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Bored Panda

Eglė Bliabaitė

Time Leaves Its Fingerprints: 40 Places That Barely Recognize Themselves Anymore

Library of Congress Wikimedia Italy

The world around us is constantly changing, but we might not notice how much it actually transforms when we’re in the midst of all of it. It’s only when we compare photos taken in the past and the present that the contrast between the two becomes obvious.

To draw your attention to how much we have progressed, Bored Panda compiled a list of then-and-now photos that show how dramatically our surroundings have changed. Scroll down to find them below, and don’t forget to upvote those you found the most surprising.

While you're at it, be sure to check out a conversation with photographers Mark Klett and Garry Pycroft, who dabble in then-and-now photography, called rephotography, and kindly agreed to share more about it.

#1 Noorabad Bridge, Morena, India. 1829 vs. 2010

Image credits: Edward Francis Finden and Patrick Young Waugh

#2 Pyramid Of The Sun In Teotihuacan, Mexico. 1900 vs. 2023

Image credits: Library of Congress

#3 Tokyo Station - 1914 vs. 2023

Image credits: wikimedia

The images in this list that compare the same place in two different moments in time are called rephotographs. They provide us with a then-and-now view of the same site and allow us to document the changes that are happening for various purposes.

To know more about this fascinating kind of photography, we reached out to photographers Mark Klett and Garry Pycroft, who dabble in then-and-now photography, and they kindly agreed to share their experience with us.

#4 The Ruins Of Tikál, Guatemala. 1890 vs. 2023

Image credits: Alfred Percival Maudslay

#5 Moai Statues In Rano Raraku, Easter Island. 1914 vs. 2019

Image credits: Katherine Maria Routledge

#6 Mortuary Temple Of Hatshepsut, Luxor, Egypt. 1880 vs. 2022

Image credits: ETH Library Zurich

Pycroft starts by explaining that there are two types of fundamental approaches to rephotography. The first is quite straightforward—the image connects two photos, one before and one after. Meanwhile, the second is more artistic—it blends the two images to create the appearance of the past being in today's environment.

"My images fall into category 2. I should also state that I consider myself probably the most travelled "rephotographer" in the world. My website, Voyageur Du Passe, shows my images from the USA, Canada, the UK, France, Hungary, and Switzerland."

#7 Norway, Hellesylt 1885 vs. 2016

Image credits: Knud Knudsen

#8 Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, South Wales. 1855 vs. 2024

Image credits: Francis Lockey

#9 End Of Great Wall, Shanhai Pass, China. 1930 vs. 2008

Image credits: Frey-Wyssling

Pycroft decided to dabble in rephotography because he simply loves the entire process.

Whereas photographer Mark Klett tells us that what drew him to rephotography is the curiosity about what has happened to the scene or place shown in an older photograph.

"What has changed, and what does it look like now? It’s a kind of time warp to stand in the same place where a historical photograph was made long ago. It’s an often unexpected and eye-opening experience."

#10 Outdoor Theater, Bucharest, Romania. 1916 vs. 2016

Image credits: 9999problems

#11 Roman Baths And Abbey, England. 1890 vs. 2024

Image credits: Detroit Publishing Company

#12 Seoul, South Korea In 1900 vs. 2016

Image credits: wikimedia

The photographers tell us that the whole rephotography process essentially encompasses finding where the original photograph was made and making a new photograph from the same exact spot.

"Exactness and skill in relocating the location can make the difference in how convincing the rephotograph looks," notes Klett.

"Also important can be trying to match the original picture’s lighting, time of day, and year. A kind of visual detective work is often needed to do this kind of work with accuracy."

#13 Hiroshima, Japan. 1945 vs. 2006

Image credits: U.S. Navy Public Affairs Resources Website

#14 Buddahs Of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. 1963 vs. 2008

Image credits: UNESCO/A Lezine

#15 Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S. 1917 vs 2020

Image credits: Library of Congress

Meanwhile, Pycroft differentiates 3 stages to producing such images:

"The discovery phase: this is where I search for old postcards of the location I intend to visit. I also need to research if the old buildings still exist and their exact location within the target town.

The on-site photography: I am excited when I find the building and realize that I can photograph it. Many times, the opportunity cannot be completed, maybe due to trees and shrubs masking the site or renovations that hide the building.

The creative phase is where I merge the two images together. And the joy it brings when I see that I've accomplished another image," he shares.

#16 Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. 1930 vs. 2020

Image credits: Walter Mittelholzer

#17 Eilean Donan Castle, Taken Sometime Before 1911 vs. 2020

Image credits: G. W. Wilson & Co.

#18 Stonehenge In Wiltshire, England. Then vs. 2019

Image credits: ETH Library Zurich

When it comes to the significance of rephotography, Klett says that "the process can show changes that have occurred over time, but the pictures alone can’t explain the reasons for change. The process can also tell us something about how individual photographers made choices and decisions about what and how to make their photographs."

"I've completed several exhibitions here in France, and a consistent theme is that it highlights the heritage that remains in the town," adds Pycroft. "Very often I hear locals complaining about how the town has changed, but my images show that maybe there has been quite a change, but there still remains a beauty in the town. And it highlights some of the history to be found."

#19 Machu Picchu In 1912 After Major Clearing Work Had Been Undertaken vs. 2023

Image credits: Hiram Bingham III

#20 Magnesia Ad Maeandrum, Anatolia, Turkey. 1984 vs. 2013

Image credits: reddit.com

#21 The Parthenon, Athens. 1900 vs. 2022

Image credits: Matson photograph collection

Lastly, we couldn't let the photographers go without asking about their most memorable rephotography project they've done.

"The one that comes to mind is one I created of a local village, and in the photograph, we see a mother with her young daughter. At the exhibition of the event, an elderly lady approached me and told me that the young girl was here and she was there with her mother, and her father was the photographer. She had tears in her eyes when she saw the image," Pycroft fondly recalls.

#22 Los Angeles In 1880 vs. 2019

Image credits: metrolibraryarchive

#23 Odeon Of Herodes Atticus, Located On The Southwest Slope Of The Acropolis Of Athens, Greece. 1893 vs. 2001

Image credits: William Vaughn

#24 Arch Of Constantine, Rome, Italy. 1896 vs. 2022

Image credits: Keystone View Company

"I have made many landscape rephotographs, and sometimes I like the ones that show that little has changed even after one hundred years or more. Together, they challenge the concept of time passing," says Klett.

"I also like to experiment with the methods used to make rephotographs. It’s not always the most interesting thing to do - to make basic rephotographs. It’s sometimes more interesting to combine images made at different times into one larger document of the space, and this is now possible using digital techniques."