The lives of people in the past were far from boring; they were incredibly interesting, lively, and different from today.
Historical records and books inform us about significant events that took place in the past, but they hardly provide an accurate picture of the everyday lives of people back then. When we look at photographs taken in the 1800s and 1900s, modern individuals may find them peculiar. More importantly, the lives of ordinary people seem to have been anything but dull or tedious. On the contrary, they appear adventurous, strange, amusing, and simply put – fascinating to the eyes of a 21st-century observer.
While it’s intriguing to see what the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower looked like while still under construction, simpler aspects such as people’s fashion, their lazy Sunday afternoons, and even dogs helping around the house in the following images will surprise you about the lives of people in the past.
Two children
“The Snow Queen”, 1892
A leisurely afternoon for Irish fishermen, 1910
Witch’s Gathering, 1875
The life of a farm cat, 1951
A young noblewoman, 1910
Photographer over the skies of Berlin, 1912
A couple dancing on ice skates at Whitestone Pond, Hampstead, London, 1933
100 years ago, even window cleaners wore suits.
Women boxing on a rooftop, 1938
Mother’s homeschooling in Transylvania, Louisiana, 1937
Grandmother mending the only pair of pants for her grandson, photo taken in 1907
19th-century Halloween costumes
Portrait of a woman sneezing
Leola King, the first female traffic officer in America, 1918
A real Japanese samurai, 1866
A tavern allowing children to drink their own size beers, Wisconsin (USA), 1890
Tattooed family, 1910
Soldiers wearing gas masks to peel onions, 1941
One of the first original “selfies” actually taken with a stick, 1934
