Sorting through dusty manuscripts and volumes of mysterious books is how many of us imagine finding evidence in history. But our past is far more than a string of names and dates. It is about how people lived in the past and molded our society. It is about their hopes and dreams, their fears and disappointments, and what pushed them to make the decisions and inventions they did.
But there’s something else that can offer us an intimate glimpse into the lives they led and make historical events seem more real, rather than merely stories. We’re talking about authentic pictures that documented the wonders of that time. Luckily for us, plenty of examples can be found in a heartfelt corner of the internet called the 'Old Photos Of The World' Facebook page.
While we can’t time travel back to the past (yet!), we can at least look at these pictures full of unstaged scenarios and build our own interpretations. So continue scrolling because we at Bored Panda gathered some of the best pictures for you to enjoy! And after you’re done, make sure to check out our earlier compilations full of important historical images and old photos in real life.
#1 Camberley Kate, And Her Stray Dogs In England. She Never Turned A Stray Dog Away, Taking Care Of More Than 600 Dogs In Her Lifetime (1962)
Image credits: Old Photos
#2 An Officer Halts Traffic To Make Way For A Cat Carrying A Kitten Across The Street, 1925
Image credits: Old Photos
#3 Settler Family On The American Prairie In The 1880s
Image credits: Old Photos
#4 This Mirror Portrait Was Taken 100 Years Ago In Japan
Image credits: Old Photos
#5 Rare Photo Of A Remote Control From The 70's
Image credits: Old Photos
#6 Happy French Girl And Her Cat, 1959
Image credits: Old Photos
#7 Soldier Coming Home To His Daughter After WWII, 1945
Image credits: Old Photos
#8 David Isom, 19, Broke The Color Line In A Segregated Pool In Florida On June 8, 1958, Which Resulted In Officials Closing The Facility
Image credits: Old Photos
#9 Two Gentleman From The Early 1900s
Image credits: Old Photos
#10 A Man Getting To Hear Music On A Record Player, 1922
Image credits: Old Photos
#11 Same Scene, Same Motorcycle, Same Woman, 72 Years Old After
Image credits: Old Photos
#12 The Top Of The Great Pyramid Of Giza, Egypt
Image credits: Old Photos
#13 These Progressive High School Girls Learn The Finer Points Of Auto Mechanics In 1927
Image credits: Old Photos
#14 Train Travel In The 1890s
Image credits: Old Photos
#15 Helen, An American Indian Telephone And Switchboard Operator, Montana, 1925
Image credits: Old Photos
#16 A Little French Girl Gives An American Soldier A Kiss On Valentine’s Day, 1945
Image credits: Old Photos
#17 Cat Taking A Photo, 1909
Image credits: Old Photos
#18 Four Generations, Circa 1905
Image credits: Old Photos
#19 Woman And Her Dog In Her One Room House, Texas, 1938
Image credits: Old Photos
#20 Sophia Loren, Circa 1955
Image credits: Old Photos
#21 Men In Harlem Gather In Front Of A Shop To Listen To The Radio, 1940
Image credits: Old Photos
#22 A Housewife Taking Frozen Long Johns Off The Washing Line, 1940s
Image credits: Old Photos
#23 “Mother And Son” Ireland, 1890
Image credits: Old Photos
#24 Easter Bunny Bringing Joy To Children, 1955
Image credits: Old Photos
#25 The Use Of Masks During The Spanish Flu Pandemic, 1918
Image credits: Old Photos
#26 Testing Out The Latest Flight Helmet In A Highly Scientific Way, 1912
Image credits: Old Photos
#27 Charlie Chaplin Meeting Deaf-Blind American Author Helen Keller, 1919
Image credits: Old Photos
#28 Drying The Pasta, Italy, 1929
Image credits: Old Photos
#29 This Farmhouse Once Stood In Manhattan Where 84th Street And Broadway Now Cross (1879)
Image credits: Old Photos
#30 Unusual Portrait Of A Victorian Lady
Image credits: Old Photos
#31 Samurai Warriors Taken Between 1860 And 1880
Image credits: Old Photos
#32 Unusual Portrait Of A Victorian Lady
Image credits: Old Photos
#33 Berlin Zoo Handler Gives Roland, A 4,000 Pound Elephant Seal, A Snow Bath, 1930s
Image credits: Old Photos
#34 Grandma Patching The Only Pants Of Her Grandson, 1907
Image credits: Old Photos
#35 In 1839, Robert Cornelius Took The World's First Selfie
Image credits: Old Photos
#36 Bavarian Boy Enjoying His Camera, 1910
Image credits: Old Photos
#37 Three Old School Archers In Japan, 1860s
Image credits: Old Photos
#38 A Soldier Coming Home From War, 1940s
Image credits: Old Photos
#39 So Young & So Happy, 1920s
Image credits: Old Photos
#40 Two Ladies And A Local Man Watching The Sunset, 1925
Image credits: Old Photos
#41 Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip Share A Laugh While Watching A Rope Acrobat, 1963
Image credits: Old Photos
#42 The Last Known Photo Of The Titanic Afloat. April 12, 1912
Image credits: Old Photos
#43 Robert Wadlow, The Tallest Man In History (8 Ft 11 In)
Image credits: Old Photos
#44 Davide Chislagi Testing His Single-Wheel Engine, 1933
Image credits: Old Photos
#45 King George VI Of England Enjoying A Slide, 1925
Image credits: Old Photos
#46 Bonnie Parker And Clyde Barrow In Arkansas, 1933
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Image credits: Old Photos
