#38
New York City Street Life In 1954
Richard Graham 1 year ago
Right - 1953 Ford. The black sedan on the left is a 1948 Dodge. Behind it might be a 1950 Dodge or Plymouth.
TheNewJenBrady 1 year ago
This is exactly what my dad said. In fact I showed him the picture without any context and he immediately identified the cars make and year without mentioning the kids or fire hydrant at all. When he was a little kid in Los Angeles in the late 50s, he and a friend would sit on the front porch and call out the types of cars and makes and models as they drove past. I call him the classic car savant
Load More Replies... Damned_Cat 1 year ago
I always wanted to do that. You'd probably get in trouble for opening a fire hydrant these days.
#39
Charging An Electric Car In The Garage, 1911
Vicki Perizzolo 1 year ago
We blew this one by not going this way. Climate change would be very different
Kaa 1 year ago
The garages were mostly horse stables and/or coach sheds before
Load More Replies... #40
Department Store Workers, On Their Lunch Break, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1900
Sara Frazer 1 year ago (edited)
Wow! I love the embroidery (?) on the dress of the lady on the far left
Karina 1 year ago
Dont read beyond first sentence if you dont want to know my guess. Someones old curtains, coming to good use, i was going to say. But zooming in, it looks like its made of the skin of unborn lambs. I have never seen this thick and elaborate, manmade fabric, but many an old wife in norway will use fetal lambs skin as opposed to a h"airy" fur coat.
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1 year ago
Probably on the roof of the Loveman's Building at 803 Cherry Street - a large department store built in 1875. Dome Building in the background.
Hope-Diana 1 year ago
Could you imagine being paid enough as a dept store employee to have the funds for that level of quality clothing? 🤯
Calvan North 1 year ago
Even "well-paid" workers made $3/week. Henry Ford was a revolutionary when he paid his factorymen $5/week.
Load More Replies... #41
Woman In Pants Going For A Bike Ride, 1897
whineygingercat 1 year ago
Showing her ankles in such an unseemly manor, the horror!
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#42
People Relaxing In The Sunshine During June Of 1922
Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Basking in the summer sun, these folks from 1922 remind us that some things never change. Whether it's the roaring '20s or the 2020s, enjoying a lazy afternoon in the sunshine is always a win! 😎🌞
Lyle Rollings III 1 year ago
What is most sad is yearly family reunions and less family appearing during holidays. There is a loss to the value of family. I deeply miss those days. Today I am 54 and have no family left Inhad one adopt me but still not the same. Do not wait til tomorrow to make a call or visit or forgive and heal. God does not promise a tomorrow, so make the most of it today. You may not change the world, bit you can change your world. What do you want your world contain? The choice is yours.
#43
Woman Packinghouse Worker From Tennessee With Three Of Her Four Children Eating Supper Of Fried Potatoes And Cornbread And Canned Milk. Belle Glade, Florida
Sand Ers 1 year ago
She doesn't look dressed for a slaughterhoyse, so I'm assuming this is a fruit packinghouse. Likely the kids are there to work also.
Chris Landrum 1 year ago
I live in florida and been through here. in FL packinghouses are for fruit and vegetable
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chamomile tea 1 year ago
Ok but fried potatoes and cornbread is a 10/10 dinner and I will not be proven wrong
Lisa G 3 months ago (edited)
My brother in law almost every night his dinner. He loves it.
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Natalie Westby 1 year ago
My grandmother used to work in a tobacco packing barn in N. Florida.
JoJerome 1 year ago
Or, it could be a photo from 2026, once we've gotten rid of annoyances like health care and child labor laws and the minimum wage.
#44
One Of The Oldest Person To Have Been Photographed In 1840-1850
Richard Graham 1 year ago
Her identity is lost to history, but this was part of an exhibit of civil-war era daguerreotypes taken by Matthew Brady of people born during the 1700s. https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/oldest-photographs-in-the-world/
Jane No Dough 1 year ago
No, the date of the photo is estimated between 1840 and 1850.
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#45
Cowboys Enjoy Drinks At The Equity Bar In Old Tascosa, Texas, 1907
Ben Stubbs 1 year ago
The Blue Oyster Bar 1907, just waiting for some construction workers, cops, native americans and leather fetishists to arrive
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
From Round the Horne (for British listeners): Barman, give me two fingers...of Red Eye!! I want a drink, not an opinion!
#46
King George Vi Of England Enjoying A Slide, 1925
Michelle C 1 year ago
Smiling in photographs wasn’t as common then as it is now. Royals had to practice neutrality for propriety’s and safety’s sake.
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Stephen Wild 1 year ago
The *future* King George VI of England... in 1925 he wasn't even the first in line to inherit the crown...
Shaun Coleman 1 year ago
I've never seen anyone ride a slide at attention. You think he could have at least relaxed to parade rest for the slide.
#47
This Giant Sequoia Tree Was Estimated To Be Over 2600 Years Old When It Was Cut Down In The 1890s
Tarik Dursun Zorgulen 1 year ago
hopefully there will be. We just have to wait and not destroy the planet meanwhile.
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Kamal Hasan 1 year ago
Standing tall for over 2600 years, this majestic Giant Sequoia witnessed centuries of history before it was cut down in the 1890s. Its sheer size and age are a testament to the wonders of nature and the passage of time. 🌲🕰️
Meowlanie Meowpants 1 year ago
I really wish my early Oregon ancestors would have more for thought to our trees
#48
Gentleman Lighting A Street Lamp In Paris, 1905
Christine Peverley 1 year ago
I'm telling you love, the globe won't come out, you will have to buy a new one.
Johnny McFearless 1 year ago
They still have a man doing that in zagreb. Old lamps are preserved as cultural heritage in some streets, so he still goes around every evening.
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#49
Winona Ryder, Late 80s
John Dilligaf 1 year ago
so the late 1980s is "old time" now? Just shuffle me off to the nursing home with the rest of the old geezers I guess.
Pernille 1 year ago
I'll come with you once I get these damned kids of my lawn:)
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Bartlet for world domination 1 year ago
I don't think Winona Ryder is crazy. Or is this a political thing? Does she support a party you don't like?
Load More Replies... #50
One Of The Last Photos Of Charlie Chaplin Taken In 1977
Sara Frazer 1 year ago
Huh, I never knew he was alive on this earth at the same time my mother was alive (in 1977 my mother would be 8). So strange how much has happened in such a short expanse of time...
Ace 1 year ago
On the lake front of Montreux. There are several statues of him there, where he spent his final years.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline.
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#51
A Family At Their Cabin Home In West Virginia, 1900
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 1 year ago
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River 🎶
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#52
American Soldier Coming Home, 1917
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
I'm surprised to see a doughboy coming home that early in the war in one piece
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Or coming home at all in 1917. They put him on a ship and sent him over, and then put him back on the ship and sent him back.
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#53
Former Sharecroppers, Just Before Moving To Southeast Missouri Farms. 1938
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
The kids are all cute but the littlest one is adorable!
#54
Suited Up For A Mid Day Stroll, 1915
#55
A 1920s Harley Davidson With Covered Sidecar
Richard Graham 1 year ago
Motorcycles then had an external gear-shift lever. (That big lever in the middle.) You had to take your hand off the handlebar to shift gears - dangerous.
Limey 1 year ago
It is referred to as a “suicide shift”. For obvious reasons.
Load More Replies... Doug the Special one 1 year ago
You have to take a hand off the steering wheel to change gear in a manual car, whats the problem?
Janissary35680 1 year ago
A steering wheel is easy to control with one hand; a handlebar, not so much.
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#56
The Original Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Factory. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. 1903
Sand Ers 1 year ago
By 1906 they had already built a much larger factory, and this shed was moved there as a landmark. There's some confusion over what eventually became of it.
Sand Ers 1 year ago (edited)
(dammit. Hit "post" before I attached the photo)
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Janissary35680 1 year ago
Time traveler bangs on the door: "I want to buy stock in your company."
#57
California Street, San Francisco, 1964
Mike F 1 year ago
I can't imagine hauling my old tired @ss up those hills to grab public transportation.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
The cable cars stop in the middle of rhe intersections, where it's flat. When this picture was taken they were iconic, but they were still a normal part of the public transportation system. They're an excursion train system now. You can still use them to get from point A to B, but if it's a nice day and tourist season you're going to be waiting in line for a while. And they don't let riders help turn them around at the ends of the lines anymore.
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Kelly Scott 1 year ago
This is why I remember distinctly never wanting a manual transmission in my car.
#58
A Woman Using A Spinning Wheel Outside Of Her Log Cabin, 1918
#59
Men Waiting In A Line For The Possibility Of A Job During The Great Depression
The Announcer 1 year ago
At the height of the recession in 2009 I was one of about 300 people to qualify for a job testing process. Incredibly overwhelming.
Sara Frazer 1 year ago
At a first sleepy glance I thought the fire hydrant was wearing a hat too 😂🫠
#60
Rural Americans, Circa 1935
#61
People Gathered In Front Of Stores In A Small Town. Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 1880
Sand Ers 1 year ago
The town is still there. It's a "historic" tourist town now. Several pretty good sized hotels, and lots of motels. Somebody offers an "Underground Tour", so I'm guessing it was built as a mining town. Lots of old buildings, but they're all brick or stone.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Found a page with the history of the town. It was always a destination town, built around springs producing water that was considered "healing". It was established in 1879, so this pic shows it in its infancy. There were four major fires in the early years, and between them, condemnation and demolition in the 1890s, and depression era deconstruction to salvage the wood the majority of the early wooden structures are gone. (No great loss: "The majority of the structures were hastily built for immediate occupancy rather than stability, to secure lots as close to the springs as possible.")
Load More Replies... #62
High School Teenagers Drive In Des Moines, Iowa, 1947
#63
Rural Mail Delivery In 1914
#64
Young Girls Working At An Oyster (Shucking) Processing Plant, 1912
Pyla 1 year ago
On the bright side American Conservatives are trying to bring back child labor.
Limey 1 year ago
Our new regime (please do not make the mistake of calling it an “administration”) is hurtling us back there because poor, uneducated, afraid and immobile is what they need to retain their power and wealth. The “G” in MAGA is only for a very specific few. Unfortunately the many who voted for it haven’t realized that. Yet.
Load More Replies... Steve Robert 1 year ago
And politicians in the US want to bring back child labor. That's some people's idea of making America great again. Fking asshooles!
#65
1980, When Every Soft Drink Bottle On The Shelf Was Still Glass
Sunshine 1 year ago
Good grief! I was 11 in 1980 and in 1983 my dad walked out on us and we didn't know where he had gone. Back then a husband could cancel a joint account with his wife without permission from the wife (I lived in Ontario, Canada, at the time). So, my sister, my mum, and I were destitute for a wee while. We scouted around ditches and so-forth to collect the glass bottles to return them for money so we could buy a loaf of bread.
Steve Robert 1 year ago
I worked as a Pepsi merchantizer, stocking shelves and building those giant displays, during the summer of 76, while in college. I remember those glass 2 liter bottles that would literally burst in your hand. $3.50 an hour!
Sand Ers 1 year ago
In 1976 $3.50 an hour wasn't bad for a job like that.
Load More Replies... #66
A Scene Of A Prisoner Escaping, United States, 1913
#67
“The Simpsons” Writing Room, 1992
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago
This thread is really stretching the definition of "old time photos"
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Somehow I always assumed a writing room would have, like, a writing table.
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#68
Victorian Women In Old Car
#69
Wild Bill Hickok, 1870s
#70
Mary Smith, A “Knocker-Upper” Who Earned Sixpence A Week Shooting Dried Peas At Windows To Wake People For Work (East London, 1930s)
#71
James And Amelia, Texas, 1867
Richard Graham 1 year ago
People in these old photographs always look so stiff and uncomfortable because film exposure times were as much as ten minutes. To prevent blurring of the image people were held still with clamps behind them.
#72
A Sorority Group Photo From The Early '70s
Steve Robert 1 year ago
I dated briefly a sorority girl in the early sixties. We got home late, and had to toss pebbles at the second story window, to wake someone up to let her in. Best decade ever!
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Wow is that ever the '70s. Depending on when in the '70s it was taken the youngest of them would be 59 now. More likely they're mid 60s to early 70s.
#73
A Waitress On Roller Skates Delivers A Tray Full Of Food To Customers. 1940s
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
And here I'm lucky to get from the kitchen to the loungeroom with a plate in one hand and a glass in the other in my slippers without spilling anything :P
MaryHadaLittleLamb 1 year ago
My grandma was a skating car-hop when she was 16! She was beautiful, and stayed beautiful her whole life. I miss her terribly.
#74
Teenagers At An Elvis Presley Concert At The Philadelphia Arena, 1957!
#75
Photo Of Lumberjacks Cutting Trees In Pacific Northwest, USA 1915
Pimp 1 year ago
Redwood furniture was popular in the 80s and still around today, thats the tragedy
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Redwood is now being grown as a crop. The opposition to logging was always about preserving the few remaining scraps of old growth, not objecting to the existence of lumber.
Load More Replies... chamomile tea 1 year ago
How very human. Oh look, something beautiful that shows the power and resilience of nature! Lets kill it for money!!!
nottheactualphoto 1 year ago
Some people wanted furniture. The wood had to come from somewhere. The lumberjacks wouldn't be cutting the tree if there weren't people waiting to buy the wood.
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#76
Ozark Mountain Family At Their Cabin In Arkansas
Janissary35680 1 year ago (edited)
"This is just our summer cabin. We actually live in The Hamptons."
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Early Ozarks caricature: The idea the Ozarks is inhabited by primitives has been perpetuated in books by educated travelers like Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, in popular songs like the “Arkansaw Traveler,” and in souvenir postcards, like this one by otherwise-respected photographer George Hall.
#77
Newlyweds Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz, 1940s
Janissary35680 1 year ago
The cookbook's name is prophetic, to say the least. I wonder if that was a writers' room in-joke.
Sara Frazer 1 year ago (edited)
Gosh, she's always been so cute! My grandma was a lifelong "I love Lucy" fan, and an AKC-registered Basset hound breeder. People came from all over the country for her Basset hounds (she did one litter a year, in the summer). My most favorite dog of hers was this sweet old girl who was never able to have pups, named Lucy. And her fur was a beautiful red. ETA my grandma first fell in love with Basset hounds because of Elvis...yes she was a quintessential 1950s child lol 😹 RIP Gram
Richard Graham 1 year ago
"Womanizing mama’s boy ... with a talent for making money". You make that sound like a bad thing. Those exact words are in the "skills" section of my resume.
Load More Replies... #78
Little Leonardo Dicaprio And His Parents George And Irmelin, 1976
#79
Farmers At A Well In Jefferson, Texas, 1939
Broad Panda 1 year ago
I can only make out what I think is ENING as the end of the bottom big word. I'm guessing it says whitening.
Load More Replies... Sara Frazer 1 year ago (edited)
Curious, legit question (if anyone knows): what is the corded contraption they have hanging over the well?? I'm suspecting some sort of automated bucket-upper but maybe it's not
Pimp 1 year ago
Clearly the pulley for raising water bucket from well below😆
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#80
Victorian Women In Old Car
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago (edited)
Those are manliest women and the strangest car I have seen in a while...
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What do you think ?
Helena 1 year ago
I love old photographs. It is fun to tell yourself their stories. Yet I see nothing whatsoever great that I would want to make again. These photos were a lot more interesting to look at before we had so many people trying to crawl back into them.
John Nelson 1 year ago
My father in law cleaned out his mother's house years ago, and saved me two large folders. They contained everything from an original postcard given out at the launching of the Graf Zeppelin and the commerative postcard sent by his great uncle as he boarded the Titanic to come to America, to the original plans and patent for the tire changing device his dad designed for Ford for their model T. I cringe when he complains about all the letters and ephemera he hauled to the dump.... Grrrr!
sqpscz5cmm 8 months ago
Kinda refreshing after all that AI c**p found on social media nowadays 🤪
Steve Gilbert 1 year ago
In 150 years somebody might find a picture of me from the 1970's and post it with the caption "Typical teenage hippie, circa 1975".
Sara Frazer 1 year ago (edited)
Man these intrusive, full-screen pop-up k ï a ads are pissing me tf OFF. I'll literally never buy a vehicle from you a$$holes and the car you're advertising is ugly AF. I've seriously been not scrolling BP as much as usual because these KÏA ads are so damn annoying. ETA KIA hopefully actually posting the name gets back to the marketing jerks, or whoever allows these awful ads. Your car is ugly as hell!!!!!
Helena 1 year ago
I love old photographs. It is fun to tell yourself their stories. Yet I see nothing whatsoever great that I would want to make again. These photos were a lot more interesting to look at before we had so many people trying to crawl back into them.
John Nelson 1 year ago
My father in law cleaned out his mother's house years ago, and saved me two large folders. They contained everything from an original postcard given out at the launching of the Graf Zeppelin and the commerative postcard sent by his great uncle as he boarded the Titanic to come to America, to the original plans and patent for the tire changing device his dad designed for Ford for their model T. I cringe when he complains about all the letters and ephemera he hauled to the dump.... Grrrr!
sqpscz5cmm 8 months ago
Kinda refreshing after all that AI c**p found on social media nowadays 🤪
Steve Gilbert 1 year ago
In 150 years somebody might find a picture of me from the 1970's and post it with the caption "Typical teenage hippie, circa 1975".
Sara Frazer 1 year ago (edited)
Man these intrusive, full-screen pop-up k ï a ads are pissing me tf OFF. I'll literally never buy a vehicle from you a$$holes and the car you're advertising is ugly AF. I've seriously been not scrolling BP as much as usual because these KÏA ads are so damn annoying. ETA KIA hopefully actually posting the name gets back to the marketing jerks, or whoever allows these awful ads. Your car is ugly as hell!!!!!
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