50 Rarely Seen Historical Photos That Might Teach You More Than School Ever Has

The history of photography itself dates back to the 1820s when the French scientist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captured what is now known as the first picture ever. Titled ‘View from the Window at Le Gras’, it was created using heliography (the process of drawing with sunlight) and a pewter plate. 

Nowadays, photography is way more advanced—you can choose from numerous types of cameras, all producing images of exceptional definition. A common choice for those interested in taking pictures is mirrorless or DSLR ones; those who want to capture their active lifestyle might go for an action or a 360-degree camera.

Digital single-lens reflex—or a DSLR—a camera is a popular option among professionals and amateurs likewise. The principle behind it is based on light entering a single lens and reaching the mirror, which then reflects it to the viewfinder; that allows the photographer to see the same view the lens ‘sees’.

As the name suggests, a mirrorless camera lacks one of the parts a DSLR has. Comparing it to the latter, the mirrorless option is usually more compact, yet it can provide high-quality images, nevertheless. In a camera as such, instead of reflecting on a mirror, the light goes directly to the sensor.

For something even more compact than a mirrorless one, people often go for action cameras that are lightweight and convenient for all kinds of active pursuits. They might also choose a 360-degree camera, which can be mounted on different objects, such as helmets, cars, or drones, to name a few. Both of these options are durable and in most cases waterproof, which makes them the perfect choice for adventure time.

In addition to different kinds of cameras, there are also different types of photography itself. Some examples include photojournalism as well as editorial, wedding, portrait, still life, architecture, sports, and fashion photography, among others. Each of them usually requires a specific skill set in addition to the basic know-how of photography; it helps the professionals to deal with the different challenges each environment presents.

Even though all types of photography allow us to immortalize certain moments, photojournalism specializes in capturing real life and the significant events of our timeline. It usually entails taking candid shots depicting reality as it is instead of trying to adorn it before taking the picture. Often published in various news outlets, photojournalists aim to be as objective as possible.

An excellent example of unadorned reality captured on film, titled “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper”, is now arguably one of the most famous historical pictures there are. The image of construction workers side by side, hanging high above the city, is number two on Inkifi’s list of the most recognizable pictures in history. The list has been compiled by analyzing data from using reverse image search: “To assess the importance of each photo, we used a reverse image search to show the significance and reach, by looking at how often each photo appeared on the internet,” they explained.

The lunch scene was surpassed only by NASA's “Man on a moon”, depicting Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon in 1968. Third on the list was the “Flag Raising On Iwo Jima”, showing United States Marines raising their flag on Mount Suribachi in 1945.

Inkifi also turned to social media to see which of the images the future generations might consider historical. Research revealed that it’s likely going to be a picture of an egg. Yes, you read it right. Based on the number of Instagram likes, the most popular photograph on the platform is an image of a solitary egg against a white backdrop. It was uploaded with the sole purpose of becoming the most liked picture on Instagram-a title it holds to this day.

With over 56 million likes, the image conquered Ronaldo’s announcement about an upcoming addition to the family (nearly 33 million likes) and a picture uploaded by the artist XXXTentacion (nearly 30 million likes).

When it comes to renowned photographers, the list can be a rather long one. There are lots of people, whose pictures are now treasured as some of the most impressive or historically significant works of photography.

For instance, Dorothea Lange and her portrait of the “Migrant Mother”, or Steve McCurry, who captured the striking gaze of the “Afghan Girl”. Jeff Widener and Malcolm Browne, photographers of “Tank Man” and “Burning Monk” should also likely be on the list, together with many others.

If you’re interested in viewing the works of some of the most famous photographers in history, don’t miss the chance to browse them on Bored Panda’s previous piece here. 

It might be difficult to find out the exact number of photographers out there, but according to Ibis, now in 2023, there are roughly 255 thousand photography businesses in the US. The data also revealed that the industry has been steadily growing for the last five years, which means there shouldn’t be a shortage of people who can document our world for future generations to see.

If you would like to see more of such historical pictures or get better acquainted with the history of photography itself, open Bored Panda’s article about 50 must-see historical images that may make you want to open a history book once again here.