Time keeps marching on, and we're powerless to stop it. However, people have been doing a good job of capturing fleeting moments through photographs, allowing us to relive memorable events or experience ones we might have missed.
The Instagram account 'New Old Photos' is a great example of this. From auto mechanics in the 1920s to a Dutch open-air school in the 1950s, it shares interesting pictures that transport us to bygone eras and build a connection to the past.
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Black Cat Hug / Andy Prokh (B.1963)
Same Car, Same Guys, 50 Years Later
One dude looks a hell of a lot like a young Paul Neumann/Brando
Talking to Bored Panda about historical pictures, professor, writer, and amateur homesteader Joshua Wilkey said "I think photography can be an essential and powerful tool for understanding history, but I [also] think it is also necessary to view all photographs with a critical eye."
"While we might be accustomed to skepticism of photos in the age of Photoshop, photo editing isn't the only thing that should give us pause."
1967 || 2019 Same Bike , Same Couple , 52 Years Later . Image Source : Zhangzhesheng
" Dog And Cat In Paris ", C.1950 . Photo By Annick Gérardin
These Progressive High School Girls Learn The Finer Points Of Auto Mechanics In 1927
Yet, in 1989, my high school principal wouldn't let me take automechanics because I was a girl.
The historian provided a few very helpful questions we can ask ourselves when analyzing such images. The first one: is the photo lacking context? Or what is happening outside of the frame?
"There's always the chance that the viewer is seeing an intentionally skewed perspective," Wilkey highlighted. "A picture might be worth a thousand words, but sometimes it takes a thousand words to explain the context of a single photo.
As avid Bored Panda readers probably know, pictures can be very strange without context.
Mailman N. Sorenson Poses With His Heavy Load Of Christmas Mail And Parcels, Chicago, 1929
Animals Being Used As Part Of Medical Therapy , 1956 🤍 Three-Year-Old Peggy Kennedy Enjoyed These Ducklings Paddling Around In A Tub. Peggy, A Polio Patient, Wore A Plastic Chest Respirator
Hey, at least today's anti-vaxxer kids will have some cute ducks to look forward to!
Two Women Showing Uncovered Legs In The Public Place For The First Time, Toronto, 1937
In The 1800s , Pit Bulls Were Often Called "Nanny Dogs" Because Of The Protective Behavior They Exhibit Around Children
Pitbulls are great. Even though many people believe that the dogs are hellacious fighters, however in the 19th century these little pups were believed to be the perfect babysitters because of how clingy they get when they’re around children. Not only are the dogs protective over the children in their charge, but they’re very loyal and stable if they’re raised well.
“Nanny dogs” were placed with children once they were old enough to be comfortable around dogs, which had to be great for any victorian boy or girl, who doesn’t want a dog? The two dogs in this photo look like good boys, they deserve a treat.
Problem is idiot criminals have kept breeding them to be more aggressive to use in dogfighting or to have a "macho" dog. So nowadays there are some Pitbulls that are to unstable to even train properly
The second question: is the photo representative? In other words, can the photo indicate something bigger than itself?
"For example, the internet has, for years, made fun of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for marveling at seemingly cool but likely fake things like modern and well-stocked grocery stores," Wilkey added. "These photos are meant to be representative images portraying for Kim's people and for foreigners that North Korea is a modern and well-nourished society. [But] the reality is a bit different."
To Win A Bet In 1956 , Thomas Fitzpatrick Stole A Small Plane From New Jersey And Landed It Perfectly On A Narrow Manhattan Street While Drunk, In Front Of The Bar He Had Been Drinking At. Two Years Later, He Did It Again After A Man Didn't Believe He Had Done It The First Time
An Open Air School In 1957, Netherlands
The photograph was taken in 1957 in the Netherlands where open air schools were quite popular at the time. The idea of an al fresco classroom should be a very obvious one if the weather permits it, but unfortunately, most traditional western schools these days don’t put much emphasis on the benefits of learning outside of four walls.
Berlin 1960s. Residents Of West Berlin Show Their Children To Their Grandparents Living In East Berlin , 1961
Two Members Of The Bertram Mills Circus Walk Head-To-Head At Hammersmith Broadway In London 1953
While these concepts can apply to virtually any photograph, they become vital when we're viewing one as evidence.
"They are important for historical photographs because of the power and usefulness of photography in political propaganda."
North Korea is a great example of a regime that uses photography for propaganda, but Wilkey said that the Soviet Union and the US were well versed in the subject too, particularly during the Cold War and the Space Race.
Not Something Seen Every Day This Must Be "Take Your Donkey To Work Day " Amusing Life Magazine Back Page Photo!
A Young Man Demonstrating Against Low Pay For Teachers, Ca. 1930. “I Left School To Earn $21 A Week. My Teacher’s Pay Is $17.78 A Week.” Photographer Paul Thompson
A Drunken Man Placed In A Basket And Carried Away, Istanbul, 1960s
Basket men were hired and their sole purpose was to take patrons home when they were too drunk to stand up
An Ostrich Carriage Being Stopped By The Police For Crossing Speed Limit . Los Angeles Around 1930
"Another good example of government using photography to achieve a political end was the Farm Service Administration's use of photography to document the impact of the Great Depression as a means of garnering support for the New Deal," Wilkey then said.
"Roosevelt's opponents argued it was political propaganda, while his proponents argued it was an accurate depiction of what was happening. Ultimately, most scholars have concluded that, while it accomplished political ends, it was indeed an accurate portrayal of reality."
Here's A Camouflaged Road In Finland During Ww2 , The Trees Were Hung Up With Rope So The Russians Couldn't See The Road ( 1941 )
Abandoned Baby Sleeping In Desk Drawer At Los Angeles Police Station , ( 1971 ) Policewoman Pat Johnson , 28, Tends A Baby Girl , About 9 Months Old, Who Was Found Alone And Crying In A Downtown Hotel Room In Los Angeles , California
Baby was placed in file drawer for a nap after she was fed milk, Jell-O and cottage cheese. She later was taken to a foster home. The hotel manager called police after receiving complaints that the baby had been crying for hours .
The photo of the sleeping baby was taken by Times staff photographer Cal Montney on July 8, 1971.
In 2006 , the Safely Surrendered Baby Law took effect in California.
A Time Long Gone... (Photo From The 1980s)
How Friends Were Deleted In 1859
“ No Dog Biscuits Today ”, London , 1939
Caught In The Rain In The Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan, 1969
Brothel Candles. At Some Of The Lesser Brothels , This Box Of Match Candles Are Used By Women As A Timer . A Man Can Pay His Dues And Then Light The Candle . Once The Candle Goes Out , The Session Is Over
New York City 1975 Photo By Joel Meyerowitz
Camping In The 1960s
Beech-Nut Girl In Harlem , 1940s Harlem 1940's , Beechnut Chewing Gum Girl Making A Sale
I dont understand why everyone is being so racist. To me it just looks like a lovely young lady making a sale and doing her job.
Travelling Hairdresser ' Stop Me ' The Entrepreneurial Spirit Was Alive And Well Back In The 1920's As This Enterprising Young Lady Demonstrates With Her Traveling Hairdresser Business
Budapest In 1987 ( Hungary ) Photo By Attila Manek
Parisians Navigate Flood Waters By Walking Across Rows Of Chairs, 1924 Photographer / Henri Manuel
Its about a foot deep in places, were wellies not invented yet.. wellies not only safer, dryer and less stupid looking
Cleaning Day At Church, Leipzig Germany C.1920
An Iron Worker Balances Himself On A Beam 15 Floors High. Ge Building , Rockefeller Center , 1932 Photographer Charles Clyde Ebbets
Hairdresser's Hot Dog , Ca. 1960 Photo By John Drysdale
Aerial View Of Over 400,000 People At Woodstock , 1969
The Woodstock Music Festival began on August 15, 1969, as half a million people waited on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for the three-day music festival to start. Billed as “An Aquarian Experience: 3 Days of Peace and Music,” the epic event would later be known simply as Woodstock and become synonymous with the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Woodstock was a success, but the massive concert didn’t come off without a hitch: Last-minute venue changes, bad weather and the hordes of attendees caused major headaches. Still, despite—or because of—a lot of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and rain, Woodstock was a peaceful celebration and earned its hallowed place in pop culture history
After The War Ended In May 1945, It Took Months To Transport All Those Men And Women Home Again, And Some Didn’t Arrive Until Just Before Christmas
the guys who didn’t have a wife or girlfriend waiting for them didn’t exactly suffer – they had plenty of attention from the opposite sex!
In 1949, Bedridden French Artist Matisse Used His Apartment In The Hôtel Régina In Cimiez, To Prepare Designs For The Chapel Of Rosary In Vence , Which Was Of Similar Size
Fair Fun 1930s Two Young Women Enjoying Themselves On The ' Caterpillar ' Ride At Southend Fair, Essex, October 1938 ... Photo By Kurt Hutton
The Evolution Of The Female Bathing Suit From 1875 To 1927
1937 : A Mother Fastening A Notice Reading " Please Mr Motorist , Watch Out For Me ," Onto Her Son's Back Before He Sets Out On A Trial Bicycle Ride . By Hulton Archive
1950s All Women's Hot Rod Club. "Dragettes" Hotrod Club Kansas City , Kansas
On A Balcony In Paris , The Refresh Break With Family A Parisian Family During The Heatwave Of The Summer Of 1937
Couple On A Malvern Star Abreast Tandem Bicycle, New South Wales, Australia. C. 1930s Photo By Sam Hood
Same. Seems like it would be harder to balance than the usual tandem, especially if the two riders aren't similar in weight.
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Don't catch your toe in the spokes, especially with sandals. Looks dangerous.
I had a classmate who wouldn't listen to you. She tore off two or three toes and walked a bit funny for that reason.
Load More Replies...Kuba Komet 1950s
Meet Kuba Komet , the mothership of Space Age entertainment systems . This rocket-like structure includes a 23″ black and white television , eight speakers , a Telefunken phonographs and a multi-band radio receiver .
At the time of release in 1957 , The Komet cost more than a year’s average wage
They skipped over the reel to reel tape player/recorder. And you could listen to music for the 10 minutes it would take that tube TV to really get cranking.
A Man Begging For His Wife’s Forgiveness Inside Divorce Court , Chicago , 1946
In 1931 , Mary Smith Earned Six Pence A Week In East London By Shooting A Pea Into The Windows Of The Sleeping Workers. Knocker-Uppers Also Used Long Bamboo Sticks, Batons And Canes To Rouse Residents Of The Upper Floors
1947 Sun Valley Idaho. Photo From Apres Ski At Sun Valley Resort , Idaho 1947 . Photograph By George Silk
Snow Fun In The Old Days - Grabbing The Rear Bumper When Sledding - Many People Had Fun!
Clearly a Dutch vehicle but I don't know if this picture was taken in the Netherlands. The letters HX means this car came from the province South-Holland. Seeing those house up high this could be along the coast upon the dunes. Then again maybe its someone on a winter holiday abroad but that was a pretty luxury just after the war. Edit. Found it! You can see Retaurant Seinpost. This was in the coastal town of Scheveningen near The Hague. It was a real shame the city tore this 1886 building down in 1976. The neighboring kürhaus almost met the same fate but this was prevented due to public outcry who said enough is enough.
Custom Limousines By Car Collector And Custom Builder Jay Ohrberg , 1990
We Will Not Gas Ladas Until ... Soviets Withdraw When The Soviet Union Invaded Afghanistan , Some Gas Stations In Toronto Refused To Gas Ladas. 1980s
People Show Off The Tattoos Given To Them During An Amateur Tattoo Artist Contest In France In 1950 . Photographer Robert Doisneau
Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
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Nice to see the absence of "historical" photos from year 2000 onwards
bot how will i ever learn about the past now?? D:
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Nice to see the absence of "historical" photos from year 2000 onwards
bot how will i ever learn about the past now?? D:
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