50 Interesting Photos From The Past That Might Change Your Perspective On Things, As Shared On “Vintage Daily” (New Pics)
There's a finite number of photos from the days gone by, so with so many social media projects dedicated to them, you'd think we would have seen it all by now. Or at least the vast majority. Especially when it comes to celebrities.
As we showed in one of our publications, the Instagram account Vintage Daily keeps unearthing rarely seen pictures from the last century with no problem. In fact, they provide such a steady stream of content that now, only 5 months after our piece, there's enough material for an update.
So that's exactly what we did. Continue scrolling to check out what the self-proclaimed Lover of The Past who runs the account has been posting on it recently.
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An Indian Woman, A Japanese Woman, And A Syrian Woman, All Training To Be Doctors At Women’s Medical College Of Philadelphia
A French Soldier Feeding His Kitten, Indochina 1956
"I think photography can be an essential and powerful tool for understanding history, but I think it is also necessary to view all photographs with a critical eye," professor, writer, and amateur homesteader Joshua Wilkey told Bored Panda, commenting on one of our earlier publications.
"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."
A Group Of Five Trans Women In Paris, 1959 - Miriam, Nana, Jacky, Gine And Sabrina. Photo By Christer Strömholm
3 Year Old Kisses A Puppy, 1950
puppys have always been loved - look at his smoochie little face so adorable <3
Diana Ross Finishing A Rib, 1980s
Dr. Darren R. Reid, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dundee and is now a lecturer at Coventry University, agrees.
He explained to us that images are an incredibly important part of how we understand the past. "They give us a distinct look into how people and societies viewed themselves and each other," Reid said.
A Veterinarian, Inspecting An Early Prototype Of The Internet In The 1950's
Fan Takes Selfie With Elvis Presley. 1960s
1950s Teenagers Going On A Date
View Of The Pyramids During A Solar Eclipse, August 30, 1905. Photo: Gabriel Lekegian
"In the medieval period, for example, Jesus and the saints were often depicted as physically larger than ordinary people — not because they were believed to be taller, but because they occupied a higher status in the minds of the artists who produced these images, and the audiences who consumed them. In later centuries, Europeans (and their descendants) looked to the classical world for inspiration, spending huge amounts of time (and money) on images that were both increasingly realistic and idealized," Reid said.
A California Teacher Teaching The Physics Of Surfing, 1970
Norman Parkinson Photograph Of Two People Running Up A Street In New York City In 1960
A Secret Love: To Buzz, L'il Always Remember The Times We Spent Together. All My Love, Your Tommy 26 March 1949
David Bowie, Paris, June 1977. Photo By Christian Simonpiétri
"Native Americans and American colonizers were frequently depicted in classical poses — all deliberate choices that show us how many people perceived the invasion of the Americas and the genocides that occurred there," Reid continued.
"They also include important details (such as items of clothing, hairstyles, etc.) that help us to picture the past. For modern people, this means we can more accurately imagine, and perhaps, empathize with the very different folks who came before us."
Audrey Hepburn, Paris, 1956
Summer Solstice Celebration, Stockholm, Sweden, 1970
The right half of my brain: Oh how lovely what a nice snapshot of culture - The left half of my brain: MIDSOMMAR
Winona Ryder The Night She Met Johnny Depp
Newlyweds Ride A Train Headed To Tokyo, Japan, 1964. Photo By Bill Ray
Japanese so rarely show PDA, even during their weddings, so this is a much more rare photo than most would imagine.
Talking about photographs, in particular, Joshua Wilkey provided a few very helpful questions we can ask ourselves when analyzing them:
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. Some pictures are downright strange without context."
Albert Einstein Before His Famous Photo With His Tongue Out
Audrey With Her Hair Down
A Gay Couple And A Lesbian Couple Outside The Bank, Idaho, United States, 1941. Photo By Russell Lee
i think the way they have their hands intertwined along with the spooning kind of leads me away from that wrestling notion, but i might be wrong.
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I tried to do some research on this photo since it is so open to speculation. Most accredited websites say this is just a picture of 2 boys trying to impress 2 girls. While some other random sites speculate that because of the way the 2 boys' hands are interlocked, it may have been something more. One of the historical photo archives said in its description that it wasn't uncommon for guys or girls of that Era, who were close friends, to show affection & the boys were simply "rough housing" to impress the girls. I couldn't find anything official from the photographer, Russell Lee, as he died in the '80s. There are many countries where it is common for hetero men to hold hands, so I'm just going to take this as a nice picture of 2 guys & 2 girls hanging out. Orientation not important.
Thanks. No one really knows what's going on in this picture, except the four of them. It's hard to believe that they really could have been showing romantic affection in the light of day on a main street in a tiny Idaho town, especially with a photographer around. The dominant Mormon culture of Idaho would not have even remotely been okay with it. But, we don't know, so it's possible they were lovers.
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The reason for that is that unless they themselves provide proof, historians don't assign labels.
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This was taken by Lee Russell, a photographer for the Farm Security Administration during the war. The photo is captioned "Boys and Girls". These are not gay couples, they're just kids messing around on main street in a very small ranch town in Idaho. Our current viewpoint messes with our perspectives, it's easy to forget how much the world has changed in 80 years. Even a hetero couple snuggling like this would not have been appropriate in this situation at that time. It's just boys roughhousing.
Just seems that in 1941 it would be incredibly risky showing such relaxed, casual and intimate affection as a gay person in the day time in a street corner outside of a bank. And with the poor job of verifying/sourcing that BP does, I wonder about the title of this one, given the context.
It was a lot more socially acceptable for friends of the same gender to show physical affection for each other back then, before the anti-gay panic of later decades had a chance to set in. Look at all those photos of military guys enjoying R&R during World War II.
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This would Not have happened in public back then. If they were to get caught, they would have been killed! The boys were just wrestling around trying to impress the girls. People were just extremely homophobic back then, it was just unheard of! People started coming out in the 60's, and the 70's, but it was still sketchy to do so..
I completely agree, especially since this was Caldwell Idaho, farm and ranch country. Not the kind of thing kids did in the middle of town in that era.
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Really, we are just looking at a split second in time, so it is impossible to tell if we are looking at an embrace or just joking around. Did they stay in that position? We don't know, but that would be an embrace. But I am skeptical considering that this was taken in the 1940's as such behavior was NOT acceptable back then in public and would have probably led to violence against these guys. After all, this was considered far worse than interracial dating and you know what happened to people who did that back then.
As a 77 year old lesbian, I can understand someone's need to label these kids as gay. We are so short on historic images that anything will do. But this isn't homosexual. It makes me sad.
Gay and lesbian or not-the girls are wearing that eternal feminine expression that says "ok, guys...whatever."
Thanks to those who have posted the background info of the picture....I have to say that even though we want this to be a photo of gay kids, it is unlikely. Sadder still it shows us how kids in the 1930's- 1940's were way more comfortable with physical warmth and expression without being self-conscious about being "gay" or "straight" or whatever. Who cares about your label - human warmth is precious regardless. Yay them.
I Googled this pic, and, while some sources do say the boys are together, I can't find anything that says the girls are.
Seeing as it's Idaho they probably had to pretend they were with the opposite sex for fear of being attacked by neo nazis
No. It's just that gay is a blanket term and lesbian is for women who love women
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1941? Don't know if they are out and proud...in Idaho of all places in 1941. Could be a spot in town that the public couldn't see them? I think this is on a Sunday when every store was closed. What teens were actually out in 1941 in Caldwell Idaho?
This is what I see: a young lady in the left foreground with a handsome, open face of the American plains. Her pose, with right thumbnail to front teeth is thoughtful, neutral and not really impressed. Her clothes are casual, the striped shirt and plaid skirt are not striving for a fashion statement. Her right sleeve is rolled to her upper arm like the guys. What catches my attention is, if you look closely, it seems a strand of the dark haired girl's hair is threaded through her left forefinger and left middle finger. The dark haired friend has a handsome face with a neutral expression. Interestingly, to me, she carries in her right arm and hand a book and a box camera she is not using to record the scene. The 'gals', also, seem to be as tall or taller than the guys. There is space between the two parties. The guys are locked in a hand and body hold. The one on the left (being held from behind) wears a hat with the bill turned up and his belt buckled on the side both out of fashion
everything’s gay! Everything! Especially the one reference to gays that has been made on this website in days! Everything!!
Load More Replies...Prince Charles And Princess Diana On Vacation In Bahamas, 1982
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. 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. The reality is a bit different."
A Young Boy That Had Just Stolen His Father's Car And Crashed It, Takes One Last Puff On His Cigarette Before Facing The Consequences. 1974
"Being Deeply Loved By Someone Gives You Strength, While Loving Someone Deeply Gives You Courage"
San Francisco's Lombard Street In 1975
Doesn't the yellow Pacer look like it's going the wrong way on this one way road?
A Girl With A Massive Bush
As the historian said, these concepts can apply to virtually any photograph, but they become crucial when we're viewing a particular 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, and the Soviet Union and the US were great examples too, particularly during the Cold War and the Space Race."
James Dean Signing Autographs In His Car, 1950's
Burlesque Dancer Miss Zorita Walking Her Snake, 1940s
Thames Swan Shares A Treat, 1958
Jumping The Puddle, Berlin, 1930. Photo By Friedrich Seidenstücker
Young Couples At A Formal Dance Dreamily Sway On The Crowded Floor Of Dim, Chandelier-Lit Ballroom, 1940s. Photo By Nina Leen
Love that. I just wish there were more formal events like that nowadays. Not just for the upper crust but for everyone.
An Exhausted Young Couple During An All-Night Jazz Session At The Royal Albert Hall In London, 1957. Photo By Erich Auerbach
Cher, 1977
Marilyn Monroe, Startled By A Firecracker, Opens The Time-Life Building In New York, 1957
New York City Ballet, 1940. Photo By Larry Colwell
Bonnie And Clyde's Last Kiss A Few Hours Before They Were Killed, May 23, 1934
Evolution Of The Donut Hole
"Females At The First Chippendales Club, Los Angeles, 1979"
Sharon Tate Wearing A Pink Top And Headband, 1968
Love In Time Of War, 1944
On The Observation Deck Of The Empire State Building, New York, Mid-1940's
Couple On Beach, Coney Island, 1947. Photo By Ruth Orkin
Woodstock '69
A Young Man Helping His Date Into Her Skating Kit, Tokyo, 1959. Photograph By John Dominis
"Concept of Love" blares loudly over the speakers as she skates past him for the 42nd time.
Surrounded By Others, A Couple Enjoys Some Privacy As They Embrace In A Hole In The Sand On A Beach In Santa Monica, California, July 4, 1950 (Photo By Ralph Crane)
A Man Stops To Watch A Woman Tie Her Sandals In Portofino Marina, August 1977. Photo By Slim Aarons
A Couple Drinking Water From Fountain. Michigan, 1940s
"Sausages And Women. If You Want To Enjoy The Experience, Never Watch The Preparation Of Either." Oscar Wilde
John & Yoko Waiting For The Maid To Make The Bed So They Can Continue Protesting The System
A Couple Making A Point About Smog And The Environment, 1970. Photo By H. Armstrong
A Filipino Baby And Her Family Inside A Human Zoo In New York, USA. 1906
Note: this post originally had 94 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Yeah, I just want somebody to love me like that
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It really amuses me how people in the comments don't doubt the fact that a man and a woman are a couple, but need "proof" that a gay couple is.
Does anyone think that some of the years from the photos aren't vintage? The 1980s, for one
You might want to sit down for this but … I think 80’s are vintage! Really it doesn’t matter what I think all that matters is the people born after 1997 think 80’s are vintage
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All the photos were uplifting, then I got to the photo of the Filipino baby tired up at a human zoo, and I was instantly reminded that humans can be cruel and disgusting beings because of how we treated our fellow men.
#4 is at least 1992. That's a post-'91 Buick Skylark behind her. (Though she looks to be time trekking from the 1970s here.)
This didn't change my perspective on anything. It was just couples and other sappy garbage but ✨black and white✨
as a black person I didnt find this offensive I have no problem with white people and their defintly were black and poc on this list.
Load More Replies... Yeah, I just want somebody to love me like that
Load More Replies... It really amuses me how people in the comments don't doubt the fact that a man and a woman are a couple, but need "proof" that a gay couple is.
Does anyone think that some of the years from the photos aren't vintage? The 1980s, for one
You might want to sit down for this but … I think 80’s are vintage! Really it doesn’t matter what I think all that matters is the people born after 1997 think 80’s are vintage
Load More Replies... All the photos were uplifting, then I got to the photo of the Filipino baby tired up at a human zoo, and I was instantly reminded that humans can be cruel and disgusting beings because of how we treated our fellow men.
#4 is at least 1992. That's a post-'91 Buick Skylark behind her. (Though she looks to be time trekking from the 1970s here.)
This didn't change my perspective on anything. It was just couples and other sappy garbage but ✨black and white✨
as a black person I didnt find this offensive I have no problem with white people and their defintly were black and poc on this list.
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