At the far edges of the nineteenth-century world, the Arctic stood as both a lived homeland and a testing ground for human ambition. Long before explorers and photographers arrived with cameras and scientific instruments, Indigenous peoples such as the Inui…
The Lancaster watch camera is a captivating relic from the 1890s, offering a glimpse into the intriguing world of covert photography. While it wasn’t a classic spy camera, it showcased a brilliant blend of artistry and technology. The watch was crafted by J…
From doll masks to decorated bags over heads to specially crafted outfits, these fascinating and nightmarish photos capture random people donning their Halloween costumes. It has to be said that these vintage photos were taken using much less sensitive came…
These photos, taken by Eugène Atget, document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to modernization. Atget took up photography in the late 1880s and supplied studies for painters, architects, and stage designers.…
Starting from the 1890s, the famous Dutch impressionist painter George Hendrik Breitner (1857 – 1923) used his camera to record the everyday life in the streets of Amsterdam. He found photographs to be a useful tool for capturing fleeting conditions of …
Photographer Nils Olsson Reppen was born in 1856 on the farm Reppen in Sogndal in western Norway. In 1882, he immigrated to America and worked as a photographer in Browns Valley and Morris in Minnesota. He returned to Norway in the late 1890s and contin…
Born in Wisconsin in 1868, Edward Sheriff Curtis took to photography at an early age. In 1895 he photographed Princess Angeline, the daughter of the Duwamish Chief Seattle, for whom the city was named. That encounter sparked Curtis' lifelong fascination…
The first "strongwomen" appeared in the 19th century but were almost unheard of until much later. The appearance of strong women became more prevalent in sporting events and was also a common attraction in circuses where they would showcase their superh…
There’s a quiet power in old photographs—especially when they capture women who lived through times that demanded more than they were ever given credit for. These portraits hold more than just expressions; they reflect strength, depth, and the unspoken weig…
This collection of vintage photographs offers a snapshot into the everyday lives of Americans from the 1900s to the 1940s, showing moments that are both amusing and undeniably cool. From the bustling streets of urban centers to the simplicity of rural life,…
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, adventurers plunged deep into the wilds of South and Central America. What they found amidst the lush jungles were more than just plants and animals; they stumbled upon ancient ruins, hidden beneath the dense foliage. T…
As the 20th century approached, Native American communities faced mounting challenges to their existence and traditional ways of life. After the Civil War, large numbers of white settlers moved westward, spurred on by the expansion of railroads. This migrat…
Explore the past and check out forgotten gadgets from the early 1900s. Not every gadget from back then became a big deal. In this exploration, we've gathered around 20 inventions from the past - some practical, some not so much. It's like opening a time …
Step back in time with us as we embark on a journey through an extraordinary collection of rare historical photos, providing undeniable evidence that humanity's peculiarities have transcended the ages. These captivating snapshots, many of which hail from th…
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and largest Chinatown in North America. It is also one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese …
In today's world, taking a photo of a fish you caught might seem like an ordinary occurrence, but it wasn't always that way. Looking back at the early 1900s, when cameras were just becoming more accessible, fishermen took pride in capturing their big catc…
History is filled with unusual stories, and sometimes we're lucky enough to see them preserved forever in pictures. In this photo collection, you can see around 45 most unique and bizarre photographs in history. Photographs can give us a window into the p…
William Bullard, born in Worcester, Massachusetts, worked as a photographer without a studio, visiting clients around the town with his camera strapped to his bicycle. From 1897 to 1917, Bullard, who was white, took portraits of his predominantly black …
Manzanar, Spanish for “apple orchard,” began soon after 1900 in the dream of a fruit-growing empire and today is a national symbol of America’s decision at the onset of World War II to confine thousands of its citizens of Japanese ancestry behind barbed wi…
On May 23, 1914, the SS Komagata Maru, a steamship carrying 376 passengers of Punjabi passengers - largely Sikhs but also some Hindus and Muslims - arrived on the west coast of the Dominion of Canada. Based on laws implemented to limit the immigration o…