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50 Rare Historical Photos To Enlighten Your View Of The World (New Pics)
Interview With Expert
It's one thing to read about years gone by between the pages of a fascinating history book. But nothing brings the past back to life more than beautiful historical photographs. These moments frozen in time can tell us so much, without saying a word. And you don't have to be a history buff to appreciate many of them.
As the name suggests, r/RareHistoricalPhotos showcases the lesser-seen photographs taken throughout the ages. It has more than 162,000 members, and publishes historical photographs, stories and interesting news. The page aims to revive the past, noting that stunning historical photographs can bring bygone eras back to life. We've put together our personal favorite pics shared by the community. Bored Panda also spoke to multi award-winning photographer Hollie Mateer about the role photography plays in preserving the past, and how she uses her unique storytelling style to document moments that can be appreciated for years to come.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
7 Oct 1943, Ottla Kafka, Beloved Sister Of Author Franz Kafka, Was Gassed On Arrival At Auschwitz After Volunteering To Escort A Group Of Orphans From The Terezin Ghetto So They Wouldn’t Be Afraid
RELATED:
#2
Sabina Chebichi, Kenyan Athlete Who Won A Race In 1973, Barefoot And Wearing A Dress
#3
Aboriginal Tasmanian Fanny Cochrane Smith Singing Into Her Phonograph In 1903. Without Her Efforts To Preserve Her Culture, We Would Have No Audio Traces Of The Tasmanian Language. Pretty OSC
#4
The First Interracial Marriage In Mississippi, 1970. 3 Years Earlier, The 1967 Loving V. Virginia Scotus Ruling Legalized Interracial Marriage In The US
#5
The Only Known Photograph Of An African American Union Soldier With His Family. Circa 1864
#6
Dance Teacher Patsy Swayze, Center, With Her Daughter-In-Law Lisa Niemi And Son Patrick Swayze, 1978
#7
Jane Russell Shows Her Co-Actress Marilyn Monroe (At The Time, Jane Was The Bigger Star) One Of Her Talents: Drawing. Here She Draws An Sketch Of Monroe. Result At The End. This Was During The Filming Of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," 1953
#8
Remembering The Father, 1925
#9
Rare Photograph Of Marilyn Monroe Without Makeup, 1955
#10
Beautiful Ukrainian Girl In National Costume, 1935. Photo Before And After Restoration
Julie Love 1 year ago
Now if only the country could have a chance for restoration…. Step one, stop destroying it
#11
Barack Obama Dressed As A Pirate With His Mother Stanley Ann, 1960s
#12
Lonnie Johnson, Inventor Of The Super Soaker, 1992
#13
New York In The 1960s
#14
Gertrude Ederle, First Woman To Cross The English Channel, 26 August 1926, Done In 14hr And 31 Min, Beating The Male Record Of 16hr And 33 Min. Photos Of The Day She Did The Record
#15
London, 1940, A Girl Sitting In The Wreckage Of Her Bombed-Out Home With Her Doll
#16
Luzon Woman, 1875
#17
Group Of Friends Enjoys The Beach And Sun In The 1940s
#18
In Arviat, Nunavut (Northern Canada), 1949, An Inuit Girl Descends Into Her Ice Igloo House
Auntriarch 1 year ago
She's looking like she's found the photographer in her house and he's about to be very sorry...
#19
Dorothy Counts, The First Black Girl To Attend An All-White School In The U.S., Being Taunted By Her White Classmates At Harry Harding High School In Charlotte, 1957
#20
In The Middle Of A Celebration, A Young Woman From Oaxaca, Mexico, Notices She Is Being Photographed, And Gives A Look To The Camera, 1985
#21
A Sailor "Meets" His Baby For The First Time After Fourteen Months At Sea, 1940s
#22
Mother And Daughter Walking In New York, 1970
#23
A Mother Repairs The Family Car While Her Husband Is Away At War, 1944
#24
Faces Of Auschwitz, 1940
#25
This Photo Shows Margaret Ann Neave, An American Woman Who Passed Away In 1902 After Reaching The Age Of 110. This Woman Was Born In 1792, Which Means She Lived In Three Centuries
#26
Princess Of Egypt And Iranian Queen Fawzia Fuad, C. 1939
#27
1968. My Grandfather In The Second Korean War
LtsGoBck2the90s 1 year ago
What a handsome soldier. Our grandfathers fought for a better life for us. Let's enjoy the safety and freedoms they've prepared for us.
#28
112-Year-Old Veteran Of WW1 And Russian Civil War (Teimruz Vanacha) And His Son (Ivan) A Veteran Of WW2 In 1980
#29
Wedding Rings Found By U.S. Army Soldiers Near The Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, May 1945
#30
Sisters In Skirts, 1950s
#31
Blackfoot Chief Two Guns White Calf, Early 1900s
pterodactowl 1 year ago
His biceps were outstanding, but his legs were a bit too pale by competition standards.
#32
A Mother And Daughter Hamming It Up For The Camera, Ca 1900
Melissa Buddin 1 year ago
So much more realistic than the stoic portraits of the time. Just precious!
#33
Marcy Borders - "Dust Lady" After Escaping The North Tower Of The World Trade Center On 9/11. She Would Die Of Cancer At Age 42
#34
Republican Party Supporters And Democratic Party Supporters Fight With Snowballs In Front Of The Capitol. January 1921, Washington, USA
#35
Vintage Photograph Of A Kid Wearing A Monkey Mask, 1920s
#36
Couples In A Bar, 1959 Pittsburgh
#37
A Man Searches For Books In The Former Cincinnati Public Library. The Building Was Demolished In 1955. Today There Is An Office Building And Parking Lot Where It Used To Stand
#38
Barack Obama Visiting His Step-Grandmother Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama. Kenya, 1988. Sarah Obama, Affectionately Called Grandma Sarah By The Former U.S. President, Was The Third And Youngest Wife Of Obama's Grandfather
#39
Photograph From The 1993 Great Flood, When James Scott Intentionally Sabotaged A Levee, Triggering A Massive Mississippi River Flood To Delay His Wife's Return Home, Allowing Him To Keep Partying
His actions flooded 14,000 acres of farmland, destroyed numerous buildings, and led to the closure of a major bridge. Scott was convicted of "intentionally causing a catastrophe" and is serving a life sentence in prison.
#40
Until 1956, French Children Were Served Wine With Their School Lunch
Annik Perrot 1 year ago (edited)
A mixture of wine and water, heavy on the water, for "sanitary" reasons, since water at the time could not always be trusted, and wine ( less alcoolized than it is now) was considered à "healthy" drink. ETA Source: my parents who went to school in the 30s and 40s.
#41
Titanic Orphans, Brothers Michel And Edmond Navratil, 1912. They Were The Only Children To Be Rescued From The Titanic Without A Parent Or Guardian
Serial pacifist 1 year ago
Poor kids. I hope they had a good life afterwards. As a matter of fact, I might as well just google them now.
#42
Mixtec Woman From Oaxaca In Her Traditional Dress, 1970s. They Share Land With The Zapotecs, Which Is A Entirely Different Ethnic Group
Spencer's slave no longer 1 year ago
Different Ethnic groups sharing the same land. Who would have thought that happens?
#43
Lucky British Soldier Showing Off His Damaged Helmet, 1917
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
Survivor bias at its worst. World War 1 saw an increase in head injuries, so idiot "generals" blamed the helmets for causing them, and opposed soldiers wearing them. The idiot "generals" couldn't grasp that a head injuries means the soldiers weren't dead, as would have happened with cloth caps they used to wear. [ http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~lori/mathed/problems/sloanA307.html ]
#44
Her Majesty Queen Marie Of Romania, 1896
#45
Mayan Women In The Yucatan Peninsula Around 1952. The Dress Is Called The Mayan Huipil
#46
Victorian Woman With A Very Intense Gaze, Circa 1850-60s
#47
Two Young Boys Standing Barefoot On Moving Electric Looms In Order To Reach The Top Shelf While At Work In A Cotton Mill In Georgia, 1910. Photos Of Child Laborers Working Long Hours In Dangerous Conditions Gradually Led To Child Labor Employment Laws
#48
This Photograph, Taken Over 100 Years Ago In Jerusalem (1920), Shows A Sign In The Background Reading “The Palestine German Bank.” Remarkable Window Into History And The Vibrant Multicultural Presence In The Region During That Era
cerinamroth 1 year ago
Palestine was the name the Romans gave to the entire region, just for clarification. It was a multicultural place where most people generally co-existed peacefully until the Brits and French started drawing lines in the sand when empires were already, like, becoming totally uncool. It's still a vibrant and multicultural place, but how magnificent it could be... if only.
#49
A Soviet Officer Sees And Tastes A Hot Dog And Coca-Cola For The First Time Aboard The U.S. Cruiser Thomas S. Gates, 1989
#50
Woman Inspecting This New Thing, The Security Belt In Her Car, Circa 1950s
#51
Mark Twain Lying In His Bed At Home In 1909, He Died The Year After. Not Colorized, This Is Autochrome Lumiere
#52
Goodyear Illuminated Tires, 1961
cerinamroth 1 year ago
I'm sure they were invented for precisely this purpose of checking on your suspender belt
#53
“The Thousand Yard Stare”—USMC Private Theodore J. Miller Is Helped Aboard A Ship After Intense Combat On Eniwetok Atoll. Miller Was KIA A Month Later, 1944
#54
Police Image Of A Girl Detained For Unconventional Dress/Look, USA, 1940
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 1 year ago
Careful, USA. With King Cheeto in power, this could come full circle.
#55
From 1890 To 1960, It Was Fashionable To Wear Black Wedding Dresses In Spain
#56
A Pneumatic Mail Service Covering 23 New York City Post Offices And Extending 27 Miles. Functioned Until 1957
#57
Cafe Life In Paris (1957)
cerinamroth 1 year ago
What a time to be alive - smoking, rampant sexism and zero reproductive rights! It's not as glamorous as it looks, ladies!
#58
Nancy Reagan Sitting On Mr T's Lap, The White House, December 1983
Chris the Bobcat 1 year ago
I met Mr. T when I was a kid. He was a genuinely nice guy and wanted to be a good role model for children. A celebrity I'm glad I met.
#59
My Italian Great Grandpa And Scottish Great Grandma, Taken After Returning From The Great War
#60
Carrie Fisher In A Vacation Thru Europe In 1971. Before Her Role In Star Wars When She Was Just The Daughter Of Debbie Reynolds
kissmychakram 1 year ago
If I hadn't read the title, I would have guessed this was Millie Bobby Brown on the Stranger Things set!
#61
An Overwhelmed US Marine Is Pictured While Weeping Among Ruins During The Battle Of Peleliu. September 26th, 1944
Oerff On Tour 1 year ago
The most costly battle, as far as death toll. It cost thousands of Americans lives, but from the 16,000 japanese on the island, only about 50 survived. The last japanese soldier only surrendered in 1947!
#62
Marilyn Monroe's Last Photo Shoot. These Photos Were Taken On Santa Monica Beach By Photographer George Barris 3 Weeks Before His Death. USA. 1962
Disgruntled Panda 1 year ago
I love the picture of her in the jumper. Like she's not posing but just being herself (might not be the case of course but it makes me happy to see her seemingly more relaxed)
#63
78-Year-Old Robert T. Lincoln (Son Of Abraham Lincoln) Is Helped Up The Steps At The Dedication Of The Lincoln Memorial In Washington D.C., 1922
#64
In Just Four Years, Abraham Lincoln Seemingly Aged A Decade
#65
A Palestinian Teenager Gives A Souvenir To Female IDF Soldiers. Jerusalem, 1967
#66
This Is What The Empire State Building Looked Like Against The Background Of Other Buildings, 1941
#67
Robert De Niro With His Father (1946)
#68
The Final Photo Of Christopher Mccandless, Taken Before His Death In August 1992, Was Found On His Undeveloped Camera. After Venturing Into The Alaskan Wilderness, He Used An Abandoned Bus As Shelter Where He Starved To Death
A hunter discovered his body in September, weighing only 67 pounds.
#69
A Female Gas Station Attendant Working In Los Angeles, 1948
#70
William MckKinley, The 25th US President, Walking Into The Expo Where He Would Be Shot Twice And K**led
#71
This Is One Of The Last Known Photographs Of John Cooper (Front), Who Died Under Mysterious Circumstances In 1973 While Climbing Aconcagua, The Highest Mountain In The Americas. This Photo Wasn’t Found Until 2020
The woman behind John in the image is Janet Johnson, who also died while climbing the mountain.
This photo was found on her camera, which was discovered on the mountain nearly 50 years after her death, in 2020.
#72
The Crew Of Apollo 1 Relaxing During Training, 1966. Sadly, A Cabin Fire Would Later Claim The Lives Of All Three Crew Members
On January 27, 1967, during a launch rehearsal at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch Complex 34, a fire broke out, claiming the lives of all three astronauts: Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee.
#74
Muhammad Ali, 24, Flirts With Future Wife Belinda Boyd, 16, At A Bakery Shop In Chicago. They Married A Year Later In 1967
#75
Kids Dressed For Halloween On A School Bus, 1980s
#76
The Women Demonstrate What Could Be Purchased For $1.34 In 1918 And 1945
#77
This Is Ash From The Erupting Mt. St. Helens Raining Down On Robert Landsburg. He Took This Photo, Rewound The Film, Tucked The Camera In A Backpack And Laid Over It While Being Buried In The Ash. His Body Was Found 17 Days Later
The thermal energy released during the eruption was equal to 26 megatons of TNT.
Hundreds of square miles were reduced to wasteland, causing over $1 billion in damage (equivalent to $3.4 billion in 2023).
In total, 57 people died and thousands of animals also perished.
#78
Young Lady In London, 1969
#79
Martin Luther King Jr. Removes A Burned Cross From His Yard In 1960. The Boy Is His Son
Multa Nocte 1 year ago (edited)
So hideous that this happened. That it still happens. From the FBI site: "Twenty have been reported nationwide since October 2005, says Special Agent Carlton L. Peeples, acting Chief of the Civil Rights Unit at FBI Headquarters."
#80
View Of Boston, The Oldest Surviving Aerial Photograph Ever Taken. October 13th, 1860
#81
Copacabana Beach, Rio, 1985
#82
A Gentleman Tips His Hat To A Group Of Ladies, 1920s
#83
Nebraska Girl, Audra Thomas, Photographed In Front Of A Tornado, 1989
#84
John F. Kennedy In A Selfie-Style Picture In Front Of The White House In 1962
#85
Arnold Schwarzenegger In A Lesson In Secondary School, 1958
cerinamroth 1 year ago
"Ich.... komme.... wieder." On second thoughts, it looks like he's in an art class here. Finally, an Austrian artist who went on to greatness but in a good way ;-)
#86
Different Shots Of The Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield Encounter In 1957
#87
An Actual Photo Of Theodore Roosevelt And John Muir At Yosemite, 1903
#88
An Italian-American Cafe, Little Italy, New York City, 1942
#89
Passengers Aboard The Staten Island Ferry. New York, USA. 1895
Feathered Dinosaur 1 year ago (edited)
Newspapers have rotten away people's brains! Bring back the good old days where people just stared at cave paintings the whole day!
#90
US President Lyndon Johnson Listens To A Tape Sent By Captain Chuck Robb (His Son-In-Law) From Vietnam, 1968
#91
In Bertha Hill, West Virginia, A Coal Miner's Child Is Seen Holding A Smoking Pipe In One Hand And A Gun In The Other, Using A Hole In The Door To Enter A Bedroom. Captured By Marion Post Wolcott In 1938
#92
Two Kids Walking Barefoot To School, Claiborne County, Tennessee, 1940
cerinamroth 1 year ago
"Education is your passport to freedom. Never take it for granted because it's the only thing no one can take from you." A quote from my beloved grandma, who Saw Some S**t TM.
#93
In 1979, 16-Year-Old Brenda Ann Spencer Was Arrested After Ki**ing Two People In San Diego, California. When Asked Why She Did It, She Replied, "I Just Don't Like Mondays"
#94
Little Paris Hilton Runs Away From Former U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan. New York, 1983
#95
Elvis Presley With His Dad And Grandma, 1959
#96
Rick Steves: "Here I Am, Heading Off To Europe The Day After High School Graduation In 1973"
#97
Architects Demonstrate Models Of The World Trade Center. USA, 1964
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
Wow. Does anyone know if these models still exist anywhere? Or were they on display in the actual Twin Towers?
#98
US President Abraham Lincoln With His Personal Bodyguard And Others At The Battle Of Antietam, 1862
#99
Mobsters Hide Their Faces At Al Capone's Trial, 1947
#100
A Street Scene In Pennsylvania, 1941
#101
An African American With Dwarfism, Circa 1863
#102
In A Private Reunion, Frank Sinatra Shows Some Of His Photos, One Of His Guests Is Marilyn Monroe, 1961
Karen Krause 1 year ago
The guy on the left is Peter Lawford, an actor, was a member of the "Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.
#103
Diego Maradona Showing Off His Fidel Castro Tattoo To Fidel Castro
#104
A Casino Security Guard Watches The Players. Nevada, USA
#105
Lucky Jeep Owner, 1950s
#106
Pro-Racism Protest
cerinamroth 1 year ago
Not the brightest pennies in the purse. Why do so many in America seem to have so many problems understanding what socialism and communism actually are?
#107
World's Oldest Photo
The Scout 1 year ago
Only it is not. While this is early photography, that honor goes to "View from the window at Le Gras" form Nicéphore Niépce in 1826: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_photography. This one is actually if from the revolutionary uprising in June, 1848 in Paris, France (as visible by the barricades), so more than two decades later.
#108
John Wayne On Vacation In Acapulco, 1959. Photo By Phil Stern
#109
My Grandfather’s Barbershop Quartet, 1958
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