It’s one thing to read about years gone by between the pages of a fascinating history book. But nothing brings the past back to life more than beautiful historical photographs. These moments frozen in time can tell us so much, without saying a word. And you don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate many of them.
As the name suggests, r/RareHistoricalPhotos showcases the lesser-seen photographs taken throughout the ages. It has more than 162,000 members, and publishes historical photographs, stories and interesting news. The page aims to revive the past, noting that stunning historical photographs can bring bygone eras back to life. We’ve put together our personal favorite pics shared by the community. Bored Panda also spoke to multi award-winning photographer Hollie Mateer about the role photography plays in preserving the past, and how she uses her unique storytelling style to document moments that can be appreciated for years to come.
#1 7 Oct 1943, Ottla Kafka, Beloved Sister Of Author Franz Kafka, Was Gassed On Arrival At Auschwitz After Volunteering To Escort A Group Of Orphans From The Terezin Ghetto So They Wouldn’t Be Afraid
Image source: Radiantt_Skies
#2 Sabina Chebichi, Kenyan Athlete Who Won A Race In 1973, Barefoot And Wearing A Dress
Image source: ua-stena
#3 Aboriginal Tasmanian Fanny Cochrane Smith Singing Into Her Phonograph In 1903. Without Her Efforts To Preserve Her Culture, We Would Have No Audio Traces Of The Tasmanian Language. Pretty OSC
Image source: Tinsyloa
#4 The First Interracial Marriage In Mississippi, 1970. 3 Years Earlier, The 1967 Loving V. Virginia Scotus Ruling Legalized Interracial Marriage In The US
Image source: ZERO_PORTRAIT
#5 The Only Known Photograph Of An African American Union Soldier With His Family. Circa 1864
Image source: ZERO_PORTRAIT
#6 Dance Teacher Patsy Swayze, Center, With Her Daughter-In-Law Lisa Niemi And Son Patrick Swayze, 1978
Image source: Sparklling_Dreams
#7 Jane Russell Shows Her Co-Actress Marilyn Monroe (At The Time, Jane Was The Bigger Star) One Of Her Talents: Drawing. Here She Draws An Sketch Of Monroe. Result At The End. This Was During The Filming Of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” 1953
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#8 Remembering The Father, 1925
Image source: funbunnyluv, Evaldas Ivanauskas
#9 Rare Photograph Of Marilyn Monroe Without Makeup, 1955
Image source: ua-stena
#10 Beautiful Ukrainian Girl In National Costume, 1935. Photo Before And After Restoration
Image source: ua-stena
#11 Barack Obama Dressed As A Pirate With His Mother Stanley Ann, 1960s
Image source: ua-stena
#12 Lonnie Johnson, Inventor Of The Super Soaker, 1992
Image source: Majoodeh
#13 New York In The 1960s
Image source: USHistoryUncovered
#14 Gertrude Ederle, First Woman To Cross The English Channel, 26 August 1926, Done In 14hr And 31 Min, Beating The Male Record Of 16hr And 33 Min. Photos Of The Day She Did The Record
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#15 London, 1940, A Girl Sitting In The Wreckage Of Her Bombed-Out Home With Her Doll
Image source: Agreeable_Border8734
#16 Luzon Woman, 1875
Image source: Sad-Bumblebee-3444
#17 Group Of Friends Enjoys The Beach And Sun In The 1940s
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#18 In Arviat, Nunavut (Northern Canada), 1949, An Inuit Girl Descends Into Her Ice Igloo House
Image source: Reasonable-Ebb-2755
#19 Dorothy Counts, The First Black Girl To Attend An All-White School In The U.S., Being Taunted By Her White Classmates At Harry Harding High School In Charlotte, 1957
Image source: BadDecisionn
#20 In The Middle Of A Celebration, A Young Woman From Oaxaca, Mexico, Notices She Is Being Photographed, And Gives A Look To The Camera, 1985
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#21 A Sailor “Meets” His Baby For The First Time After Fourteen Months At Sea, 1940s
Image source: wildbunnytoy
#22 Mother And Daughter Walking In New York, 1970
Image source: GirlTattuo1990
#23 A Mother Repairs The Family Car While Her Husband Is Away At War, 1944
Image source: chromaticaisle
#24 Faces Of Auschwitz, 1940
Image source: Nerussi
#25 This Photo Shows Margaret Ann Neave, An American Woman Who Passed Away In 1902 After Reaching The Age Of 110. This Woman Was Born In 1792, Which Means She Lived In Three Centuries
Image source: ua-stena
#26 Princess Of Egypt And Iranian Queen Fawzia Fuad, C. 1939
Image source: Nearby_Bobcat_6675
#27 1968. My Grandfather In The Second Korean War
Image source: Longjumping_Vast5971
#28 112-Year-Old Veteran Of WW1 And Russian Civil War (Teimruz Vanacha) And His Son (Ivan) A Veteran Of WW2 In 1980
Image source: loseril
#29 Wedding Rings Found By U.S. Army Soldiers Near The Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, May 1945
Image source: Quick_Presentation11
#30 Sisters In Skirts, 1950s
Image source: sexyminxzz
#31 Blackfoot Chief Two Guns White Calf, Early 1900s
Image source: senorphone1
#32 A Mother And Daughter Hamming It Up For The Camera, Ca 1900
Image source: UrbanAchievers6371
#33 Marcy Borders – “Dust Lady” After Escaping The North Tower Of The World Trade Center On 9/11. She Would Die Of Cancer At Age 42
Image source: reddit.com
#34 Republican Party Supporters And Democratic Party Supporters Fight With Snowballs In Front Of The Capitol. January 1921, Washington, USA
Image source: ua-stena
#35 Vintage Photograph Of A Kid Wearing A Monkey Mask, 1920s
Image source: Vanhacass
#36 Couples In A Bar, 1959 Pittsburgh
Image source: GirlTattuo1990
#37 A Man Searches For Books In The Former Cincinnati Public Library. The Building Was Demolished In 1955. Today There Is An Office Building And Parking Lot Where It Used To Stand
Image source: BlondyCameron21
#38 Barack Obama Visiting His Step-Grandmother Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama. Kenya, 1988. Sarah Obama, Affectionately Called Grandma Sarah By The Former U.S. President, Was The Third And Youngest Wife Of Obama’s Grandfather
Image source: ua-stena
#39 Photograph From The 1993 Great Flood, When James Scott Intentionally Sabotaged A Levee, Triggering A Massive Mississippi River Flood To Delay His Wife’s Return Home, Allowing Him To Keep Partying
His actions flooded 14,000 acres of farmland, destroyed numerous buildings, and led to the closure of a major bridge. Scott was convicted of “intentionally causing a catastrophe” and is serving a life sentence in prison.
Image source: Time-Training-9404
#40 Until 1956, French Children Were Served Wine With Their School Lunch
Image source: mistery_baby
#41 Titanic Orphans, Brothers Michel And Edmond Navratil, 1912. They Were The Only Children To Be Rescued From The Titanic Without A Parent Or Guardian
Image source: Ok-Valuable9550
#42 Mixtec Woman From Oaxaca In Her Traditional Dress, 1970s. They Share Land With The Zapotecs, Which Is A Entirely Different Ethnic Group
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#43 Lucky British Soldier Showing Off His Damaged Helmet, 1917
Image source: Phauxinnn
#44 Her Majesty Queen Marie Of Romania, 1896
Image source: eldeniafita
#45 Mayan Women In The Yucatan Peninsula Around 1952. The Dress Is Called The Mayan Huipil
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#46 Victorian Woman With A Very Intense Gaze, Circa 1850-60s
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#47 Two Young Boys Standing Barefoot On Moving Electric Looms In Order To Reach The Top Shelf While At Work In A Cotton Mill In Georgia, 1910. Photos Of Child Laborers Working Long Hours In Dangerous Conditions Gradually Led To Child Labor Employment Laws
Image source: reddit.com
#48 This Photograph, Taken Over 100 Years Ago In Jerusalem (1920), Shows A Sign In The Background Reading “The Palestine German Bank.” Remarkable Window Into History And The Vibrant Multicultural Presence In The Region During That Era
Image source: QTR2022-
#49 A Soviet Officer Sees And Tastes A Hot Dog And Coca-Cola For The First Time Aboard The U.S. Cruiser Thomas S. Gates, 1989
Image source: ua-stena
#50 Woman Inspecting This New Thing, The Security Belt In Her Car, Circa 1950s
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
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