For the vast majority of human history, we have no photos to show us what life was really like. We have books, artifacts, paintings, mummies and more. But we can’t really see the world through the eyes of those who were there. Until the 1800s. According to the Nashville Film Institute, the first camera was developed in 1816 by the Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, and life has never been the same since.

Obviously, cameras back then were very different from the ones we use today, especially considering that most of us are shooting from our phones nowadays. But thanks to the invention, and innovation, of cameras over the past couple of centuries, we’re now able to document almost everything. And we’re lucky to be able to look back on the past 200 years and see in vivid detail what the world was like.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of our world through the lens of a camera, the History Lovers Facebook page is a great place for you to check out. This account, which has amassed an impressive 87K followers since its inception in September 2022, is all about sharing moments from the past that most of us have never seen before.

A quick scroll through this page will show Norwegians in 1895 smiling for the camera, Edwardian youth playing outside, a troupe of Australian clowns in 1917, Dutch shopkeepers from 1906 and much, much more. We’ve all seen snapshots of some of the most iconic moments in history, but these scenes of everyday life are arguably just as fascinating! These are the moments that most of us normal people would have experienced had we been around back then. 

It’s difficult to imagine living in a time when there weren’t cameras in everyone’s homes (or pockets), so there’s no question that the advent of the camera changed the world. Great Big Photography World explains that, along with the invention of taking photos, came the ability to freeze moments in time. Never before could people take a snapshot to perfectly preserve a moment, document their lives and share experiences with others who weren’t around to see them with their own eyes. We no longer had to solely rely on oral and written storytelling.   

Photography has also had a major impact on social events. Pictures are now essential for capturing important moments in history, as well as things we experience in our day to day lives. Pics or it didn’t happen, right? You can share photos of your recent vacation with loved ones who couldn’t come along, and journalists can snap pics during political protests to prove how impactful they were. It’s a lot harder to get away with lying when there’s photographic evidence of everything nowadays, but this accountability can be a good thing.

Even the art world has changed since photography has become such an important part of our lives. Prior to the advent of photography, art was typically used to transcend reality and portray aspects of the human experience without necessarily being literal or extremely accurate, Great Big Photography World notes. But once artists had access to cameras, a new sense of realism and authenticity emerged in the art world. Capturing moments and people as they truly are became the goal of many photographers.

Photography also democratized art in a new way. Before, paintings and sculptures required plenty of skill and resources to be able to create. And typically, only people of a certain class had access to even be able to see and experience these pieces. But with cameras, creating visual art became much more accessible. Plus, anyone can look at a photo and interpret it however they like. This empowered many more people to get into the art game, as they might not have had the money or resources to do so prior. 

I would be remiss to talk about the ways in which photography has transformed our world without mentioning the fact that it has had a significant political and cultural impact. War time photographers, for example, allowed the general public to see for the first time some of the horrors of war. It’s one thing to hear about brutal violence (or to have it kept under wraps by your government), but it’s a completely different experience to witness these atrocities with your own eyes.

Photography also keeps politicians accountable. Unfortunately, it’s easy for photos to be manipulated nowadays, but in theory, keeping accurate photos of events allows the public to know what really happened. While politicians or news outlets might try to bend the truth about what occurred at a protest, rally, etc., it’s much harder to deny the truth when hundreds of people at the event captured it on their phones. 

We hope you’re enjoying this blast from the past pandas. Keep upvoting the pics that you find particularly fascinating, and let us know in the comments below if you have any favorite historical photos. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more pics that could have been included on this list, we recommend reading this Bored Panda article next!