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Some photographs are so powerful that you no longer need to read the caption to learn their backstory. The image in itself is captivating enough to inspire you to create your own narratives.
This is especially true with historical pictures, as seen in this list. These mesmerizing snapshots are from the UtterlyUniquePhotos subreddit. With nearly 200,000 members, this online community thrives in the nostalgia that never fails to grab attention.
As always, we’ve collected the photos that stood out most. Scroll through and enjoy your trip down memory lane.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Is Judith Love Cohen, She Helped Create The Abort-Guidance System Which Rescued The Apollo 13 Astronauts. Judith Went Into Labour And Took A Printout Of The Problem She Was Working On To The Hospital, Solved The Problem, Called Her Boss, And Then Gave Birth To Jack Black
RELATED:
#2
May 1946, Albert Einstein Defied The Prevailing Racial Climate At The Time To Visit And Lecture At Lincoln University In Pennsylvania, The First Degree-Granting Black College In The Us
#3
Camberley Kate, And Her Stray Dogs In England. She Never Turned A Stray Dog Away, Taking Care Of More Than 600 Dogs In Her Lifetime. (1962)
Many of the pictures on this are likely the work of a photojournalist. In a nutshell, photojournalism involves using images to convey a story. The practice began during the American Civil War in the 1860s when photographs accompanied news reports.
But photojournalism didn’t enter its golden age until the 1920s. Around this time, smaller cameras began entering the scene after being invented in Germany in 1925.
#4
In 1963, Richard Avedon Took A Picture Of A Man Named William Casby. William Casby, Born In 1857, Was 106 Years Old At The Time. In His Hands, He Was Holding His Great-Great-Granddaughter, Cherri Stamps-Mccray
#5
After Astronomical Calculations And A 3-Year Wait For The Right Moment, Photographer Leonardo Sens Took This Photo
#6
Eric Idle And George Harrison On The Set Of 'The Life Of Brian' - Tunisia, 1978. The Film Had It's Funding Pulled Just Before Filming So The Ex-Beatle Paid For It, Calling It "The Most Expensive Cinema Ticket Ever Issued"
Multa Nocte 3 months ago
And we love George Harrison even more because of this. Truly miss that man.
What sets a photojournalist apart from a photographer is their code of ethics. Images must convey the truth and tell all sides of the story, regardless of how unpleasant or graphic they can get.
Likewise, time is of the essence. Photojournalists must feature subjects currently talked about in the world or among a group of people.
#7
A 20 Year Old Helen Mirren In A Production Of 'Cleopatra' At The Old Vic London (1965)
#8
President Jimmy Carter Enjoying Some Muddy Waters At A White House Picnic In 1978
#9
Robin Williams And His Old Roommate From The Julliard School, Christopher Reeve. Photographed Circa 1977
Photography, on the other hand, is a form of self-expression. A photographer’s primary goal is to showcase the human condition in its rawest form, as seen in many of the pictures on this list.
That raises the question, is photography an art form? According to Adobe Research Principal Scientist Aaron Hertzmann, there have been debates about it. As he explains in an article for Medium, artists like painters initially saw photography as a “threat to ‘real art.’”
#10
Mary Vincent Photographed In 1978. 15yo Mary Survived Being Assaulted, Having Her Arms Cut Off With An Axe By Her Attacker, Being Thrown Down A 30 Ft Cliff And Left For Dead. She Packed The Stumps With Mud And Climbed Back Up, Walked 3 Miles Naked In Search Of Help. I've Linked To Her Story Below
sofacushionfort 3 months ago
Assailant sentenced to 14 years, served 8, then murdered a mother of three.
#11
13-Year-Old Dolly Parton Just Hours Before She Made Her Grand Ole Opry Debut Singing George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby."
#12
Dorothy Counts - The First Black Girl To Attend An All White School In The United States - Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957
Eventually, artists like the great Vincent Van Gogh learned to accept photography as a supplement to art. However, they believe an artist can capture something a camera cannot.
“Van Gogh and many other artists of their generation viewed realism as the job of photography,” Hertzmann wrote. “And the goal of the real artist was to find a way to go beyond realism—to do something that cameras could not do.”
#13
A Mother And Daughter Hamming It Up For The Camera, Ca 1900
#14
You May Be Cool, But You’ll Never Be As Cool As Paul Newman In 1981
#15
Robin Williams Enjoying Video Games At Home In 1993
TheBadHalfofHel 3 months ago
Sad just seeing him. We miss you, Robin. You made us laugh. We really need that right now.
What about you, dear readers? Which of these photos captured your attention the most and why? What is it about them that drew you in? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
#16
A French Man Reacts To Trying Coca-Cola For The First Time, 1950s
#17
Thathlo Harjo. Born In 1791. He Fought In Two Seminole Wars. Was Relocated To Indian Territory In 1842. Joined 1st Regiment In 1861. After The War He Settled In What Is Now Seminole County Oklahoma. He Saw Men Fight With Muskets And People Driving Automobiles. He Died In 1904 At 113 Years Old
#18
A Stunning Marilyn Monroe Free From Makeup, 1955
#19
Anne Frank Photographed With Her Sister Margot At The Beach In Zandvoort, Netherlands, In 1940
#20
Dan Aykroyd Leads The Funeral Procession Of His Friend, John Belushi. March 10th 1982
R.C. Hinrichs 3 months ago
Belushi was hilarious and a natural comedian/musicians. He is greatly missed.
#21
Paul Mccartney Buying A Newspaper From St John's Wood Station, The Day After John Lennon Was K****d. Taken By Linda From Their Car
#22
Me And My Us Gi Dad ..vietnam 1970
#23
George Harrison And Stevie Nicks, 1978
#24
July 16, 1918. "Alex, A 14 Year Old Working Boy In St. Etienne, France, Was Found Intently Studying The Playground Exhibit At The Children's Welfare Exposition Of The American Red Cross. He Has Been Working Since 11 Years Of Age
#25
A Man Poses For A Photo In-Front Of Soyuz Rocket, (1980s), Baikonur, Kazakh Ssr. Photographer Unknown
Sue Denham 3 months ago
Actually I think the man's just there for the ride; it's the camel that's posing.
#26
Elvis Presley And Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston’s Mother), 1969
Ruthie R 3 months ago
She was one of his backing singers, the 'Sweet Inspirations' who also toured with other stars, and she sang backing for Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Dionne Warwick (who was her niece), Bette Midler, Dusty Springield, and Chaka Khan among others, as well as having her own solo career. She seems to have been an awesome lady. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13937293/Cissy-Houston-worked-Elvis-Presley-Bette-Midler.html
#27
Aerial Photograph Taken Of Manhattan, New York City Ca. 1939
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 1 month ago
Yes yes, sad about the seneca village - but seriously, that street-design is MADNESS. The wind will be rushing through those long-ar se streets and it looks really terrible, too. Wow. It's not as visible with the higher buildings nowadays, but it's clear even back then, the city-designers were all pro-cars and not pro-sense.
#28
Pure Sass.this Photograph Was Taken In The 40′s In Yakima, Washington
HardBoiledBlonde 3 months ago
Are you the woman on the right or left? I can identify with the woman on the left.
#29
Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932
Kabuki Kitsune 3 months ago (edited)
Time for me to p**s off quite a lot of folks. Let's see just how many downvotes this gets, shall we? The person on the right is Violette Morris. Violette was a renowned race car driver in France, who won two gold and one silver medal at the Women's World Games in 1921–1922. She was invited to the 1936 Summer Olympics by Adolf Hitler as one of his honored guests. During the war, she actively worked with the Nazis, performing both collaborative work with them, and as a spy. She became known as the "Hyena of the Gestapo", before she was killed by the French Resistance who gunned her down as she drove. Morris's body, riddled with bullets, was taken to a morgue, where it remained unclaimed for months. She was buried in an unmarked communal grave.
#30
1978: Youth With A Stone During A Riot At The Top Of Leeson Street, West Belfast, Ireland
Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Poll Question
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What do you think ?
Nice Beast Ludo 3 months ago
This was a nice collection. I enjoyed it especially since I haven't seen most of these photos before
Catlady6000 3 months ago (edited)
Am I just being cranky, or has there been an unusually high number of obnoxious commenters today?
Nice Beast Ludo 3 months ago
This was a nice collection. I enjoyed it especially since I haven't seen most of these photos before
Catlady6000 3 months ago (edited)
Am I just being cranky, or has there been an unusually high number of obnoxious commenters today?
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