Humans are nostalgic creatures. There’s simply something magical about traveling back in time to witness the black and white (or bronze tinted) world before us. Is it the nostalgia for better, simpler times? Or perhaps a hunt for costume ideas for an Edwardian-era party? Either way, scrolling through photos of the bygone days is a joy in itself, no matter the reason.
That’s why today we gathered some of the most captivating photos that were taken 100 years ago. Right about when horses were still the most popular (although fading) form of transportation, and Mount Rushmore was nothing but a rock. So whether you’re a photography aficionado or a history nerd always looking for new pieces of a puzzle that is life before us, we hope you enjoy this century-old album.
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#1 Phoebe Ann Moses Butler, Also Known As Annie Oakley, Aiming A Rifle In 1922
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
The power of nostalgia is undeniable. And historical photos, such as the ones you see on this list, can be a quick one-way ticket to the source of this enigmatic emotion. But what exactly is nostalgia and why is looking at a bunch of Napoleonic veterans so effective at evoking it?
Well, before we go any further, we need to agree that history and nostalgia are not the same thing. As a Guardian journalist once wrote in his piece about vintage pictures: “Looking at Cornelia Sorabji [first woman to study law at Oxford University], it is not so much her historic achievements that move me as the fact she is there, before my eyes, as immediately as my parents or my childhood self.”
In other words, not knowing the history or significance of the photo you’re looking at may not affect its nostalgic charm on you. Just think of the iconic ‘V-J Day Kiss in Times Square‘ photo. Does not knowing what in the world was happening behind the lens lessen the frozen moment’s magic? We doubt it.
#2 Delegation Of Minnesota League Of Women Voters With A Mile Signatures For World Court Proposal
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
For some, the nostalgic value of a historical photo lies purely in the visual and aesthetic qualities of the image. This may also explain why social media brought into fashion the use of a retro filter (thanks Instagram!). According to one study, 63% of respondents said that they prefer vintage-style photos to modern ones.
And yet, think of a picture of your grandparents on their wedding day or a hazy shot of your hometown before it was filled with multi-story offices and Starbucks. Can you feel the warmth and fuzz? Well, that’s the other kind of nostalgia that works because of our personal memories and cultural associations – something that films like last year’s Oscar winner Aftersun manage to capture in all its colors.
#3 Fire Engine Drawn By Running Horses
Image credits: Library of Congress
#4 Madame Asta Souvrina And Her Dog Listening To The Radio
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
#5 International Conference Regarding The Use Of Esperanto
Esperanto was a synthetic language devised by Polish eye doctor Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof, who in 1887, published a pamphlet in Russian, Polish, French, and German describing Esperanto and proposing it as an easy-to-learn second language. An international Esperanto movement developed in the 1890s, culminating in the first world congress of Esperanto speakers in 1905. After WWI, the League of Nations considered adopting Esperanto as a working language and recommending that it will be taught in schools, but proposals along these lines were vetoed by France.
Image credits: Library of Congress
Believe it or not, there was a time when nostalgia, and the leisurely act of flipping through scrapbooks, was seen in a negative light. Physicians in the 17th and 18th centuries viewed it as a neurological disease, sometimes even using it as an excuse to discharge soldiers from the battlefield.
Obviously, the prevailing view on this bittersweet emotion has changed over the years. As one research study has found, nostalgia generates positive feelings, improves self-regard, and even enhances our bonds with others.
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#6 National Women’s Party Group In 1922 April
Image credits: Library of Congress
#7 Man Holding North-Western Type Of Spearthrower And Wearing Pubic Fur Tassel. Wardaman People, Northern Territory
Image credits: Herbert Basedow
#8 Youngstown, Ohio Confectioner. Harry B. Burt Filed The First Patent For His Signature Method Of Chocolate-Coating His “Good Humor” Ice Cream Bars
Image credits: Mahoning Valley Historical Society
But can nostalgia explain why many of us enjoy an occasional dip in century-old photo albums? According to Clay Routledge, a leading expert in the psychology of nostalgia: “There’s this notion that younger generations stay connected to older generations because we pass down our nostalgia,” he explained to Fast Company.
Does this mean there’ll be a time far in the future when a photo of Mr. Beast playing with a fidget spinner will unleash the same wave of nostalgia as a couple taking a mirror selfie in the 1920s does for us? Probably so.
#9 Austrian Nobleman Takes “Traveling Candy Store” On The Road In 1922
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
#10 Hired Mourners In A Jewish Cemetery In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#11 “No More War” Demonstration In Germany. 1922 July 10
Image credits: Library of Congress
Another great reason why many of us enjoy looking at online lists such as this one is hope. Not just any hope, but hope for the future. Although this kind of nostalgia is associated with our memories and is often used as a coping mechanism (instead of a spark for action); one study has found that people who recalled a nostalgic event reported feeling more optimistic about their future than those who remembered an ordinary event.
#12 Pharmacist Mixing Medicine With Mortar And Pestle. 1923 March 5
Image credits: Library of Congress
#13 Chemistry Class Teacher
Image credits: The Utrecht Archives
#14 A School For Girls In Arabian Peninsula, Bahrain
Image credits: Joint Archives of Holland
#15 Test Flight Of Pescara’s Helicopter, 1922
Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France
#16 Women Selling Vegetables In The Market. Hungary
Image credits: Library of Congress
#17 Tornado Over The Capitol In 1922, May
Image credits: Austin History Center
#18 A Woman Holding A “Cane Flask” During Prohibition In 1922, Washington, D.C.
Image credits: wikipedia
#19 Pharoah’s Daughters, Water Carriers. Egypt
Image credits: Library of Congress
#20 High School Pageant In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#21 Helen F. Day, A Blind Woman, Who Published Searchlight, A Publication For Blind Children. She Is Probably Holding A Device For Printing In Braille
Image credits: Bain News Service
#22 Moroccan Making A Carpet
Image credits: Agence Meurisse
#23 2022 Energy Predictions. New York Sunday Newspaper In 1922 May 7
Image credits: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
#24 Bulgarian Peasant Women In Marketplace, With Piles Of Black And White Wool
Image credits: Library of Congress
#25 A Broken T Model Ford
Image credits: National Photo Company
#26 Tokio Survivors Of The Earthquake Receiving Rice At Shita Park
Image credits: Agence Rol
#27 Medical Students At The Clinical Club, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#28 Students Training Camp
Image credits: Library of Congress
#29 My Family’s Jewelry Store Is In The Exact Location It’s In Now, But In 1922
Image credits: Keldeo_7923
#30 In 1922 In The Volga Estuary, A Beluga Sturgeon Was Caught. It Was Around 23 Feet And Weighed 3,463 Lb. They Truly Are Dinosaurs Of The Sea
Image credits: SquadLover
#31 A Berlin Banker Counting Stacks Of Bundled Marks In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#32 Milk Distribution At A Children’s Health Clinic In Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland
Image credits: Library of Congress
#33 Demonstration Of Artificial Respiration At The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company in Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Library of Congress
#34 Demonstrating Hot Stupes. Safeguarding From Danger Of Fire By Placing Solidified Alcohol In Deep Basin So It Cannot Be Overturned
Image credits: Library of Congress
#35 Red Cross Class In Home Hygiene And Care Of The Sick. Bathing The Baby. April 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress
#36 1923 Girl Basketball Team
Image credits: Indiana Deaf History Museum
#37 Albert And Elsa Einstein In Japan With Local Hosts, 1922
Image credits: Courtesy of Meiji Seihanjo
#38 Allan Dwan Is Making Himself Heard By Twelve Hundred Extras Through The Medium Of The World’s Largest Megaphone. Four Feet In Diameter And Ten Feet Long
Image credits: wikimedia
#39 Tuileries, Prix De L’aero-Club, Departure Of A Balloon In 1922 May 14
Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France
#40 January 1st In 1922
Image credits: MintyPyth0n
#41 Beauty Show In 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#42 U.S. Army Men Seated Around The Table, While One On Horseback Jumping Over It
Image credits: Library of Congress
#43 Knickerbocker Theater Disaster. 1922 January 30
Image credits: Library of Congress
#44 Woman Using Typewriter In The Shower
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#45 Women Working With Sewing Machines In The Factory. Leicester, England
Image credits: Keystone View Company
#46 Handmade Pots
Image credits: Library of Congress
#47 Bathing Group At Hai Mng, Guangdong, China
Image credits: Yale Divinity Library
#48 Destroying Liquor In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#49 First Australia’s National Soccer Team
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
#50 A Race Car Driver Enrico Giaccone At The 1922 French Grand Prix
Image credits: Agence Rol
#51 Landing 250 Bars Of Gold Worth 2 Million Dollars From America Via The Baltic. Liverpool, March 26, 1923
Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France
#52 Rugby Team. 1922
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#53 Blackfeet Squaw At White House, 1923-06-07
Image credits: Library of Congress
#54 Clowns Perform At Children’s Hospital
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#55 Horse Christmas Party
Image credits: Library of Congress
#56 Photograph Shows An Interior View Of The USS Shenandoah Under Construction At The Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey
Image credits: Library of Congress
#57 “Sells-Floto Circus” In 1922. An Elephant Was Pulling The Canvas-Covered Cage Wagon Number 24 Into Position
Image credits: Harry A. Atwell
#58 Blizzard In 1922 January 28
Image credits: Library of Congress
#59 New Mothers Learning Infant Care At A Hadassah Child Welfare Center, Jerusalem
Image credits: Library of Congress
#60 The Fire Destroyed The Old Imperial Hotel In Tokyo, Japan. 1922 April 16
Image credits: Library of Congress
#61 Central Post Office In Louvre Street
Image credits: Gallica
#62 The Police On Motorcycle Trailing Car With Smoke In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#63 The Last Message Left By 47 Entombed Miners In Argonaut Mine, Jackson, Calif. Written With Carbide Lamps On The Face Of The 4350 Foot Drift
The message on the wall reads: “3 O’clock, gas getting strong”
Image credits: Library of Congress
#64 Black Girls And Women Employed In A Lamp-Shade Factory
Image credits: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
#65 Surgery In 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress
#66 Singing Girls. Hong Kong, China 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress
#67 Girls Of Slovakia In Their Beautiful Colored Costumes, Czechoslovakia
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#68 World Billiard Championship. Charles Darantiere. Party Hall Of The Academy Of Abbesses
Image credits: Rol Agency
#69 Machine Spreading Asphalt, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#70 Hospital Roof Tent, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#71 Hospital Operating Room, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#72 University Parking Lot, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#73 Auto Wreck
Image credits: Library of Congress
#74 The Airport “Waalhaven” With Several Planes On The Ground And One In The Air. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Image credits: Spaarnestad
#75 Photographer Constantin Grünberg Stands On The Wing Of An Airplane On The Beach Of Katajanokka On The Way To Tallinn
Image credits: Helsinki City Museum
#76 Dragon Balloon, Norra Frosunda In 1922
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
#77 Italian Opera Singer Claudia Muzio Listening To The Radio With Headphones While Holding A Dog Who Also Has Headphones
Image credits: Bain News Service
#78 2 Women Operating Gum-Wrapping Machine At The American Chicle Company Plant
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
#79 Cooking Class In 1922
Image credits: KvinnSam Image Database
#80 Paul Zweifel Performing A Gynaecological Operation In 1922
Image credits: Wellcome Collection
#81 Boxer Siki Doing Shadow Boxing
Image credits: Agence Meurisse
#82 Excavation Of The Tomb Of Tutankhamun
Image credits: Heidelberg University Library
#83 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle And His Family Looking Over The Wall And Pointing To New York City
Image credits: Library of Congress
#84 Baseball In 1922
Image credits: Bain News Service
#85 Roy D. Haynes In 1923-12-26
Image credits: Library of Congress
#86 Air Service Pilots In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#87 Grace Coolidge And Girl Scouts At The White House, Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#88 Lincoln Memorial In Washington, D.C. 1923
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
#89 Patients Waiting In An Infirmary. Jerusalem
Image credits: Library of Congress
#90 Yankees In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#91 Greece Refugees
These villagers of Asia Minor were driven into the mountains near their homes shortly after the Smyrna debacle. People ate grass, roots, and similar food for three months, occasionally raiding an olive grove by night.
Image credits: Library of Congress
#92 Man Baking Bread
Image credits: Library of Congress
#93 Marshal F. Thompson Voting Machine
Image credits: Library of Congress
#94 Nurse In 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress
#95 The Kinner Airster Which Was Built For Amelia Earhart
Image credits: Underwood, John W.
#96 Officers Of Colorado In 1923
Image credits: Bain News Service
#97 A. Buck Carving The Lord’s Prayer On The Walking Canes. He Has Sold $2000 Worth Of These Canes In 1922
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#98 A View Showing The Business District Of Smyrna. Photograph Showing Horse Drawn Carts And Trolleys On A Busy Street In The Izmir Business District
Image credits: Library of Congress
#99 Illinois River Flood At Beardstown In April 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress
#100 Swimmers On Wooden Structure In The Potomac River. Lincoln Memorial In The Background. Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#101 The S.S. Carmania Arriving With Immigrants From Eastern Europe In 1923, Docking In East Boston
Image credits: The Boston Public Library
#102 Men’s Basketball Team, 1922-1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#103 Refugees Returning To Poland From Russia
Image credits: Max J. Colton
#104 Warren G. Harding’s Funeral In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#105 Long Beach Oil Field In California
Image credits: Mining Oil Bulletin
#106 French Ambassador Jusserand And J.J. Broderick Of The British Embassy Holding Bags Of Douglas Fir Seeds At The Headquarters Of The American Forestry Association
Image credits: Underwood & Underwood
#107 Scene From “He Who Gets Slapped” Garrick Theatre In NYC
Image credits: Vandamm
#108 Market In 1922
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#109 Auto Show In 1923 At The Grand Palais
Image credits: Agence Rol
#110 Aerial View Of The State Capitol, 1922
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#111 University Of Alberta Hospital, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#112 Legion Game
Image credits: Library of Congress
#113 Circle In 1922
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#114 A Ceremonial Bed In The Shape Of The Celestial Cow, Surrounded By Provisions And Other Objects In The Antechamber Of The Tomb
Image credits: Library of Congress
#115 J. Walter Lang And Francis Lang, Twins Who Narrowly Escaped Death On The Steamboats Island Queen
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#116 Man Working At Machine In The Voice Control Room At The U.S. Capitol. 1922 December 6
Image credits: Library of Congress
#117 Naval Submarine Plane
Image credits: Library of Congress
#118 Moffett At Bolling Field In 1923 September 24
Image credits: National Photo Company Collection (Library of Congress)
#119 The First Service Station In Winnemucca, Operated By Fritz And Emil Buckingham In 1922
Image credits: Paradise Valley Folklife Project collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
#120 Mr. Santos-Dumont And Kapferer In The Nacelle Of The Astra-Torres 47 Under Construction, 1922
Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France
#121 Road After Asphalt Applied, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#122 Sterilizer University Of Alberta Hospital, 1922
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#123 Convocation, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#124 Rudolph Valentino, Mrs. Richard Hudnut, Winifred Hudnut, Richard Hudnut. On The Deck Of The Steamship Olympia In 1922
Image credits: Screenland Publishing Company
#125 Marines During Reenactment Of Pickett’s Charge At The Battle Of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#126 New York City’s Public Library, 5th Ave. And 40th St. Crowded Street Scene In Foreground
Image credits: Irving Underhill
#127 Central Control Station With Several Automatic Ticker Tape Machines On The Tables. 1922 December 5
Image credits: Library of Congress
#128 Locomotive Draped For Harding Funeral In 1923
Image credits: Library of Congress
#129 People’s Drug Store No. 10 In Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Library of Congress
#130 Timbers Sold For Food
Image credits: American National Red Cross photograph collection (Library of Congress)
#131 Teletype Radio Plane Set, Used By Navy Department, To Receive Typewritten Radio Messages From Naval Airplanes. 1922 August 30
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#132 “Public Receiving Days At The White House Have Proven Very Popular As Evidenced By This Line About The Executive Offices During The Public Reception Today”, 1922 April 15
Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#133 A Participant In The Monaco Cup In 1923, April 19
Image credits: Rol Agency
#134 Large Group Of People Waiting For An Outdoor Baptism To Begin. Shantou, Guangdong, China
Image credits: Sanderson, Abbie G
#135 Surahammar’s Mill. The Tuning Plant. Packing Transformer Plate For The Export
Image credits: Technical Museum
#136 Grounds In Front Of Arts Building
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#137 Airplane In 1922
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#138 Naval Reserve
Image credits: Library of Congress
#139 Pacific Terminal Oil Tank Farm On Naos Island Breakwater. July 1923
Image credits: The National Archives and Records Administration
#140 Breaking Raw Chicle At The American Chicle Company
Image credits: Library of Congress
#141 USS Olympia And Florida In The Middle Chambers. Gatun Locks, June 13th, 1922
Image credits: National Archives
#142 Administration Volunteers. Volunteer Office Assistance In The New York County Chapter, 1923
Image credits: American National Red Cross photograph collection (Library of Congress)
#143 Medical Building, 1923
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#144 Koompartoo Launch 1922
Image credits: Graeme Andrews
#145 Shriners Parade, Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Library of Congress
#146 A Waterfront View Of The Immigration Station 1922
Image credits: Globe Archive
#147 University Of Alberta Hospital
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
#148 Military Group At The Camp. Washington Monument In The Background
Image credits: Harris & Ewing
#149 Gettysburg
Image credits: Library of Congress
#150 University And High Level Bridge
Image credits: University of Alberta Archives
Source: boredpanda.com