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87 Historic Photos That Show People Had More Class In The Past
Regardless of when you think "the good old days" actually were, many of us harbor a special respect for the past. These photos show people that had an appreciation for style, taste and class that seems to be harder to find these days.
If you have a photo showing what class looked like in "the good old days," we'd love to see it! Please add it to us or let us know about your favorite time period in the comments.
(h/t: designyoutrust)
This post may include affiliate links.
#2
American Actor Paul Newman During A Trip On A Water Taxi In Venice (1963)
#3
A Man In A Suit And Sunglasses Rides A Skateboard Down A Hill Path In Central Park, New York (1965)
#10
A Young Couple Dancing Be-Bop At Vieux Colombier Theatre In Paris (1951)
#12
Caroline Kennedy Walks In Front Of Her Father, President Of United States, While He Carries Her Doll (1963)
#13
Cary Grant Stops In London On His Way Home To Bristol To Visit His Mother (1946)
#16
Actress Brigitte Bardot Watching Pablo Picasso At Work In His Studio In Vallauris (1956)
#19
Clint Eastwood With Actresses Olive Stargess And Dani Crayne In San Francisco (1954)
#22
Elspeth Beard, First Englishwoman To Ride A Motorbike Around The World (1980s)
#23
Sophia Loren, Italian Film Actress, Who Won An Oscar, Grammy, And Golden Globe Awards
#27
English Film Actor Michael Caine At Home With His Mother And Brother (1964)
#28
The Queen Elizabeth II And The Duke Of Edinburgh Watching Competitors At The Badminton Horse Trials (1968)
#31
British Actress Diana Rigg, Also Known As Olenna Tyrell From Game Of Thrones (1967)
#40
Paul McCartney Of The Beatles And Mick Jagger Of The Rolling Stones Sit Opposite Each Other On A Train At Euston Station (1967)
#45
Singer David Bowie Sharing A Cigarette With Actress Elizabeth Taylor In Beverly Hills (1975)
#48
David Bowie Was Arrested In A Hotel Suite After Performance In Rochester (1976)
#52
Audrey Hepburn And George Peppard Filming Breakfast At Tiffany’s In New York, 1960.
Final score:
38points
#59
Paul Newman And Robert Redford Playing Ping Pong
Final score:
35points
#61
American Actress Faye Dunaway Takes Breakfast By The Pool With The Day's Newspapers (1977)
#62
Corona Del Mar High School Students Kim Robertson, Pat Auvenshine And Pam Pepin Wear "Hippie" Fashions (1969)
#63
Salesman Mike Dreschler Has His Motorised Roller Skates Refuelled At A Petrol Station Near Hartford (1961)
#64
American Astrophysicist And Cosmologist Neil Degrasse Tyson Was An Amateur Wrestler In High School And College
#65
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau Arrives With Members Of His New Cabinet For Swearing In Ceremonies At Government House In Ottawa (1968)
#75
Mechanic Who Was The Inspiration For The "millennium Falcon."
Final score:
2points
Add New Image
What do you think ?
DariaB 9 years ago
More class than now? Still a lot of men wear suits and a lot of women display their shoulders... I don't... Get it. These do look beautiful, though, but it's too much to say it's a style which is "hard to find today"...
Hubert Motorcyclescreens 3 years ago (edited)
Motorcycle is a best window for the world, you are moving, you discover new things and you have a good time. Worth to consider to put on bike is a motorcycle windscreen. Don't fight with strong wind, make you more protected and ride is becoming more comfortable. Here is great site with top quality and cheap screens, for example look at this: https://www.motorcyclescreens.eu/ top online shop with best available windsreens! :)
JeevanBabu 9 years ago
Nostalgia never dies. It is dormant and waits patiently with its footprints intact on the sands of time to restore memories at our will.
BrettAlexanderMontano 8 years ago
I really loved the pictures, they showed us a lot from class to even a little risque for back then, but it was all done in really good taste.
LauraSultan 9 years ago
I live in Toronto and a lot if these pictures remind me of it. How people carry themselves, etc. Even some clothing similarities for men and women.
BarbaraFriedmanPalmer 9 years ago
These pictures were just wonderful. It just proves that nothing is like it used to be, and I think I like the" used to be" much more than what's going on now.
Sonia.Alexandra 9 years ago
Aww, man! These are marvelous photos. The class, the style, the attitude...all of these are kinds gone today. They look awesome. Chapeau-bas! <3
LOOKMUM,NOHANDS(ZekiMin) 9 years ago
The problem is that the fashion industry today developed such great expertise in making „bullsh*t“. I’m talking quality here, quality you can see. If you bought inexpensive clothes in the 20s - 70s, they were still made in a better quality than the most expensive clothes nowadays. Sad but true.
NancyBaldauf 9 years ago
I think only those who experienced the 50's and 60's will truly understand the difference between the class of those decades and the styles of today. Sure, you can find isolated examples of class today, but back then EVERYONE dressed that way, every day of the week. NEVER jeans in a Doctor's office or on an airplane or in church!
JeevanBabu 9 years ago
Nostalgia never dies. It remains dormant and waits patiently with its footprints in tact on the sands of time to restore memories at our will.
DwiPurwanti 9 years ago
I don't know but clothing trends evolve. We can't say people today are not classy. Maybe we are just as classy but in different style. Maybe
DelvardianPawsitiveArt 9 years ago
To me class is something more than fancy dress. It's the way you treat somebody. Style is more than a suit. It's being a gentleman (or gentlewoman, if it's a word for it in English). And looking back - at the way women, children, homosexuals, disabled or animals (I'm sorry if this set of categories just sounds bad to you) were treated I just can't think of our ancestors as "classy".
Julie Julie 8 years ago
While I often had the same thoughts in my mind while looking at the photos, I'm disappointed (including in myself) that the majority of comments regarding ladies state "she is beautiful" or equivalent, while the comments regarding men are "he is elegant" or "very dapper" or similar. Men are being complimented for their sense of style, while women are being complimented for the way they look. It's actually quite different, and reflects the continuing perception that women's worth is based on beauty while men's worth is based on their personal actions and thoughts.
DariaB 9 years ago
More class than now? Still a lot of men wear suits and a lot of women display their shoulders... I don't... Get it. These do look beautiful, though, but it's too much to say it's a style which is "hard to find today"...
Hubert Motorcyclescreens 3 years ago (edited)
Motorcycle is a best window for the world, you are moving, you discover new things and you have a good time. Worth to consider to put on bike is a motorcycle windscreen. Don't fight with strong wind, make you more protected and ride is becoming more comfortable. Here is great site with top quality and cheap screens, for example look at this: https://www.motorcyclescreens.eu/ top online shop with best available windsreens! :)
JeevanBabu 9 years ago
Nostalgia never dies. It is dormant and waits patiently with its footprints intact on the sands of time to restore memories at our will.
BrettAlexanderMontano 8 years ago
I really loved the pictures, they showed us a lot from class to even a little risque for back then, but it was all done in really good taste.
LauraSultan 9 years ago
I live in Toronto and a lot if these pictures remind me of it. How people carry themselves, etc. Even some clothing similarities for men and women.
BarbaraFriedmanPalmer 9 years ago
These pictures were just wonderful. It just proves that nothing is like it used to be, and I think I like the" used to be" much more than what's going on now.
Sonia.Alexandra 9 years ago
Aww, man! These are marvelous photos. The class, the style, the attitude...all of these are kinds gone today. They look awesome. Chapeau-bas! <3
LOOKMUM,NOHANDS(ZekiMin) 9 years ago
The problem is that the fashion industry today developed such great expertise in making „bullsh*t“. I’m talking quality here, quality you can see. If you bought inexpensive clothes in the 20s - 70s, they were still made in a better quality than the most expensive clothes nowadays. Sad but true.
NancyBaldauf 9 years ago
I think only those who experienced the 50's and 60's will truly understand the difference between the class of those decades and the styles of today. Sure, you can find isolated examples of class today, but back then EVERYONE dressed that way, every day of the week. NEVER jeans in a Doctor's office or on an airplane or in church!
JeevanBabu 9 years ago
Nostalgia never dies. It remains dormant and waits patiently with its footprints in tact on the sands of time to restore memories at our will.
DwiPurwanti 9 years ago
I don't know but clothing trends evolve. We can't say people today are not classy. Maybe we are just as classy but in different style. Maybe
DelvardianPawsitiveArt 9 years ago
To me class is something more than fancy dress. It's the way you treat somebody. Style is more than a suit. It's being a gentleman (or gentlewoman, if it's a word for it in English). And looking back - at the way women, children, homosexuals, disabled or animals (I'm sorry if this set of categories just sounds bad to you) were treated I just can't think of our ancestors as "classy".
Julie Julie 8 years ago
While I often had the same thoughts in my mind while looking at the photos, I'm disappointed (including in myself) that the majority of comments regarding ladies state "she is beautiful" or equivalent, while the comments regarding men are "he is elegant" or "very dapper" or similar. Men are being complimented for their sense of style, while women are being complimented for the way they look. It's actually quite different, and reflects the continuing perception that women's worth is based on beauty while men's worth is based on their personal actions and thoughts.
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