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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
RELATED:
#2
Cockington Forge, Devon, England
#3
Tourists At The Frauenkirche, Nürnberg, Germany
#4
Mother And Daughter On Mountain Top, Austria
#5
Two Gentlemen, London
#6
Market, Bayreuth, Germany
#7
Men And Girl On The Docks, Marken, Netherlands
#8
Net Mender, Étretat, Normandy, France
#9
Oldest Man In Clovelly, England
#10
Mature Woman On Bench
#11
Omnibuses, London, England
#12
Girls In Cottage, Marken, Netherlands
#13
Marken Girls, Marken, Netherlands
#14
Steigersgrachtwater, Rotterdam, Netherlands
#15
Fishing Boats, Volendam, Netherlands
#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.
#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
#19
Asparagus Sellers, Vienna, Austria
#20
Women In Market, Bayreuth, Germany
#21
Haying With Oxen, Austria
#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
#25
New Inn, Clovelly, Devon, England
#26
Horses, Carts, And Bobbies, England
#27
Farm Buildings, Normandy, France
#28
Organ Grinder And Daughter, London
#29
Woman With Heavy Basket, Location Uncertain
#30
Punting At Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, England
#31
School Children, Netherlands
#32
Old Fisherman, Netherlands
#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
#39
Old Street, Possibly Montreuil-Sur-Mer
#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
#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.
#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:
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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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