The invention of photography changed the way people perceive history. Photos tell a better story than hundreds of words could, and they feel more convincing and real than a painting. When we look at an old photo, we see far more than just a picture. Our consciousness is transported to a different time, a different life.
The Instagram page history_in_images is dedicated to sharing that experience with everyone. It curates historical pictures of famous people, events, and casual moments. Browse our cherry-picked submissions and let a sense of wonder or nostalgia wash over you.
#1 Edith Steiner, A Jewish Woman Who Survived The Holocaust, And John Mackay, The Scottish Soldier That Saved Her
They were married July 17th, 1946, and celebrated their 71st wedding Anniversary this year.
#2 Game Warden Elliot Barker With A Badly Burned Bear Cub He Discovered Clinging To A Tree After A New Mexico Forest Fire
The cub would be named Smokey Bear & grow up to symbolize forest safety. (1950)
#3 In 1956, University Hospital In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Gave Children Therapy Animals
Looking through some old photographs is one of those things that people don’t do often, but when they do, they get hooked for hours. Even mundane photos of everyday moments have a certain draw. The mind goes racing with thoughts of what that moment was like, and we’re instantly transported in time. The photos tell a compelling story without muttering a single word.
#4 Young Steve Buscemi Working As A Firefighter, Early 1980s
#5 Robin Williams And Shelley Duvall On The Set Of Popeye, 1979
#6 Survivor Of The Hiroshima Attack, Shigeki Tanaka Won The Boston Marathon In 1951
This trip down memory lane usually brings strong feelings of nostalgia and appreciation. It helps us put into perspective how far we’ve come. Sadly, at times, it can reopen old wounds or make us miss something or someone that’s no longer with us. This potent cocktail of emotion keeps us glued to a vintage photo album for a long while. But what is it about old photos that stirs such powerful emotions? Well, according to psychology professor Krystine I. Batcho, Ph.D., it’s the connection to the past.
#7 Freddie Mercury With His Mother, 1947
#8 Aerial Shot Of Woodstock In 1969
#9 Constructing The Animatronic Falcor Puppet For The Neverending Story
Batcho says photos link us to our past and can even affect our memories, present lives, future plans, and well-being. Research suggests that photographs can correct inaccurate details of how we remember a person, place, or event. Over our lives, our memories can become muddy. Subtle details can get distorted or replaced over a long time. Photos can act as an anchor, correcting what we misremember or filling in gaps we’ve forgotten.
#10 Two Boys Making A Trade, Kenya, 1962
#11 Christmas In The German Trenches During World War 1, 1914
#12 Around Two Million People Gathered In Times Square To Celebrate The End Of World War II In 1945
Viewing your own childhood photos can encourage and inspire people, according to Batcho. When the long journey you’ve taken growing up becomes accessible not only through your memories, but through your physical senses, it becomes easier to see how far you’ve come. These insights can help motivate you out of a slump or help deal with negative thoughts. It might also make you feel grateful and proud of yourself, or push you into a better lifestyle.
#13 Waiting In Line For The Premiere Of Star Wars, 1977
#14 Bank Robber “Pretty Boy” Floyd Was Known For Destroying Mortgage Papers On Heists, Freeing Hundreds Of People From Property Debt
#15 A British Couple Sleeps Inside A “Morrison Shelter” Used As Protection From Collapsing Homes During The WWII ‘Blitz’ Bombing Raids. March 1941
The nostalgia that old personal photographs bring is unmatched. Batcho says such photos are associated with a heightened sense of coherence and self-continuity. It can help people distance themselves from the present problems for a little while and appreciate the bigger picture. Nostalgia can even yield deeper insight into the meaning and purpose in one’s life.
Never miss a story that brings joy to the world.
#16 A Man Browsing For Books In Cincinnati’s Cavernous Old Main Library. The Library Was Demolished In 1955
#17 Telephone Engineer, London, 1925
#18 Sally Field And Tom Hanks On The Set Of Forrest Gump, 1994
Nostalgia can also motivate us to reconnect with loved ones or other important people in our lives. It’s not only an emotional experience, but also a social one. Seeing someone you’ve lost touch with in old photos can deepen your appreciation for their role in your life and push you to reach out again.
On the other hand, nostalgic old photos can strengthen negative emotions too. If, for example, you look at a personal photograph of someone who recently passed away, the image can deepen and visualize the grief. The photograph lets us step into the past again, keeping us from moving on.
#19 Tim Burton Showing Off A Halloween Costume That Was Handmade By His Mother, 1967
#20 Pink Floyd Concert In Venice On July 1 5, 1989
#21 The Partially Excavated Sphinx. Late 1800’s
An old photograph can sometimes stand in for something we miss. A photo can replace a dear childhood toy you’ve lost, a beloved pet that’s no longer with you, or a recent relationship. Of course, “replacement” here is not meant in the full sense of the word. You can’t really just replace something so dear with an image. But a photo can help calm the feelings. For example, an athlete or celebrity can use photos to remind themselves of their peak, but they won’t physically transport them back to that time.
#22 The First Photograph Of Machu Picchu, 1912
#23 Hoover Dam Under Construction, February 1934
#24 Cow Shoes Used By Moonshiners In The Prohibition Days To Disguise Their Footprints, 1924
Historical photographs play many roles in our lives. Whether we recognize the places, events, and people in them or not. They bridge the past and the present, and they’ll keep doing so in the future if we hold on to them. Many of us will.
What are the most nostalgic photos you’ve come across, either online or in your own photo albums? How did they affect you? Share your stories with other readers in the comments.
#25 Danny Devito Becoming The Penguin, 1992
#26 Eminem On His 18th Birthday, 1990
#27 August 4, 1979: Iron Maiden, An Unknown British Heavy Metal Band, Place An Ad In Melody Maker To Find A Second Guitarist
#28 Chichen Ltza, Mexico, Before Cleaning And Restoration, 1892 From The Peabody Museum Archives, Harvard University
#29 Head Of The Statue Of Liberty On Display At The World’s Fair In Paris, 1878
#30 The Original Model Of The USS Enterprise In 1965
#31 Londoners Flock To A Mobile Screen Showing The Latest Mickey Mouse Film, 1931
#32 The Lincoln Memorial In 1917
#33 Golden Gate Bridge Mid-Construction, San Francisco, 1935
#34 Dummy Head Used By John Anglin To Fool Prison Guards While He And Two Other Convicts Escaped Alcatraz. 1962
#35 Human Chess In 1924, St. Petersburg, Russia
#36 Buchenwald Concentration Camp Guards Who Received Beating From The Prisoners When The Camp Was Liberated, 1945
#37 Stephen Hawking Waiving A Handkerchief With The Members Of The Oxford University Boat Club, Early 1960’s
#38 David Bowie’S Mugshot, 1976
#39 Russian Soldiers Playing Piano In A Wrecked Living Room In Berlin, 1945
#40 Racing Cars On The Roof Of The Fiat Factory In Turin, Italy (1923)
#41 A British Soldier Hiding From The Rain Under An Overturned Tiger Tank. Italy, 1944
#42 The “Mona Lisa” Returning To The Louvre Museum, After WWII, Paris 1945
#43 Rainy London 1890’s
#44 Unemployed Men Outside A Soup Kitchen Opened In Chicago By Al Capone, 1931
#45 Auditions For The Part Of A Black Cat, Hollywood, 1961
#46 Coca Cola Bottle History 1899, 1900, 1915, 1916, 1957 & 1986
#47 Police Issue Tickets In New York’s Holland Tunnel, 1954
#48 Rush Hour In Chicago 1909
#49 The Delorean Assembly Plant In Belfast 1980’s
#50 Construction Of The Lincoln Memorial (1921)
#51 The Cliff House Fire, San Francisco, 1907
#52 Three Shafts Of Sunlight Illuminate The Basilica And Its Mosaic Floor In The Vatican, December 1971
#53 Judy Garland On The Set Of The Wizard Of Oz
#54 The Original Bibendum Known As The Michelin Man, Early 1900′
#55 The Grande Galerie In The Louvre Abandoned During The World War II. Photograph By Marc Vaux 1940s
#56 Huge Stacks Of Lumber Drying In Seattle, 1919
#57 Flatiron Building, New York Under Construction Circa 1902
#58 Sydney Opera House Under Construction, 1966
#59 A Younger Bill Nye In His 9th Grade Science Class
#60 Miners Ready To Descend For Their Shift, Copper Mine Near Calumet, Mi, 1905
#61 Lunch Break On The Set Of Teletubbies!
#62 Times Square In Manhattan On New Year’s Eve, 1940
#63 Building The San Francisco Bay Bridge 1935
#64 Last Prisoners Of Alcatraz Leaving 1963
#65 Punt Gun Used For Hunting Waterfowl. Banned In The 1860’s
#66 Titanic In Dry Dock. Here You Can See The Scale Of The Person Standing Next To One Of The Propellers. 1912
#67 A Winter Night In Paris, 1953. Photograph By Albert Monier
#68 Bob Ross Without An Afro In The Military Circa 1960
#69 Albert Einstein’s Office Just As He Left It Taken Hours After He Died. Princeton New Jersey April 1955
#70 1892-1937 Lumberjacks
#71 Plate Steel Spiral Casing For 70,000 Horse-Power Niagara Falls Hydraulic Turbine Unit At The Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, CA. 1920
#72 А High School Footbаll Game Continues As A Fire Rages On At A School In Northfield, Massachusetts. 1965
