It’s not just dusty old books that lend us insights into the past. Photography can be an incredible tool when helping us understand the context of modern history, from fashion and style trends to the technological and architectural quirks of the time.
The ‘Lost in History’ Instagram page is a project that is dedicated to showcasing rare modern historical photos. We’ve collected some of the most impactful ones to share with you, Pandas. The odds are that these images will give you a fresh new perspective on our recent past. You’ll find them as you scroll down.
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#2 A Victorian Couple Trying Not To Laugh While Getting Their Portraits Done, 1890s
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At the time of writing, the ‘Lost in History’ social media project had 60.6k followers on its Instagram page. According to the founder of the page, the account focuses on sharing “the wonderful” fashion, makeup, people, and culture of the 20th century.
And it has been doing so since June 2016, when it was founded. However, the project also sometimes also features interesting photos from the 19th and 21st centuries as well.
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#5 Married Couple Mildred And Richard Loving Answer Questions At A Press Conference The Day After The Us Supreme Court Ruled In Their Favor In Loving V. Virginia. June 13, 1967
#6 Members Of The Owls, A Black Women’s Softball Team In The 1930s
The images that are shared on the account are a gorgeous mix of black-and-white snaps and color photography. Through them, the curator of the page doesn’t just document what life was like back then. They also show how photography advanced and changed as an art form during the past century.
#7 Us Athlete Jesse Owens Salutes During The Presentation Of His Gold Medal For The Long Jump After Defeating Nazi Germany’s Lutz Long During The 1936 Summer Olympics In Berlin
#8 Cats That Sailed On Ships Until The Mid-20th Century To Catch Rodents Had Passports Signed With Their Paw Prints
#9 “There’s No Hogwarts Without You, Hagrid.” Rest In Peace Robbie Coltrane, Thank You For Being Part Of Something So Special
Recent advances in technology mean that many of us have a smartphone with a powerful camera sitting in our pockets. This has made photography a very approachable form of art, when compared to two centuries ago.
However, despite this, some photographers—professionals and amateurs alike—still choose to take pictures the ‘old-fashioned’ way, with film.
#10 Insane To Think Charles Darwin And Steve Irwin Both Owned The Same Turtoise
#11 A Little Boy Has A Surprise For His Girlfriend.. 🙂
#12 1938
“Film cameras offer a more hands-on and in-depth approach,” professional photographer Dominic Sberna, from Ohio, shared his thoughts about old-school photography with We during an interview earlier.
“Film cameras offer a more hands-on and in-depth approach,” he explained to us.
#13 Cheri, A Great Dane Puppy, In Deep Sleep Moments After Stealing 5 Lbs Of Ham Off The Kitchen Counter, 1953
#14 Life Magazine, July 25, 1949
#15 1953: Cairo Mary, A Bouncer At Shanghai Reds (5th And Beacon In San Pedro) Escorts A Customer To The Door
“Sure, it [film photography] won’t be used commercially, but artists will always find a way to keep a medium alive and I think that’s great,” Sberna said.
According to the expert, photographers should focus on what they genuinely want to do, when it comes to their work and how they share it with others, instead of bowing to social pressure.
#16 Sharpshooter, Annie Oakley Shooting Over Her Shoulder Using A Hand Mirror, 1899
#17 A Girl And Her Kitten, 1931
#18 Marilyn Monroe, 1939
“Just do your thing. If you want to share your work, share your work. If not, keep it to yourself,” he said that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “I went to high school with a great photographer whose work I rarely saw. He didn’t have any interest in sharing things on social media or online. At the end of the day, you need to do what you’re comfortable with and what’s best for you and your situation. If your goal is to show your work to a wider audience, over time you will get there by creating a following,” he urged photographers to do what’s right for them.
#19 Film Actress Fay Webb With Her Pet Goose, Which Is Wearing An Attractive Pair Of Glasses, 1925
#20 Carrie Fisher On Vacation In Europe, 1971
#21 The Picture Is More Than 80 Years Old And The Quality Grainy But The Scene Is Incredibly Significant In The History Of The British Monarchy. For This Is The First Moment Princess Elizabeth Met Her Future Husband. When King George Vi Visited Dartmouth College In 1939, A Promising Cadet Called Philip Was Assigned To Entertain His Daughters. The 18-Year-Old Obviously Made A Lasting Impression On The 13-Year-Old Elizabeth. The Extraordinary Photograph, Discovered In Archives, Shows The First Meeting Between The Future Monarch And Her Husband-To-Be, Over A Game Of Croquet. The Picture Was Unearthed While Researching Prince Philip
No matter how impressive a historical photo might be, nobody should believe everything that they see blindly. It helps to have a healthy dose of skepticism. Some people manipulate photos for personal or political gain, others might want to make certain theories seem more reliable. The more important a news story or historical event, the more likely it is that someone might want their biased opinions to seem mainstream.
#22 The Teeniest Tiniest Stylist. 1950s
#23 Mailman N. Sorenson Poses With His Heavy Christmas Deliveries In Chicago, 1929
#24 Letter From John Steinbeck To Marilyn Monroe
‘Deutsche Welle’ suggests checking the origin of the image before resharing it. You can use reverse image search tools for this if you suspect that a photo might have been tampered with.
There are also various tools available to check whether an image has been altered by looking at differences in pixel density. Of course, no online tool or program is perfect, but they’re better than nothing.
#25 This Photo—taken At The Turn Of The Century—shows Jack Daniel (In The White Hat) Seated Next To George Green, The Son Of Nathan “Nearest” Green Who Was The First Black Master Distiller In America
#26 Engineer Karen Leadlay Working On The Analog Computers In The Space Division Of General Dynamics, 1964
#27 The Futuro Was A Prefabricated House Built Between The Late 1960’s And 1970’s. Fewer Than A Hundred Were Made
We’d love to hear which of these photos you enjoyed the most, dear Pandas. Were there any that stood out to you in particular? Do you prefer black-and-white or color photography? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Meanwhile, for some more powerful historical pics, take a peek at We’s previous features about the ‘Lost in History’ Instagram page.
#28 Boy With His Boar, 1930
#29 USA, Nevada, 1977. Wild Horses
#30 An Ad From The 1930’s
#31 Good Morning By The Daily Mirror, England, April 4, 1944
#32 Cleaning Women Washing A Crucifix, 1938
#33 This Session Was To Be The Last One Between Marilyn Monroe By Andre De Dienes, Even Though He Asked To Take Photos Of Her Several Years Later. Marilyn Suffered From Insomnia Throughout Her Adult Life. One Night Yet Again In 1953 When She Couldn’t Sleep She Called Andre De Dienes Who Came And Took These Poignant Photos
#34 A V-Shaped Bed Invented In 1932, Supporting The Body Perfectly At Every Point And Thus Promotes Better Rest. When Unused The Bed Is Straight Like Every Other Bed. However, One Pull On A Chain At The Side Of The Bed Immediately Changes It To A V-Shape. Another Advantage Claimed For The Bed Is That The Covers Are Held Substantially Away From The Person, Thereby Allowing The Free Circulation Of Air To The Body
#35 New Orleans, Summer Of 1970
#36 Cow Shoes Used By Moonshiners In The Prohibition Days To Disguise Their Footprints, 1924
#37 Christmas, 1974
#38 An Edwardian Woman Dressed The Part Of A Handsome Dandy Writes A Message To Her Lover, “Hello Kid:- How You Be? I Am Fine Don’t I Look It. You Know You Must Not Set This Card On The Switch Board Where You Do Your Others”. What An Intrepid Romance It Must Have Been
#39 “Crash Diet” For Women Published By Vogue In 1977
#40 Pelé Dining With His Parents, In 1958
#41 Causes Of Death In London, 1632
#42 Stroboscopic Photograph Of The New York City Ballet’s Production Of Jewells, 1967. Photo By Gjon Mili
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#44 To Appear Headless While Taking A Photo, Aka “Horsemanning” Was A Popular Way To Pose In The 1920’s
#45 Hop Pickers On Stilts In Faversham , England, 1920
#46 A Dinner Party At The Hotel Astor In New York City In 1904
#47 Luis Camnitzer, The Photograph, 1981
#48 Missionary Being Eaten By A Jaguar (By Noé León, 1907)
#49 This Is What Hanging Out In A College Dorm Room Looked Like In 1910. (University Of Illinois)
#50 Stylist Andrew Richardson Caressed By A Russian Circus Performer, Photographed By Steven Meisel As Part Of The Madonna Photo Essay ‘Flesh + Fantasy’ For Rolling Stone Magazine, 1991
