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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!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Portrait Of A Woman And Baby, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico In 1914
#2
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.”
Premislaus de Colo 7 hours ago
Absolutely had to chceck, and yes, there is a happy ending for both him and the kitten, although they went their separate ways
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
Portrait Of An Inuit Woman And Child, Circa 1912
#5
London, 1899. Photo By Leonard Misonne
#6
Portrait Of A Navajo Native American. Taken By Carl Moon, Circa 1906
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.
#9
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
“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.
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.
#10
Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner And Blanche Osborn, Women Airforce Service Pilots During Wwii, Pictured Here As They Leave Their Airplane,
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.
#13
Portrait Of A Family. Manzanar Relocation Center, 1943
Bernd Herbert 7 hours ago
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.
#14
Portrait Of Selika Lazevski, Believed To Be A Horsewoman Who Rode At Nouveau Cirque In Paris
#15
An Unidentified Soldier, Australia, Ww1
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!
#18
Portrait Of The Fisk University Class Of 1888
Multa Nocte 7 hours ago
Incredible for the time and especially incredible for this being in the southern United States.
#19
Portrait Of Lillian, Cora And Luvenia Ward. Taken In Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900
#20
Portrait Of Flora Stewart. She Was Said To Be Vivacious With A “Remarkably Retentive Memory.”
#24
"Love Came To Me, And I Was Not Afraid To Marry The Man I Loved Because Of His Color." - Helen Pitts Douglass
#26
O-O-Be, A Kiowa Native American, Circa 1895
#29
Portrait Of John Smith, A Chippewa Native American. He Was Also Known As Gaa-Binagwiiyaas, Amongst Other Names
#31
Iron Thunder, Crow Eagle, Fool Thunder, Slow White Buffalo, All Holding Peace Pipes, Dakota, Circa 1880s
Multa Nocte 7 hours ago
This is a good looking group of men, but the fellow in the front is extra fine. Just my humble opinion. ;-)
#32
Portrait Of Chaiwa, A Tewa Native American, Circa 1906
#33
Elizabeth L. Gardner Of Rockford, Illinois, A Wasp (Women's Airforce Service Pilot) Pilot, Circa 1940s
#35
Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston In An 1896 Self-Portrait Of A "New Woman," Taken In Her Washington, Dc Studio
#36
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
#37
Riding A New Tricycle, 1882. Photo By Chas. W Oldrieve
Janissary35680 6 hours ago
Tricycle designed for a steampunk version of Mad Max, "Before the Thunderdome".
#38
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.
#39
A Few Miss Europe Candidates, 1930
#40
Tattoo Artist Maud Wagner, U.S., 1907
Multa Nocte 7 hours ago
Lydia, oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, oh Lydia the queen of tattoos!
#42
Wedding Rings Of Concentration Camp Victims. They Were Found Near Buchenwald By U.S. Army Soldiers In 1945
#45
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."
#46
Josie, Six Years Old, Bertha, Six Years Old, And Sophie, 10 Years Old. All Shuckers At Maggioni Canning Co. Location: Port Royal, South Carolina. Circa 1911
#47
Photograph Of 1924 Miss America Winner, Ruth Malcolmson
#48
Jewish People From Subcarpathian Rus Await Selection At Auschwitz-Birkenau, May 1944
Bernd Herbert 7 hours ago
F*****g Nazis. And still people here in Germany want to relativize that. And it's getting worse.
#49
Portrait Of Nora Oo-Teen'a, An Inuit Woman. Alaska, 1903
#50
Portrait Of Kikisoblu, Also Known As Princess Angeline. Born Sometime In The 1820s, Kikisoblu Was The Daughter Of Chief Seattle Of The Duwamish Tribe
#52
An Albanian Woman From Italy At Ellis Island, Circa 1905
#53
Women In Chicago Being Arrested For Wearing One Piece Bathing Suits Without The Required Leg Coverings, 1922
#55
Warsaw Ghetto, 1943
#56
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
#58
Women Making Fun Of Sign At Beach Requiring Full Bathing Suits. Miami, Florida, 1934
#59
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
#60
Elvin Harley Of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Of The 3rd Armored Division, Gets A Peck On The Cheek From A French Girl While Listening To The 9th Armored Division Band Near Aboncourt, France. February 14, 1945
Multa Nocte 7 hours ago
I had boots exactly like those worn by the soldier when I was a little girl.
#61
Children Of Miners. Scott’s Run, West Virginia, 1937
#62
The World Knew Him As "Blind Tom" Wiggins, A Musical Prodigy, One Of The Best-Known American Performing Pianists Of The 19th Century
#64
Hans Langseth, A Norwegian-American, Holds The Record For Longest Beard In History. His Beard Measured 17 Ft 6 In At The Time Of His Death In Wyndmere, North Dakota
#65
Central Park, NYC, Circa 1900
#75
Taking A Selfie, NYC, 1920
#80
Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1905
#89
Portrait Of Angeline Perkins With Her Children, Nellie And William. Worcester, Massachusetts, Circa 1900
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What do you think ?
Bernd Herbert 7 hours ago
It's always amazing to see how much has changed just in the past 100 years
Bernd Herbert 7 hours ago
It's always amazing to see how much has changed just in the past 100 years
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