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Traveling back to the distant past isn’t possible and likely won’t be anytime soon. The closest thing we have to turning back the clock are vintage photographs that give us a glimpse of how life was back in the day. 

The “Historical Snapshots” Instagram account is one of the many excellent resources for these pictures. It’s an homage to those who’ve lived their lives without many of the luxuries and societal changes we get to enjoy and experience today. The concise profile bio sums it up nicely: “Honor people. Understand the past.” 

These are some of the standout images from the page. Enjoy today’s travel back in time!

#1

Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor Feeds A Two Week Old Orphan Kitten

Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor Feeds A Two Week Old Orphan Kitten

Frank, a marine during the Korean War, found the kitten and named her Miss Hap because “she was born at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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Premislaus de Colo
Community Member
20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely had to chceck, and yes, there is a happy ending for both him and the kitten, although they went their separate ways

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#2

Portrait Of A Woman And Baby, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico In 1914

Portrait Of A Woman And Baby, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico In 1914

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#3

Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner And Blanche Osborn, Women Airforce Service Pilots During Wwii, Pictured Here As They Leave Their Airplane,

Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner And Blanche Osborn, Women Airforce Service Pilots During Wwii, Pictured Here As They Leave Their Airplane,

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Janissary35680
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Premium
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Pistol Packing Mamas" (Says so, right on the tin.)

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The invention of photography in 1839 changed the way people lived. All of a sudden, humans had the ability to capture a single moment through a still image and immortalize it for future generations. 

As the Modern Museum of Art points out, photographs can help shape our understanding of different cultures, their history, and, most importantly, the people who appear in them.

#4

American Soldiers Pay Tribute To The Fallen Animals, 1918

American Soldiers Pay Tribute To The Fallen Animals, 1918

Horses, mules and donkeys were used during WWI to transport ammunition and supplies to the front. They did so through the horrors of shellfire and appalling conditions. Eight million of them died during the war.

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#6

"Love Came To Me, And I Was Not Afraid To Marry The Man I Loved Because Of His Color." - Helen Pitts Douglass

"Love Came To Me, And I Was Not Afraid To Marry The Man I Loved Because Of His Color." - Helen Pitts Douglass

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JoNo
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And she's still gazing at him adoringly content with her decision.

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Since we’re on the topic of attention-grabbing vintage photographs, the iconic “Migrant Mother” is a stellar example. Taken in 1936 during the Great Depression, it features an impoverished woman in a pea-pickers camp in California, alongside her children hiding their faces. 

It was such a moving photograph that it urged the federal government to send 20,000 pounds of food to the camp.

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Man on the Moon” is another well-known snapshot that captures one of the most significant human accomplishments in history. It’s a photograph of astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s first steps on the moon’s surface by the great Neil Armstrong. 

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This 1969 picture shows the lone Aldrin standing with the vast expanse of space as his backdrop. Unfortunately, this photo doesn’t deter today’s skeptics who doubt that the event ever happened.

#12

Roger Williams University In Nashville, Tennessee, 1899

Roger Williams University In Nashville, Tennessee, 1899

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The 1945 flag-raising photo on Iwo Jima will always be legendary, especially for military veterans, historians, and loyal Americans. Photographed by Joe Rosenthal, it shows a group of US Marines planting the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi to mark its capture and signify America’s victory in World War II. 

Despite doubts about its authenticity, the picture never fails to spark feelings of patriotism, especially among those who served during the war. 

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#14

Sergeant Karen Hermiston, Or “Hermie” As People Called Her, Was Courageous And Determined, Earning A Place In Canadian History As The Only Official Female Photographer For The Armed Forces To Work Amidst Combat During World War II

Sergeant Karen Hermiston, Or “Hermie” As People Called Her, Was Courageous And Determined, Earning A Place In Canadian History As The Only Official Female Photographer For The Armed Forces To Work Amidst Combat During World War II

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#15

Before She Became Famous As An Actress In All In The Family, Maude, And Golden Girls, Bea Arthur Worked As A Truck Driver And Typist In The United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve During Wwii

Before She Became Famous As An Actress In All In The Family, Maude, And Golden Girls, Bea Arthur Worked As A Truck Driver And Typist In The United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve During Wwii

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Helena
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

An entire life of kicking your axx and your preconceived notions. I will never be this cool

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We’d also like to hear from you, readers. Which of these photos stood out to you the most? How do they make you feel? Let us know in the comments below!

#16

Portrait Of The Fisk University Class Of 1888

Portrait Of The Fisk University Class Of 1888

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Multa Nocte
Community Member
20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Incredible for the time and especially incredible for this being in the southern United States.

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#17

Portrait Of Flora Stewart. She Was Said To Be Vivacious With A “Remarkably Retentive Memory.”

Portrait Of Flora Stewart. She Was Said To Be Vivacious With A “Remarkably Retentive Memory.”

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#18

Portrait Of Selika Lazevski, Believed To Be A Horsewoman Who Rode At Nouveau Cirque In Paris

Portrait Of Selika Lazevski, Believed To Be A Horsewoman Who Rode At Nouveau Cirque In Paris

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#20

Portrait Of Billie Holiday And Her Dog Mister, NYC, Circa 1947

Portrait Of Billie Holiday And Her Dog Mister, NYC, Circa 1947

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Estelle
Community Member
11 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never seen this image before. Such a beautiful photo of Ms. Holiday. Gorgeous pittie too!

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#23

Elizabeth L. Gardner Of Rockford, Illinois, A Wasp (Women's Airforce Service Pilot) Pilot, Circa 1940s

Elizabeth L. Gardner Of Rockford, Illinois, A Wasp (Women's Airforce Service Pilot) Pilot, Circa 1940s

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#24

Edward Bouchet Became The First African American To Earn A Phd In The U.S. When He Completed His Dissertation In Physics At Yale In 1876

Edward Bouchet Became The First African American To Earn A Phd In The U.S. When He Completed His Dissertation In Physics At Yale In 1876

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#26

Portrait Of A Family. Manzanar Relocation Center, 1943

Portrait Of A Family. Manzanar Relocation Center, 1943

Portrait of a family. Manzanar Relocation Center, 1943 Report

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Bernd Herbert
Community Member
19 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If someone still doesn't know, Manzanar was one of ten concentration camps in the US were Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII. What a shame.

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#27

“Jitterbugging On A Saturday Evening,” Mississippi, 1939

“Jitterbugging On A Saturday Evening,” Mississippi, 1939

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#29

Portrait Of Lillian, Cora And Luvenia Ward. Taken In Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900

Portrait Of Lillian, Cora And Luvenia Ward. Taken In Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900

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#31

Portrait Of Cotton Mill Workers In Georgia, U.S., 1909

Portrait Of Cotton Mill Workers In Georgia, U.S., 1909

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John Dilligaf
Community Member
9 hours ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that woman in the middle looks like she's lost all her f*cks and is about to give someone a beatdown

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#32

Women Making Fun Of Sign At Beach Requiring Full Bathing Suits. Miami, Florida, 1934

Women Making Fun Of Sign At Beach Requiring Full Bathing Suits. Miami, Florida, 1934

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#33

Iron Thunder, Crow Eagle, Fool Thunder, Slow White Buffalo, All Holding Peace Pipes, Dakota, Circa 1880s

Iron Thunder, Crow Eagle, Fool Thunder, Slow White Buffalo, All Holding Peace Pipes, Dakota, Circa 1880s

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Multa Nocte
Community Member
20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a good looking group of men, but the fellow in the front is extra fine. Just my humble opinion. ;-)

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#34

Portrait Of Chaiwa, A Tewa Native American, Circa 1906

Portrait Of Chaiwa, A Tewa Native American, Circa 1906

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#36

Paris, 1900

Paris, 1900

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Ece Cenker
Community Member
10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is during the World Exhibition. The buildings were pavilions of various countries.

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#38

Portrait Of A Young Girl And Child. Japan, Circa 1908

Portrait Of A Young Girl And Child. Japan, Circa 1908

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#39

A Spinner And Her Spinning Wheel. County Galway, Ireland, Circa 1890

A Spinner And Her Spinning Wheel. County Galway, Ireland, Circa 1890

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#40

Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston In An 1896 Self-Portrait Of A "New Woman," Taken In Her Washington, Dc Studio

Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston In An 1896 Self-Portrait Of A "New Woman," Taken In Her Washington, Dc Studio

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#41

Five Year Old Warren Bernard Runs Out Of His Mother's Grasp To His Father, A Soldier From New Westminster, Canada Who Was Going To Fight For Canada In Wwii

Five Year Old Warren Bernard Runs Out Of His Mother's Grasp To His Father, A Soldier From New Westminster, Canada Who Was Going To Fight For Canada In Wwii

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#44

Florence Was Thirty-Two Years Old, A Mother Of Seven Children, Living In Nipomo, California With Her Children And Partner, Jim Hill, 1936

Florence Was Thirty-Two Years Old, A Mother Of Seven Children, Living In Nipomo, California With Her Children And Partner, Jim Hill, 1936

"I worked in hospitals. I tended bar. I cooked. I worked in the fields. I done a little bit of everything to make a living for my kids."

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Kelly Scott
Community Member
7 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She wasn't actually a dustbowl refugee, though, like everyone thinks.

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#48

Portrait Of A Union Army Soldier From The U.S. Civil War And His Family, Circa 1864

Portrait Of A Union Army Soldier From The U.S. Civil War And His Family, Circa 1864

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UKGrandad
Community Member
7 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The black regiments very quickly gained a reputation as being among the fiercest fighters in the war. The Confederate soldiers loathed and feared them in equal measure.

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#50

Warsaw Ghetto, 1943

Warsaw Ghetto, 1943

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Note: this post originally had 90 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.