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Pictures illuminate the shadows of history, revealing the forgotten people and places that otherwise may have faded into oblivion. They help us make sense of the past and, in turn, allow us to understand the present.
So we at Bored Panda decided it would be a nice idea to explore the subreddit 'Rare Historical Photos' — it has 40,000 members constantly digging through the archives and sharing their best finds. Prepare to be transported through time!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Ojibwe Woman, Ponemah, Minnesota, Photograph Taken By Roland W. Reed C.1908
RELATED:
#2
A Seaman's Request For An Extraordinary Leave Of Absence, 1967. Reason: “My Wife Is Planning To Get Pregnant This Weekend And I Would Like To Be Present.”
But who needs history anyway? Some people wonder why we should bother studying it when we could be preparing for the future instead. But think about it: can we be ready for what's coming if we don't know what's happened before? The past gives us all kinds of insights that can help us tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. Without that knowledge, we could be in for some tough times.
As American historian and journalist Eric Alterman pointed out, since our political discourse is increasingly dominated by sources who care nothing for truth or credibility, we come closer and closer to the situation that Walter Lippmann warned about a century ago, in his seminal 'Liberty and the News.'
"Men who have lost their grip upon the relevant facts of their environment are the inevitable victims of agitation and propaganda. The quack, the charlatan, the jingo ... can flourish only where the audience is deprived of independent access to information,” he wrote.
#3
Renowned Photographer Walter Chandoha Created One Of His Most Famous Photographs Of His Daughter Paula And A Small Kitten Smiling At The Camera At The Same Time, 1955
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 8 months ago
Neither of them had top teeth. This is one of my favorite old pictures.
#4
A Police Officer Playing Duck Duck Goose With Children In New York, 1970
The.Butterfly.Effect.530 8 months ago
I wonder how many women officers were employed at this time period.
#5
A GI Shares His Rations With Two Italian Children, 1944
Historian Daniel Bessner agrees. "If Americans don’t seriously invest in history and other humanities disciplines, we encourage the ahistoric ignorance ... Progress depends on studying and arguing about the past in an open and informed manner."
According to Bessner, this is especially true nowadays, when people use history to fight over which vision of the country will dominate the political scene.
#6
A Former Prisoner Points Out The Most Brutal Guard. Germany. 1945
#7
A Baby Lamb Snuggles Up To A Sleeping Boy, 1940
#8
Girls Sent Home From Mckinley High School For Wearing Slacks And Blue Jeans, Chicago, 1946
Anna Listler 8 months ago
Eternal respect to the people who paved and continue to pave the way for gender equality
#9
The Oldest Indian, John Smith, Managed To Live In Three Centuries At Once, Being Born In The 18th Century, Living Throughout The 19th Century And Dying In The 20th Century. It Is Alleged That He Lived For About 137 Years
Dr. Darren R. Reid, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dundee and is now a lecturer at Coventry University, explained to Bored Panda for our earlier publication on historical pictures that images are an incredibly important part of how we understand the past.
"They give us a distinct look into how people and societies viewed themselves and each other," Reid said back then. "In the medieval period, for example, Jesus and the saints were often depicted as physically larger than ordinary people — not because they were believed to be taller, but because they occupied a higher status in the minds of the artists who produced these images, and the audiences who consumed them. In later centuries, Europeans (and their descendants) looked to the classical world for inspiration, spending huge amounts of time (and money) on images that were both increasingly realistic and idealized."
#10
A Dog Says Goodbye To His Fallen US Soldier Friend. Afghan War, 2004
#11
Vancouver's First Official Lifeguard, Joe Fortes, 1905. Fortes, Who Was Born In Trinidad And Tobago, Was Credited With Saving Dozens Of Lives And Was Known As "Old Black Joe"
#12
Shy Young Woman Smiling For The Camera 143 Years Ago
Reid added that "Native Americans and American colonizers were frequently depicted in classical poses — all deliberate choices that show us how many people perceived the invasion of the Americas and the genocides that occurred there."
"They also include important details (such as items of clothing, hairstyles, etc.) that help us to picture the past. For modern people, this means we can more accurately imagine, and perhaps, empathize with the very different folks who came before us."
#13
Portrait Of A Family. Georgia, USA, Circa 1900
#14
The Ship "Queen Elizabeth" Arrives At The Port Of New York. On Board Are Soldiers Returning From World War II, 1945
#15
A Young Woman Photographed In The 1910s
#16
Five-Year-Old Albert Einstein, 1884
BarkingSquirell 8 months ago
His hair was already trying desperately to be crazy. Soon, Albert, soon.
Darren R. Reid highlighted that developing an eye for visual storytelling allows us to detect when someone's trying to bend the narrative.
"The invasion of the Americas was frequently sanctioned and/or driven by governments, but it was the acts of 'ordinary' people that made it possible, and across that continent, a huge body of work was produced to justify, even encourage some really terrible acts," he said.
"American comic books and movies depicted Native Americans as simple, brutish, and savage. This helped to justify genocide and colonization as it was ongoing — and justify it, long after the most violent part of the process was complete. For a great example, check out the awful depiction of Native Americans in Disney’s Peter Pan. They helped to justify the colonial project to generations of children, right up to the present day."
#17
This Is What The Empire State Building Looked Like Against The Background Of Other Buildings, 1941
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 months ago
One tower looks so much more impressive than the mass of skyscrapers today.
#18
Abraham Lincoln In 1861 And 1865. A Noticeable Four-Year Contrast Against The Backdrop Of War
#19
An Old Fisherman Photographed In Bergen, Norway In 1902 By Anders Beer Wilse
#20
New York, 1958. Dancers In A Nightclub Play Chess. Smartphones Haven't Been Invented Yet
Natasha Arruda 8 months ago
... Thanks for clarifying that smartphones hadn't been invented. I was SO confused. /s
Today, 66 percent of the global population and 97 percent of the U.S. population use the internet where they are under a constant barrage of content. Hopefully, places like the subreddit 'Rare Historical Photos' will help them navigate the overwhelming amount of information.
#21
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau Carries The Country's Future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Under His Arm. Ottawa, 1973
#22
With Her Husband At War, Mom Works On The Car, 1944
Javelina Poppers 8 months ago (edited)
That's the kind of woman my daughter turned out to be. She spent hours under a car with me when she was little, strictly out of curiosity. Today she can change her own oil and brakes and changing a flat tire is child's play to her.
#23
A Lady From High Society. Ottoman Empire, 1900s
#24
Man With Down’s Syndrome, 1890s
#25
Young Couple Standing At A Speed Limit Sign. Oklahoma, 1920s
#26
Republican Party Supporters And Democratic Party Supporters Fight With Snowballs In Front Of The Capitol. January, 1921, Washington, USA
#27
Queue For The Premiere Of The Star Wars Film. Vancouver, 1977
Kit Springs 8 months ago
I went to the Denver premier, it was a long line there too. It was awesome.
Javelina Poppers 8 months ago
Took my kids, 5 & 7 to see it in Woodland Park Colorado, small town back then and almost zero line.
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Shaunn Munn 8 months ago
Wonderful memory! Everyone was rapt. No giggling or bad behavior. We'd never seen anything like this. One of my best teen memories!
Michael Largey 8 months ago
I only saw this because my 54 year old mother demanded I drive her there. She would watch any movie Alec Guinness was in. (Smart lady.)
Blue Bunny of Happiness 8 months ago
Interesting that the majority of people in the queue appear to be male. Males me wonder if it was due to the appeal of the movie, the split between the genders in terms of ability to spend time queuing or other reason?
LizzieBoredom 8 months ago
You had to be a member of FNVC (Future nerds of Vancouver, Canada).
Load More Replies... BarkingSquirell 8 months ago
I am old enough to remember this. I was only 8 but wow, I'd never seen anything like it.
Ronna Black 8 months ago
We went. Me, my parents and my sister. We weren’t able to all sit together. I sat with my dad, and my mom and sister sat together. It was packed.
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ohmyjustme 8 months ago
I went on my first date to see Star Wars! This is when I found out that I have a strange condition, where I will fall asleep during any movie, no matter how loud or how much I am enjoying it. There was no second date.
Dorothea Stovall 8 months ago
OMG. I do too, even if I'm not tired and am enjoying the movie. It's so embarrassing on a date. I never could explain it.
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Richard Graham 8 months ago
I saw "Star Wars" on its second day of release. At a very old and elegant movie theatre in Ithaca, NY.
Libstak 8 months ago
I saw it with my home class, teacher was a huge fan.
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Lamarianjc 8 months ago
What was that like? I can’t imagine. It was so new, so groundbreaking at the time. It must have been mind blowing really.
Larry Kearney 8 months ago
Hair and clothing just absolutely scream it's the 70's. Ask me how I know.
Eric S. 8 months ago
I remember seeing it in high school and being blown away, all other scifi movies before were cheaply made with horrible special effects and Flash Gordon style rockets. This movie was unique in defining its own standards and not explaining them, bringing you in. Also they showed worn out future things, which was also pretty unique; scifi movies would always show you bright new shiny things, but Luke's landspeeder which was something all us kids were dreaming about was considered a worthless old jalopy. And of course the visual magic of the space battles was revolutionary, the sets majestic, the editing perfect, the music... it raised the bar, even more than 2001 had -- because 2001 was definitely not for all audiences.
The Original Bruno 8 months ago (edited)
I'm so confused about the timing of Star War's opening. My parents took me to see it when we went to the former fairgrounds of the Montreal World's Fair. There were NOT mobs waiting to get in; in fact, we arrived an hour late and they let us in to watch the end, and then see it in full. Many months later, we started to see ads for Star Wars. "Oh, that's finally coming to America." Now, I know the movie had a slow roll-out, but we lived in a major metropolis. I always presumed we had seen some sort of preview, but I've read that the movie was only completed a week before its premiere just before Memorial Day. We had been to Montreal during Easter vacation. I remember lots of things seeming slightly different when we went to see it that summer, but I was young, and I couldn't tell you what they were, since the re-releases have totally confused my memory; I couldn't tell you which were changes before seeing it in America, and which were simply the changes in the re-release.
Jaquibear 8 months ago
I remember, one of the first pre-release showings was in the then Rhodesia. There was a huge fuss about that at the time
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Tim Douglass 8 months ago
Likewise! Saw it 24 times in the summer of '77 at the UA 150. Yes, I was (and according to some still am) a big nerd.
Load More Replies... foehnalicious 8 months ago
Wow, never seen so many bell bottomed and loose pants all together before!
Caroline Driver 8 months ago
And pretty much all guys, at least in this bit of the line. I saw here in the UK, I was just 16, 4 days after it opened here (movies used to open later here than in the US back then).
ConservaDave 8 months ago
I went to the premier at Grumman's Chinese Theater. I had to wait in line for two whole shows before I could see the 3rd show. It was worth it.
Janice Strickland 8 months ago
Oh the start of my mother's star wars Fandom. Now she has my 5 year old addicted
MalibuClassicMan 8 months ago
I wore those bell bottom jeans at that age too; man was I cool!!
Dorothea Stovall 8 months ago
I went to the Seattle premier, and waited in line around the block forever. I actually fell asleep not long after the beginning. I'm horrible, but it bored me then, and still does.
D Wall 8 months ago
My best friend and I went to the Cine Capri in Phoenix. It had a huge surround screen and surround sound. The whole audience ducked down in their seats when ship came overhead. It looked and felt like it was real. Needless to say years later we declined to see Alien in that theater.
to old to care 8 months ago
my first job was working at a movie theater in 1977, worked at the concession stand "with NO cash register" - I quit after just three days due that movie.......there were Karen's way back then as well, it was the first time a customer called me a B***H
Istvan Kozak 8 months ago
Wish I was there...would have yelled to the people in line..." wow, who would have thought that Darth Vader was Luke's father"...lol
Apatheist Account2 8 months ago
Time for this again...why were the Star Wars films released in the order 4,5,6, 1,2,3? In charge of scheduling, Yoda was...
Trev Haith 8 months ago
The queue when I saw Titanic was HUGH!Being impatient I barged my way to the front only to be told "women & children first"😊
Bindi Adams 8 months ago
Oooh, I remember when it came to good old Warrawong cinemas...pizza at the old pizza hut first though (can't remember when they disappeared, but they were popular in the day).
ArtistinResidence 8 months ago (edited)
I was fortunate enough to be in New York City and saw it at Loews which had a massive screen for the time. I think I waited for three hours and then we went like bats out of hell to get good seats!
Trish Christoffersen 8 months ago
I went on Christmas Day in Miami, Florida. Wasn't too bad. Amazing movie though!
MacintoshID 8 months ago
There was always a line for Star Wars in my little home town no matter what day of the week or what time of day it was . I also remember paying $2 for a matinee showing.
Mary Ballard-Johansson 8 months ago
I saw the original at a drive-in with my mom and best friend.
Jeffrey Diehl 8 months ago
I went to the San Jose, CA premiere. Friend was a projectionist. Got to see it 4 times that day. Only cost $5.00 admission for the first show. Free for the others. Still get chills down my spine when that star destroyer comes in overhead in the opening scene.
Joanne Brazeau 8 months ago
It's all men. It really was an incredible movie then. Very few from those times can say they did not see a Star Wars movie.
ArtistinResidence 8 months ago
This picture may have been but I waited in line with a bunch of my friends and we were all women.
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Chelsea McKee 8 months ago
Was this when we had payphones...or booths. I caught the very tail end of that. How dangerous, my immediate thoughts was "how do we call the police". I wait. I wait until the movie has been released to streaming for this very reason.
Matthew Zornig 8 months ago
I saw it when I was 4 years old, only have vague memories of that. But, I've seen it many, many times since then
Mary Obrien 8 months ago
I'm probably gonna get hated on for this but, you don't see any obese people.
Janice Daniels 8 months ago
We took the entire family to see it in Austin Texas. We were all thrilled! It amazed me to think it was set in the distant past, not the future.
People lie carbs dont 8 months ago
Yeah, I never will understand how so many people line up to see things like movies , concerts , etc… I’ve never been into all that sort of stuff.. people put so much effort and money and energy into all these celebrities , the music/ entertainment/ fashion industries/ things in the media , etc. and I just haven’t ever had such a desire .. I get that folks enjoy entertainment, etc. I just wish people put more effort and energy into things that matter. Also, I’ve never seen star wars 😂… sorry , not trying to take away from others being able to enjoy the pic or anything. It’s fun looking at these pics !
#28
Early Use Of A Selfie Stick In The 1940s
#29
American Soldier Returning Home From The Great War, Ca 1918-19
#30
A Youthful Marine, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 3, 1965
#31
A Cowboy, 1890s
#32
Goodyear Illuminated Tires, 1961
#33
Pictured Is Paul Overby, One Of Two Drivers Trapped In The Cab Of The Truck. He Is Pulled By A Rope In The Pit River Bridge Over Lake Shasta Near Redding, California, May 3, 1953. Both Overby And His Partner Hank Baum Were Rescued Before The Car Plunged And Caught Fire
#34
A Typical American Family In 1950s, Detroit, Michigan
#35
Airmail Pilot, William “Wild Bill” Hopson Of The U.S. Mail Service In Omaha, Nebraska, 1926
#36
A Mexican Baker, 1880-90s
#37
A Victorian Home Being Moved Via Horse Power. San Francisco, California, USA. 1908
Jennik 8 months ago
The big Victorian villa I flatted in as a student was moved like that. It used to be next to the local university and was moved by horse and dray to a suburb about 4 km away in 1902. Apparently it operated as a brothel for a while (a decade before I moved in!). It had a ghost in the living room and another one on the front porch. I met my partner when we both rented separate flats on the lower floor; after a year we moved into the very large flat upstairs with other flatmates and 37 years later we are still together (in our own home)
#38
Service At The Track Restaurant In Los Angeles, 1950s. Food Was Delivered Via Conveyor Belt Directly To Cars
#39
A Lady Walks Around Renting Out Books As A “Walking Library.”
#40
Cab Drivers In Madison Square Garden, New York, 1900
#41
Drexel Institute Girls’ Rifle Team. Philadelphia, USA
TheRealFrappuchinoTheHedgehogr 8 months ago
Better not mess with them especially if they have a goose with them 😳
#42
Crossing Over The Thames. Photo By René Groebli, 1949
#43
People Sit On A Curb Amid Confetti And Papers After Celebrating The End Of World War II In New York City On August 14, 1945
#44
Downtown Boston, 1910
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 8 months ago
Damn that's cool. I wonder if I can get a high res version because I'd love that as my desktop background.
#45
A Fashionable Young Woman Exiting A NYC Streetcar In 1912
#46
A Gentleman Tips His Hat To A Group Of Ladies, 1920s
#47
Photo Of Marilyn Monroe First Wedding, She Was 16 Years Old, 1942
Tayler 8 months ago
She had been through several foster homes, where she was sexually abused. She married the neighbor's son to avoid being sent back to the orphanage. The photos of Norma Jean when she was discovered at a wartime factory show a young woman with thick, curly reddish brown hair.
#48
Passengers Onboard The Staten Island Ferry. New York, USA. 1895
Synsepalum 8 months ago
No cell phones. I wonder if distant folks lamented the advent of newspapers.
#49
John D. Rockefeller Gifting A 5-Cent Coin To A Child, 1929
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 8 months ago
Yes, quite a few I hadn't seen before.
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Sedona 8 months ago
Just want to remind all the "NaTuRaL BeAuTy" commenters - they did retouch photos back in the day, especially portraits because they weren't so common and cheap. Smooth skin, bigger and smaller body parts, backgrounds...
Cosmikid 8 months ago
Einstein's child photo is hand colored- a common and commercial process then.
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Rachel Pelz 8 months ago
Historical pictures, yes. Nice, yes. Quite a number of them -like pretty women (possibly retouched) are not suited to change any of my perspectives on the past, though.
Gustav Gallifrey 8 months ago (edited)
I see that the one with Putin in it has been deleted. Reasonable, i suppose, that an outfit in Lithuania doesn't really want to p**s off Putin.
Cosmikid 8 months ago
The archives of old photographs are vast, and folks need to know that it's still a small minority of pics that have been digitized and made widely available. Having dug through some myself- yes, a great many are badly flawed; out of focus down to incomprehensible- but - there are jems waiting to be found.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 8 months ago
Yes, quite a few I hadn't seen before.
Load More Replies... Sedona 8 months ago
Just want to remind all the "NaTuRaL BeAuTy" commenters - they did retouch photos back in the day, especially portraits because they weren't so common and cheap. Smooth skin, bigger and smaller body parts, backgrounds...
Cosmikid 8 months ago
Einstein's child photo is hand colored- a common and commercial process then.
Load More Replies... Rachel Pelz 8 months ago
Historical pictures, yes. Nice, yes. Quite a number of them -like pretty women (possibly retouched) are not suited to change any of my perspectives on the past, though.
Gustav Gallifrey 8 months ago (edited)
I see that the one with Putin in it has been deleted. Reasonable, i suppose, that an outfit in Lithuania doesn't really want to p**s off Putin.
Cosmikid 8 months ago
The archives of old photographs are vast, and folks need to know that it's still a small minority of pics that have been digitized and made widely available. Having dug through some myself- yes, a great many are badly flawed; out of focus down to incomprehensible- but - there are jems waiting to be found.
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