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These 30 Pandas Shared The Oldest Photo They Have And The Stories Behind Them
Say what you want, but photographs play an important role in everyone's life; they remind us of people, places, sentiments, and tales from our past. They can help us understand who we are, and they can also allow us to see people that are long gone but have left their footprint in history.
With that being said, I asked the Bored Panda community to show us their old treasures, and they sure delivered! Some of the photos submitted even carry some interesting stories attached to them.
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1916 - My Grandmother, Annabelle. Never Met Her, She Passed In The 1918 During The Flu Pandemic
what a beautiful photograph (My great-grandmother also died in the 1918 Flu epidemic).
I lost my great-grandfather in the same epidemic.
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Beautiful woman! My great grandmother died the same year, Spanish flu - so sad, she lost her husband in the war, barely survived (starvation) with 3 little children. My grandmother took care of her younger siblings at the age of 9 until they were brought to relatives
oh my....I don't know what quite to say, except I hope you pass these stories on.
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I Don't Know Who She Is, This Damaged, Creased Photo Appeared On Ebay For A Tiny Amount Of Money And No Bidders. I Figured If No One Bought It, The Seller Might Throw Her Away. This Momentary Fraction Of Time, And What Might Be The Only Remenant Of Her Existance, Will Now Be Preserved And Cared For
My Great-Grandmother Is The Woman On The Right. This Was Taken In Yuma, Arizona Sometime Before Her Death In 1914. Its The Only Photo That Survived A Flood
DNA says I'm 25% indigenous but when we went to Yuma to the BIA, couldn't find her on the registers, but then found out that she died before the 1914 census done for the local tribes. But we did go by some of the tribal museums and saw old photos that looked a lot like all my sisters and me. So we are in the right area....just need to get more native americans to get on the dna pages. It's sad that we have lost our history
Photo Of My Mom On Her Dad's Shoulders In 1925
My 3rd Great-Grandmother Lavisa, Born In New York In 1830
My Grandfather's Mugshot In 1942
He was 19 years old and lived in Rhinebeck, NY when he decided to steal some tires from a garage. The dutchess county judge called him "Unpatriotic" and sent him to prison. He eventually signed up to serve in WW2.
My Great-Grandfather Francisco From The Azores, Portugal In The Late 1800s
: 1912, Milam, Tx. Great Grandfather With Mustache (My Grandfather 4th From Right). Whole Family Had Gotten New Shoes, So They Wanted To Show Them Off In A Photo
So, This Isn't The Oldest Photo I Have But I Wanted To Share It As It Always Gives Me A Smile When I See It. This Is Of My Great Grandfather (On The Right) When He Was Studying Art. If You Look At The Sign It Says "Models Posing"
My Grandfather In This Group Photo, Circa Late 1800’s
I'd love to know the names! The guy on the right looks just like my father!
My Grandmother With Her Doll In 1888. I Still Have The Doll
Wonderful that you still have that doll. What an heirloom to pass down.
My Great, Great Grandfather, Taken In The Late 1800s In Northern Ireland
Mommy. 1950 ❤️
My Grandmother, 1941
My Grandfather In 1915. He's The One On Top. He Lied About His Age To Join, He Was Only 15
Year 1904, Southern Czechia, My Great Grandmother Marie Stachova (In The Middle), Her Mother Marie And Father Vaclav, Siblings Vaclav And Bozena
Daddio. 1950. You Were So Damn Cool!
My Grandparents Knew How To Have Fun! That's My Grandmother With The Arrow. Holland 1920s
Family Homestead 1923, Eagan, Minnesota. That's My Grandfather On The Horse-Draw Farm Equipment. They Are Harvesting Onions. Gamily Farmed Here From 1870s To Early 1950s. Land Is Now Eagan's Central Park
I'm from the twin cities area (Minneapolis and St.Paul MN), and it's still amazing to think that even 70 years ago (1950s), many of the surrounding suburbs and sprawl were just farms
My Grandmother At About 3 Years Old, With Her Parents, Ca. 1898
My Dad's Great Aunt Elizabeth. Circa 1910, Derbyshire, England
#43 My Great Great Grandmother, She Was Born In 1880 And Died ? I'm Pretty Sure This Picture Was Taken In Her Mid Twentys
Great Great (?) Grandparents On Leaving England For Australia In 1879
My Great, Great Grandparents James Goddard (1876-1942) And Margaret Goddard Née Millar (1877-1948)
My Mom's Grandfather's Dressmaker Factory In Downtown Cincinnati, Late 1800s/Early 1900s
My Grandmother Jeanne, Aged 17, In 1918.
Note: this post originally had 55 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I wonder why posts like this one get so few upvotes? I mean the challenges. I really enjoy them.
where do they post these challenges at originally? I could have joined this one.
My grandfather's grandfather in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He was a Rough Rider. IMG_201912...0032d3.jpg 
I used to collect old photo albums from flea markets. The only one that says where the photos were taken and who the sitters were is from a teacher training college in the UK from the early 1900s. All the others are obviously family albums but I have no idea who they are. All my albums date from the 1800s and up to about 1936. I also have lots of Daguerreotype, glass and tin. Even tiny tin ones in leather frames. I don’t want them to end up in a bin somewhere but what do I do with them?
I love looking at old photos especially if there's some story attached to them. But it also makes my heart ache. Because I'm searching for my ancestors and I have already found a lot of stuff (and some really cool stuff), yet I have no photos. All I have are photos of my maternal grandmother and grandfather or younger. So basically I know names and some details of lives of my greats and great-greats etc, but I'll never know their faces. PS: I don't know why there aren't any photos. However I have a few theories.
My Great, great, Great Grandmother, Mary Ann Hayden. I wish I had a date on the photo but she was born in 1833 and died in 1920 it was in that range. I would guess 1890s. She married Thomas Moss in 1849, after moving from England to Australia. Mary-Hayde...d-jpeg.jpg 
This is her daughter, F***y Moss (my great, great grandmother). I wonder if the two photos were taken at the same time, as age difference seems right. F***y married Alexander Hudson and was sewing mistress at the school he taught at in Traynor's Lagoon in Victoria, Australia. Two of many teachers in the family. Fanny-Moss...669ee.jpeg 
I wonder why posts like this one get so few upvotes? I mean the challenges. I really enjoy them.
where do they post these challenges at originally? I could have joined this one.
My grandfather's grandfather in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He was a Rough Rider. IMG_201912...0032d3.jpg
I used to collect old photo albums from flea markets. The only one that says where the photos were taken and who the sitters were is from a teacher training college in the UK from the early 1900s. All the others are obviously family albums but I have no idea who they are. All my albums date from the 1800s and up to about 1936. I also have lots of Daguerreotype, glass and tin. Even tiny tin ones in leather frames. I don’t want them to end up in a bin somewhere but what do I do with them?
I love looking at old photos especially if there's some story attached to them. But it also makes my heart ache. Because I'm searching for my ancestors and I have already found a lot of stuff (and some really cool stuff), yet I have no photos. All I have are photos of my maternal grandmother and grandfather or younger. So basically I know names and some details of lives of my greats and great-greats etc, but I'll never know their faces. PS: I don't know why there aren't any photos. However I have a few theories.
My Great, great, Great Grandmother, Mary Ann Hayden. I wish I had a date on the photo but she was born in 1833 and died in 1920 it was in that range. I would guess 1890s. She married Thomas Moss in 1849, after moving from England to Australia. Mary-Hayde...d-jpeg.jpg
This is her daughter, F***y Moss (my great, great grandmother). I wonder if the two photos were taken at the same time, as age difference seems right. F***y married Alexander Hudson and was sewing mistress at the school he taught at in Traynor's Lagoon in Victoria, Australia. Two of many teachers in the family. Fanny-Moss...669ee.jpeg
