Looking at old pictures can be fascinating: people dressed in what could be considered the latest fashion trends (grandpa’s pants are soooo back in style), homes and surroundings that could only be seen on movie sets nowadays, and so much more all frozen in time for us to marvel at.
Covering the good, the bad, and the ugly of life as it was, the subreddit titled ‘The Way We Were’ is a treasure trove of such moments frozen in time. If you’re a fan of time travel enabled by browsing old photographs, you ought to love today’s list, so wait no longer, scroll down to find it and make sure to upvote your favorite pictures from the subreddit.
Upon scrolling down you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with an assistant professor of history at the Department of History, Philosophy, and Geography at Columbus State University, Dr. Laura June Davis, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions on the charm and significance of old pictures.
#1 A Young Black Man, In An Act Of Resistance To South Africa's Apartheid Policies, Rides A Bus Restricted To Whites Only, In Durban, South Africa, 1980s
Image credits: -11H17NO3-
#2 Three Best Friends From Nebraska Circa 1910
Image credits: -11H17NO3-
#3 My Father & Grandparents, Louisiana, 1965
Image credits: venusianpisces
Browsing through old photo albums entails more than just looking at pretty pictures. They all tell a story—be it one of an extended family or many that somehow ended up in the same bunch—and it's the person with said album in their hands that gets to unravel it.
Nowadays, physical photo albums have largely been replaced by galleries on people’s phones or computers, or in the online world. However, that is not necessarily worse; while it is true that they don’t have the same feeling, digital albums allow more people to access them, consequently reaching a wider audience of curious humans.
And if you’re at all curious about what life was like back in the day, you ought to love the ‘The Way We Were’ subreddit, which, in their own words, covers “What **normal everyday life** was like for people living 50, 100, or more years ago”.
#4 Flora And Sikes, 1905 - On The Back It Said "Love's Old Sweet Song"
Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth
#5 Tuskegee Airmen Getting Briefed Before A Mission. 1945
Image credits: 4morebeers
For people whose job it is to delve deeper into the stories of the past, pictures have immeasurable value. “Photographs are an invaluable primary source resource for historians as they provide a window into the past,” Dr. Laura June Davis pointed out in an interview with Bored Panda. “They might capture a specific event, reveal the clothing, culture, or values of the time, or put a face to a long-forgotten name. Sometimes, photographs are the only historical evidence we have of a person.”
#6 My Mom, An Engineer, In Her Office, One Month Before I Was Born. 1967, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Image credits: principle_fbundle
#7 My Grandparents On Their Wedding Day. March 1969, West Sumatera, Indonesia
Image credits: Schrozdinger
#8 My Grandparents' Wedding, 100 Years Ago Today
Image credits: earspasm
“For many key moments in our nation's past, it was the photographic evidence that not only captured the event but helped give it meaning,” Dr. Davis continued, discussing the value of old pictures. “Photography was relatively new during the Civil War but photographers like Mathew Brady captured the carnage of the conflict and made Americans (from both sides) comprehend the human costs of war.
“Jacob Riis, the famous muckraker, highlighted the plight, dangerous working conditions, and unsanitary living conditions of the turn-of-the-century New York City slums, prompting reforms. And the graphic violence endured by peaceful protesting civil rights activists and captured by the media helped garner popular support for change, leading to things like the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.”
#9 My Sister And Me 1963. The Photographer Told Us To Not Smile Which Made Us Giggle
Image credits: andsusie
#10 Three Young Girls And A Dog Pose For The Camera. 1930
Image credits: AlainasBoyfriend
#11 Mad Magazine Artists Al Jaffee And Will Elder, In The Lunchroom At The High School For Music And Arts In New York City, 1936
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
Some historical pictures are so significant, they can even be recalled in the memories of people millions of miles away from where—or decades of years later from when—they were taken.
Take the picture of construction workers having lunch on an unfinished skyscraper in New York, for instance; chances are you already have the image of eleven men hanging above the city in your head – an iconic picture taken back in 1932, known under the title “Lunch atop a Skyscraper”.
#12 A Black Man And A White Woman Embracing On A New York Subway - A Controversial Image For It's Time. Late 1960s. (Image - Ernest Cole)
Image credits: Dhorlin
#13 Summertime In The 1940s
Image credits: Majoodeh
#14 Occupants Of A Sod House In Drenthe, The Netherlands, Photographed Standing Outside In 1936
Image credits: jocke75
In an interview with Bored Panda, Dr. Davis emphasized that by processing, digitizing, and archiving old photographs, we can help preserve our history.
“On a personal level, it's a great way to preserve our family stories, relive key moments of a collective past, and give faces to our long-lost loved ones. It's also a way to honor those who came before us, and remember where we came from,” she added.
#15 Grocery Shopping In The 1960s
Image credits: jocke75
#16 I'm The Tall American With My Sri Lankan Family In 1980. Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Image credits: Chinacat_Sunflower72
#17 My Date And Me All Dressed Up For A Fancy Party, 1974
Image credits: dittidot
Research suggests that on a personal level, browsing old pictures can even help alleviate low levels of pain, as the nostalgia it evokes can reduce activity in areas involved in pain perception.
According to Professor Huajian Cai of the Chinese Academy of Sciences responsible for carrying out the research, “As a predominantly positive emotion, nostalgia serves various adaptive functions, including a recently revealed analgesic effect,” The Mirror reports.
#18 Two Women Grinding An Axe, 1918
Image credits: jocke75
#19 Great Grandmother & Great Aunt (~1946)
Image credits: zero_choquette
#20 A Selection Of 1890s To Early 1900s Mugshots From Nebraska
Image credits: Lepke2011
Whether it’s history-based research, curiosity, or a mild headache you’re trying to alleviate that encourages you to browse old pictures, we have plenty of them in store here at Bored Panda. So, when you’re done going through this list, feel free to continue to our previous editions on ‘The Way We Were’ here or here, or check out Bored Panda’s history category for more of similar content.
#21 Man With Down’s Syndrome, 1890s
Image credits: serdnanicol
#22 One Of America’s Youngest Newsboys (4 Years Old) Florida, 1913
Image credits: jocke75
#23 Disco Sally, 78 Year Old Studio 54 Regular, 1978
Image credits: jocke75
#24 May 1922: 78-Year-Old Robert T. Lincoln (Son Of Abraham Lincoln) Is Helped Up The Steps At The Dedication Of The Lincoln Memorial In Washington D.c
Image credits: xXHarleen_QuinzelXx
#25 That’s A Lot Of ‘70s Going On In One Pic
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#26 Swimsuits And Roller Skates, Chicago, Il, C. 1947. Photo By Wayne Miller
Image credits: FlamingoEvery5528
#27 My Grandparents And Mom Around 1960 In Chicago
Image credits: HowToCook40Humans
#28 A Couple Of Victorian Travellers, 1890s
Image credits: jocke75
#29 This Behemoth Of A Flip Cut, 1960s
Image credits: mpathg00
#30 Easter 1969
Image credits: SamTheHamJam
#31 The Wright Family, Wokingham UK - 1967 - In Their Matching Dresses When Mums Used To Make Your Clothes
Image credits: Sweet-Peanuts
#32 Great-Grandparent’s Home Around The Late 1800s/Early 1900s. Eventually 7 Kids All Lived Here With Them
Image credits: Cliffedgejones22
#33 Three Jolly Sisters In Failsworth, Greater Manchester, 1970s
Image credits: Sweet-Peanuts
#34 The Crowd At Woodstock 1969
Image credits: jocke75
#35 At The Age Of 16 In 1946 My Grandfather Worked In A Paper Factory, This Is His Work Badge
Image credits: Americanvegetarian
#36 My Grandma (Still Alive At 96) And Her Dad Baling Hay On The Family Farm In Clintonville, Wi. 1940s
Image credits: 0nesandzer0es
#37 Annie Edson Taylor And Her Cat, Pose With The Barrel She Went Over Niagara Falls In, 1901
Image credits: -11H17NO3-
#38 My Terrified Dad (20) And His First Wife (19) Days After The Birth Of Their First Child (Maine, USA, 1961)
Image credits: Bamm83
#39 Linda Ward (And Two Admirers) Dublin, Early ‘60s
Image credits: 111mysticman111
#40 The Fort, 1965
Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth
#41 My Great Great Aunt Louise Hayes Née Andersen, Circa 1929
Image credits: arintj
#42 Wedding Portrait, Minnesota, 1911. Note The Delicate Lace On The Bride’s High-Necked Blouse
Image credits: CatPooedInMyShoe
#43 A Grocery Store Clerk In Tallahassee, Florida, 1962
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#44 In This Image From 1955, We See A Woman Hanging Her Laundry On The Clothes-Line In Her Backyard. When I Was Growing Up - In The 1960s And 1970s - Every Backyard On My Street Had A Clothes-Line. While Hanging Out Their Laundry, The Neighbors Would Holler To Each Other
Image credits: Vasey6067
#45 A Chinese Lady Whose Feet Were Bound From Childhood. Late 1800s
Image credits: Sweet-Peanuts
#46 Western Saloon
Image credits: CincoDeMayoFan
#47 Woman In Knee-Length Dress And Pants, Ca. 1860s. From A Bound Photo Album I Bought Years Ago. Subject And Photographer Unknown. [1457 X 2361]
Image credits: HxAndMusx
#48 Beautiful Vintage Photos Collection, 1962-1980
Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth
#49 My Great Grandmother’s Brother, Perry. He Was Beaten To Death In A Bar Fight In 1949 At The Age Of 31
Image credits: wms5228
#50 Grandpa’s Photo From The Dorms Freshmen Year At Purdue University 1956
Image credits: Safe_Net_9558
