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Man Found Photos From Europe In 1904, Revealing How Everything Looked Before Modern Technology
When we get a chance to look at vintage photos, it always seems that things were completely different back in the day and it’s just so hard to imagine what life was like back then before modern technology took over.
25 years ago Bill Nelson, a vintage photography enthusiast, found a packet of negatives at an estate sale in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has been trying to find as much information about these black and white photos as possible. “The negatives themselves are about 10 cm x 12.5 cm and are cut from roll film. The film stock is quite brittle and is, I believe, nitrocellulose, so I store them in a freezer. Because they are fragile and inevitably degrading, I took the time to scan these old photos at a high resolution. Still, it’s quite remarkable they survived at all, given their indifferent treatment for the first 90 years of their existence,” Bill told Bored Panda.
According to him, photos like these can give a palpable connection to the period in European countries and an opportunity to know it differently than you would from modern histories.
Scroll down to see these interesting photos yourself, and don’t forget to tell us what you think in the comments.
More info: Bill Nelson
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Four Boys From Volendam, Netherlands
Ghilliegirl 7 years ago
Love this! The clogs, the baggy pants, the buttons on the tops and the cheeky wee faces!
Marloes Hermens 7 years ago
The trousers are called 'volendammer'. Typical mensware for this village.
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#2
Cockington Forge, Devon, England
tuzdayschild 7 years ago
This is beautiful. What is that roof made of? Looks like someone threw a canvas on top of the house.
julien 7 years ago
Collonges la Rouge ( southwest France) population : 491. Collonges-la-Rouge is entirely built with red sandstone. Its existence is proven since the 8th century. collonges-...e88d2c.jpg 
#3
Tourists At The Frauenkirche, Nürnberg, Germany
Mimi 7 years ago
The one is ahead of time with the mobile-looking-down-bowed neck! Watch out for your posture, young lady! ;)
BusLady 7 years ago
Her mother: Put that book away and enjoy the scenery.
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#4
Mother And Daughter On Mountain Top, Austria
Brigitta Swart 7 years ago
What the hell is wrong with the Trolls on this site!!!
Load More Replies... #5
Two Gentlemen, London
#6
Market, Bayreuth, Germany
#7
Men And Girl On The Docks, Marken, Netherlands
Becky Reus 7 years ago
That would be because she is a Dutch girl. She lived on the isle of Marken, Noord Holland, Nederlands
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Adrienne Varvil 7 years ago
Nels and Lars forced Mary to fill the fyord with tiny buckets before breakfast.
Hilzillah 7 years ago
Wrong country honey. Nels Lars Mary and fyords. Not Dutch. Specially the fyords. Holland is flat
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#8
Net Mender, Étretat, Normandy, France
cassiushumanmother 7 years ago
i live 100km away from Etretat and some people looks exactly the same!
#9
Oldest Man In Clovelly, England
#10
Mature Woman On Bench
Mimi 7 years ago
Keeping in mind they didn't have modern detergent let alone washing machines and dryers. Life must have been so much more hard work!!
BusLady 7 years ago
The clothing wouldn't have been washed very often. And the dresses had so much fabric to them. Would have taken forever to dry.
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Mont 7 years ago
You can, no one is stopping you. Also there's a biological reason men sit like that so stop being an a-hole.
Load More Replies... #11
Omnibuses, London, England
#12
Girls In Cottage, Marken, Netherlands
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
This photo made me look this up since the body shape is radically different from what it would be today: https://www.quora.com/What-did-women-use-to-support-their-breasts-before-the-bra-was-invented
#13
Marken Girls, Marken, Netherlands
BusLady 7 years ago
They must have lasted for years, handed down to younger siblings.
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Den Star 7 years ago
Is it just me or do these young females look highly uncomfortable in those clothes?
BusLady 7 years ago
They must have worn some kind of petticoat underneath to make them so full-looking.
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Eliza Watters 6 years ago
My Oma bought back a yellow flowered pair for me when she visited her mother in Amsterdam when i was a kid, I always thought it was a novelty thing but seeing these pics just makes me well up! I love our heritage!
Amanda Ford 7 years ago
I wonder if that little girl is simply holding up one foot or if she is genuinely missing a leg.
#14
Steigersgrachtwater, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Stille20 7 years ago
The funny thing about this one is if you hadn't told me, I would not have realized how old the photo was.
Full Name 7 years ago
I can't imagine how they build these places. No power tools, no local Home Depot to whip on by in your big pickup...
Load More Replies... BusLady 7 years ago
Seems so odd to see the houses right up on the water like this. I would love to visit there someday.
#15
Fishing Boats, Volendam, Netherlands
The Master Gamer 6 years ago
Catamarans! Get your catamarans! 100 pounds gets YOU a catamaran!
Load More Replies... #16
On The Charles Bridge, Prague, Czechoslovakia
Melinda Rose 7 years ago
Great picture! But there was no Czechoslovakia in 1904. It was Bohemia, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Ksenia Raspoutine 6 years ago
One of those people might be Franz Kafka, or Jaroslav Hasek, or Joseph Lada... Czechia is a wonderful place. Always has been.
Kate Jackson 7 years ago
nope! Still just as gorgeous lesser-tow...600825.jpg 
#17
Steep Street, Clovelly, Devon, England
#18
Laundry On The Beach, Étretat, France
Pollypocket81 7 years ago
Such hardship to have clean clothing etc. These days people complain about turning a n*b in, and having to empty the machine when the job is finished for you. Oh how we "evolve" lol
CaptainHonischbrod 7 years ago
Was up on this cliff this spring. It's still a beautiful place even over a hundred years later.
#19
Asparagus Sellers, Vienna, Austria
#20
Women In Market, Bayreuth, Germany
#21
Haying With Oxen, Austria
Bobbi Newell 7 years ago
Gradually, as they piled the hay higher and higher.
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#22
Zwinger Palace, Dresden, Germany
Ged Maybury 7 years ago
Dresden? Oh dear. ... Yup: "The building was mostly destroyed by the carpet bombing raids of 13–15 February 1945. The art collection had been previously evacuated, however. Reconstruction began in 1945, ...By 1963 the Zwinger had largely been restored to its pre-war state." Wikipedia
#23
Cheese Market In Alkmaar, Netherlands
Geert van der Ploeg 7 years ago
This ceremonial market process is still carried out every friday during summer
#24
Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
Well, it is a huge European palace, if that is what you mean, but apart from that, nah.
Load More Replies... #25
New Inn, Clovelly, Devon, England
RaroaRaroa 7 years ago
Although on google streetview it seems to be on the other side of the street.
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#26
Horses, Carts, And Bobbies, England
Full Name 7 years ago
Looks like they didn't make the chinstraps long enough though.
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Farm Buildings, Normandy, France
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
There is such a lot of knowledge these people had that has since been lost. Judging by the speed we are harming our planet, we may well be in need of that again in the future.
Full Name 7 years ago
I'll take the tradeoff if it means modern medicine, a/c, refrigeration, indoor plumbing, cars, and Nintendo.
Load More Replies... #28
Organ Grinder And Daughter, London
Nadja Lambacher 7 years ago
No old time organ grinder was complete without a monkey. Don't know why, but it had to be.
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Bekah Jazmine 7 years ago
I've never heard of an organ grinder...my mind went to a place very unsettling
Mylah Rose 7 years ago
Yes I believe they had "trained" monkeys chained to the top of the organ to dance when they played music, just another gimmick to get more customers to come over and watch / give them money
#29
Woman With Heavy Basket, Location Uncertain
Eliza Watters 6 years ago
This is my Oma and that woman looks like her mother!! 421181_101...1b6f74.jpg 
Purple light 7 years ago
No, the clothes they used to wear in Marken are completely different. I don't think this picture is taken in the Netherlands.
Load More Replies... #30
Punting At Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, England
#31
School Children, Netherlands
Nathan Girard 7 years ago
Cameras of that era required a much longer exposure time. It was hard to hold a smile for that long, especially for children. Relaxed face was the best way to ensure a photo with no blurring.
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Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
They have never posed for a selfie, they are simply being themselves. You could not take a photo like this today.
#32
Old Fisherman, Netherlands
GiveMeASloth 7 years ago
HA! I was scrolling by and read this, it didn’t hit me until almost 2 pictures later what you said and..I see what you did there LOL!!
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Valerie van Holten 7 years ago
That would probably sound a bit more like; "goedn morgn, jongn!"
#33
Replica Windmill, Sans Souci Park, Potsdam, Germany
#34
Caveé Saint-Firmin, Montreuil-Sur-Mer, France
#35
Roadside Shrines, Austria
#36
Ornate Doorway- Eglise St. Maclou, Rouen, France
#37
Group Of Women On The Shore, France
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
The women seem to be in a hurry to get the fish to market, fresh as can be after the boats came in.
#38
Chateau De Coucy In 1904, France
julien 7 years ago
" The castle was constructed in the 1220s by Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy. Between two towers on the line of approach was the massive donjon (keep). The donjon was the largest in Europe, measuring 35 meters wide and 55 meters tall. During its heyday, it was famous for the size of its central tower and the pride of its lords, who adopted the staunchly independent rhyme: roi ne suis, ne prince ne duc ne comte aussi; Je suis le sire de Coucy ("I am not king, nor prince nor duke nor count; I am the Lord of Coucy"). In March 1917 the retreating German army on the order given by general Erich Ludendorff destroyed the keep and the 4 towers. It is not known whether this act had some military purpose or was merely an act of wanton destruction. The destruction caused so much public outrage that in April 1917 the ruins were declared "a memorial to barbarity". War reparations were used to clear the towers and to consolidate the walls but the ruins of the keep were left in place. "
#39
Old Street, Possibly Montreuil-Sur-Mer
Eli Lynch 7 years ago
I wish the US embraced its past like this. Granted, we're not as old, but everything here is innovation. We've lost village culture. Local pubs, markets and walking to places. In Utrecht Netherlands I loved the local feel of Central. Markets where people shopped for food for that day's meals, walking to anywhere was easy.
#41
Alice, London, England
#43
Bavaria, Germany
Adrienne Varvil 7 years ago
"So she says to me..Gotta hankie? As if i would give her the time of day after refusing to give me her strudle recipe, and all the guff i take from her on the holidays, her with her perfect schnitzle and how shes always mooning over my Roger..do i have a HANKIE?
#44
Linderhof, Ludwig Ii's Palace In Bavaria
#45
Mrs. Dixon And Alice, London, England
Michael Williams 7 years ago
Here I was thinking, Alice let us take the bird out for some fresh air.
Load More Replies... #46
Men Killing Time, Germany
Wil Vanderheijden 7 years ago
No, they were playing a game. Either cards or dice. And if they talked it would be about the game or politics.
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#47
Kibitzers, Etretat, Normandy, France
#48
This Is A No Longer Existing Windmill Called "De Maagd" In Dordrecht, Netherlands
Purple light 7 years ago
De Maagd means the Virgin. It was not a reference to the virgin Mary, but a personification of the city of Dordrecht.
#49
Men And Boat, Marken, Netherlands
#51
Market, Bayreuth, Germany
#52
Two Men On Road, France
#55
Street Vendors Below Josef's Fountain, Vienna, Austria
#56
Cutting Hay With Oxen, Germany
#57
Quay, Clovelly, Devon, England
#59
Dining Hall At Christ Church University, Oxford
#60
Steep Street, Clovelly, Devon, England
Karin Gibson 6 years ago
they still use sledges to take their shopping home as motorised vehicles are not allowed in the village.
#61
Market, Nürnberg, Germany
#62
Market, Nürnberg, Germany
#64
The Cliffs At Étretat, Normandy, France
#65
Chateau De Coucy, Near Étretat, Normandy
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
Mmmh, the Chateau de Coucy is so not near Etretat that it's not even in Normandy ;p It's been partly destroyed by German army in 1917 coucy-5b9a...80baf4.jpg 
#66
Man And Couple, Germany
#67
Doorways, Vienna, Austria
#68
Man With Dog Cart, Netherlands
Amanda Ford 7 years ago
Nowadays that would be labeled animal cruelty and all hell would break loose.
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
No, it would not. Dogs love to work. Have you ever seen a sled race?
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#69
Laundry Day, Marken, Netherlands
#71
Two Windmills Along A Canal In Landsmeer, Netherlands
#72
Volendam Street, Netherlands
#73
Fishermen, Étretat, Normandy, France
#75
Friedens-Engel Memorial In Munchen, Germany
#77
Blue Ball Inn, Countisbury, Lynmouth, Devon, England
#79
Eights Crew At Keble College Barge
#81
Château De Fréfossé, Normandy, France
#83
Tower And Wall, Nürnberg, Germany
#86
Stone Wall, Nürnberg, Germany
#88
London, England
#91
Riga, Latvia
Final score:
6points
Ksenia Raspoutine 6 years ago
I bet there was not too much to smile about... It's been a part of Russian Empire back then; poverty was endemic. In 1905 tthe first Revolution was about to start, the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 was very expensive and unpopular, too.
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What do you think ?
Bluebird11 7 years ago
Some fascinating shots here! I'd also love to see then-and-now comparisons (though sadly, some locales may not have survived two world wars).
Samantha Comerford 7 years ago
NO Political correctness here. They weren’t Snowflakes. They worked hard and life was terrible for some, Everyone helped each other.
Nazanin 7 years ago
what captured my attention firstly was their eyes! the way they're looking. they speak with us. may be they want to transform whatever has accumulated in their heart with their eyes and through silence... Aw! the little one's smile , how sweet ^_^ vintage shots were always my source of inspiration in my life (in everything). thanks for this unfathomable pic.
Bluebird11 7 years ago
Some fascinating shots here! I'd also love to see then-and-now comparisons (though sadly, some locales may not have survived two world wars).
Samantha Comerford 7 years ago
NO Political correctness here. They weren’t Snowflakes. They worked hard and life was terrible for some, Everyone helped each other.
Nazanin 7 years ago
what captured my attention firstly was their eyes! the way they're looking. they speak with us. may be they want to transform whatever has accumulated in their heart with their eyes and through silence... Aw! the little one's smile , how sweet ^_^ vintage shots were always my source of inspiration in my life (in everything). thanks for this unfathomable pic.
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