The world has seen lots of talented and capable photographers throughout history. But not everyone’s work gets as much time in the spotlight as it should. But if you spend time digging through the historical archives looking for iconic snapshots, it’s well worth the effort.
‘Utterly Unique Photos’ is a fantastic, history and photography-oriented online community that shares vintage, (mostly but not always) black-and-white historical photos. We’ve collected some of the most interesting ones, recently featured by members of the group, to give you a glimpse into the past from a fresh perspective. Scroll down for a trip through time.
Meanwhile, Bored Panda reached out to Daniel Holland, the founder of ‘Utterly Unique Photos’ and the ‘Utterly Interesting’ brand, for a friendly chat about his projects and iconic photography. You’ll find our interview with him below.
More info: Reddit | Facebook | X | UtterlyInteresting.com
#1 A Mongolian Girl Having A Laugh With Her Camel. The Little Girl’s Name Is Butedmaa And She Was Just 5 When This Picture Was Taken In 2003 By Photographer Han Chengli
Image source: dannydutch1
#2 Meet Yuri Knorozov, The Linguist Who Deciphered The Maya Script, 1953
He listed his cat Asya as a co-author on his work but the editors always removed her. He always used this photo with Asya as his author photo and got angry whenever editors cropped her out.
Image source: dannydutch1
#3 Judy Garland Backstage In Vegas. Photo: William Caxton (1961)
Image source: CarkWithaM
#4 In 1991, Mexican Photographer Antonio Turok Captured This Image Of The Solar Eclipse, From Chiapas, Mexico
Image source: ExtremeInsert
#5 This Is Charlene, A Walmart Employee That Poses With Products For The Maryland Store’s Local Facebook Page
Image source: dannydutch1
#6 Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders Picks Up Rubbish On His Own In A Public Park After Being Elected In 1981, His First Electoral Victory
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#7 17-Year-Old Rowan Atkinson, Electrical Engineering Student At Newcastle University, 1972
Image source: onwhatcharges
#8 In The Summer Of 1959, Bruce Davidson Photographed Brooklyn Teenagers, Capturing Their Private And Public Moments
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#9 In 1943 A Man And His German Shepherd Took Some Time Out To Pop Into A Photobooth In Grand Central, NYC. I’m Glad They Did
Image source: dannydutch1
#10 The Future Queen Elizabeth In Front Of A Playhouse Gifted To Her And Princess Margaret In 1932 By The People Of Wales
Image source: dannydutch1
#11 Barack Obama Visiting His Grandmother Sarah Ogwel Onyango In Kenya. 1995
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#12 Two Well-Dressed Gents And Their Equally Dapper Dog In Stockholm, Sweden, 1880s
Image source: onwhatcharges
#13 Actors Who Were To Portray The Munchkins In The Wizard Of Oz Arriving At Mgm Studios In 1938
Image source: dannydutch1
#14 Alan Rickman As Tybalt In A Bbc Adaptation Of Romeo And Juliet In 1978
Image source: onwhatcharges
#15 Last Known Photo Of John Allen Chau, An American Missionary Sent To Convert The Isolated People Of North Sentinel Island
In 2018, he bribed Indian fishermen to illegally smuggle him into the island’s protected waters. He was last seen being dragged along the shore, his body shot full of arrows.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#16 Dennis Rader (BTK) With His Daughter On Her Wedding Day In 2003
Image source: ExtremeInsert
#17 A Kiowa Girl Named O-O-Be Wears A Three Hide Dress Decorated With Elk Teeth, Oklahoma, 1894
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#18 Hangu, Pakistan (1/6/2014) — 15 Year Old Aitzaz Hasan Is Confronted By A Strange Man Attempting To Enter His Local High School
Upon noticing explosives strapped to the man’s chest, Hasan tackled him, refusing to allow him inside. He did not survive. His actions saved 2000 of his fellow students.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#19 John Mccain Being Captured By Vietnamese Civilians, Hanoi, 1967
Image source: onwhatcharges
#20 Ota Benga (1904-1906) — A Mbuti Pygmy, Born In Congo Free State In 1885
He was sold to an American explorer for display at the 1904 World’s Fair. He was then housed in the Bronx Zoo primate house. He settled in Lynchburg, VA, but never returned home again. He [ended his own life] in 1916.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#21 In 1910, Louis And Temple Abernathy Decided To Cross America By Horseback Without Adult Supervision, From Oklahoma To Manhattan
They were just 10 and 6 years old. To get back home, they bought a car and drove it while their horses returned by train. In 1913 they made the same trip on a motorcycle
Image source: dannydutch1
#22 21-Year Old Yves Saint Laurent At Christian Dior’s Funeral (1957)
Image source: morganmonroe81
#23 In 1939, 18-Year-Old Philip Met 13-Year-Old Princess Elizabeth At The Royal Navy College In Dartmouth
Philip, then a cadet, had been assigned to escort the Royal Family during their visit. It was the first time he and Elizabeth spent time together one-on-one.
Image source: CarkWithaM
#24 Princess Margaret In The Bathtub Wearing Her Tiara, 1962. Tony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon) Can Be Seen In The Mirror Taking The Photo
Image source: CarkWithaM
#25 January 1941. A Textile Mill Working All Night In New Bedford, Massachusetts
Image source: dannydutch1
#26 Around 1924, A Young Frida Kahlo Is Photographed Wearing A Men’s Suit In A Family Portrait
Image source: onwhatcharges
#27 King Frederick Ix Of Denmark Showing Off His Tattooed Upper Body. The King Had A Passion For Sailing And Bodybuilding. The Photo Appeared In Life Magazine In 1951
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#28 Once Called “The Lords Of The Forest”, Billions Of Ancient American Chestnut Trees Once Dominated The Appalachian Landscape
Until 1904, when the accidental introduction of Asian Chestnut Blight rotted them by the millions. By 1920, the species was functionally extinct.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#29 June 5, 1965: “Pretty, Congenial Little Alicia Brown, 16 Months Old, Engages In Happy Chat With Los Angeles Police Sgt. Genevieve Hauck In The Van Nuys Police Building Yesterday Shortly After The Little Girl Was Abandoned By Her Mother In A Van Nuys Church”
Image source: morganmonroe81
#30 A Young Liam Neeson Pictured With His Sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette And Rosaleen In 1960 Outside Their Family Home In Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#31 Madame Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) — Oldest Verifiable Person To Ever Live
She drank wine and smoked until the age of 117, and was the last living person to have met Vincent Van Gogh. When asked to describe him, she would simply reply, “ugly”.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#32 Priscilla Presley With Her Then-Boyfriend Robert Kardashian, 1976
Image source: ExtremeInsert
#33 Four Year-Old Mary, Who Shucks Two Pots Of Oysters A Day At Dunbar
The boss said that next year Mary will work steady as the rest of them. The mother is the fastest shucker in the place. Earns $1.50 a day. Works part of the time with her sick baby in her arms. Dunbar, Louisiana, US. 1911
Image source: dannydutch1
#34 Soviet War Veteran Standing Near The Eternal Flame On The Anniversary Of Victory Day In 1966
Image source: dannydutch1
#35 Casino Security Overlooking The Pit. The Mint, Downtown Vegas, 1968
Image source: dannydutch1
#36 John Belushi And Dan Aykroyd In Their Tiny New York Apartment, Mid 1970s
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#37 This Is An Example Of The Tradition Of Skull Elongation Among The Mangbetu People Of The Democratic Republic Of The Congo
This ancient beauty custom, known as Lipombo, shaped identity, status and art until its colonial prohibition in the 1950s.
Image source: dannydutch1
#38 From Algerian War (1958)… A French Foreign Legion Soldier Carried A Starving Donkey… They Rescued It And Later The Donkey Became Their Unit Mascot Going By The Name ‘Bambi’
Image source: CarkWithaM
#39 Actress Merle Oberon Was Born In 1911 In Bombay And Hid Her True Origins Claiming To Have Been Born To White Parents In Tasmania
The first Asian Best Actress Oscar nominee, she used skin bleaching and reinvention to survive Hollywood prejudice, keeping her heritage secret until after her death
Image source: dannydutch1
#40 19th-Century Paris Once Had A Village Of Treehouse Taverns. Roast Chicken, Wine, And Rope Pulleys In The Branches, These Are Examples Of The Lost World Of Les Guinguettes De Robinson
Image source: dannydutch1
#41 Disappointed But Unharmed, A Vacationing Couple Pose With Their Pontiac Catalina. 1969
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#42 Tsar Nicholas II’s Daughters Shaved Their Heads After Losing Their Hair In Clumps Due To Measles. 1917 From Left To Right, Grand Duchesses: Anastasia, Tatiana, Olga And Maria
Image source: CarkWithaM
#43 Isabella Rossellini And Martin Scorsese On Their Wedding Day, 1979
Image source: onwhatcharges
#44 State Hospital Staff Wearing Skull Masks (1898-1912)
Image source: Crowbeatsme
#45 Freddie Mercury Having A Sleepover With Some Close Friends. Circa 1980
Image source: dannydutch1
#46 On The Left Is David Reimer On The Right Is Brenda Reimer
They’re the same person, as a child he was a victim of a botched circumcision, so on the advice of one doctor, the family decided to have him castrated and raise him as a girl. At age 13 he began living as a boy again.
Image source: dannydutch1
#47 22 Yr-Old Charlie Johns Reading The Bible To His 9 Yr-Old Bride, Eunice Winstead. They Married In 1937 And Went On To Have 9 Children Together
Image source: CarkWithaM
#48 Mississippi’s First Interracial Bride And Groom, Berta And Roger Mills, Enjoying Their Wedding Cake In 1970. 55 Years Ago
Image source: dannydutch1
#49 This Is The Last Photo Of Travis Alexander, Taken In The Shower Moments Before His Life Was Taken By Jodi Arias On This Day In 2008
Image source: dannydutch1
#50 Barack Obama, 10, And His Father, Also Named Barack Obama. Obama’s Father Left The Family To Study At Harvard When Barack Was Just Two, Returning Only Once
Image source: dannydutch1
#51 A Then 118-Year-Old Sarah Knauss Posing For A Family Photo, United States, 1998
When Sarah Knauss was born, William McKinley was president, the Eiffel Tower had been standing for only a decade, and the average American life expectancy was just 47 years.
Born in 1880, she lived through three centuries, twenty-one U.S. presidents, two World Wars, and the dawn of the internet. By the time this photograph was taken, she had become the world’s oldest living person and the oldest verified American in history.
Knauss attributed her longevity to “keeping calm and not letting things upset her.” She witnessed a world that transformed from horse-drawn carriages to space travel. She passed in 1999 at 119 years and 97 days
Image source: CarkWithaM
#52 A Couple Enjoys Some Privacy As They Embrace In A Hole In The Sand On A Beach In Santa Monica, California. July 1950
Image source: UtterlyInterest
#53 Students At Augustana College React To The Not Guilty Verdict Of O.j. Simpson’s Trial, October 3rd, 1995
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#54 A Trio Of Images Showing Some Of Warren Jeffs’ Wives
Jeffs was a self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He became well known in the 1990s when it emerged he kept 500 kids on a farm and married 12-year-olds.
Image source: dannydutch1
#55 Luigi Lineri, The Italian Collector Who Gathers And Chategorizes Stones From The Adige River In Northern Italy For Over 50 Years
Image source: dannydutch1
#56 John F Kennedy Talking To A Neighbor While Wearing The Back Brace, Which Was Designed And Fitted Especially For Him
Image source: dannydutch1
#57 Chet Baker Aged 26 vs. Chet Baker Age 56. Stay Away From [illegal Substance], Kids! Two Years After The Photo On The Right Was Taken, Baker Fell From A 2nd Story Window In Amsterdam And Passed
Image source: dannydutch1
#58 Barack Obama And His Fellow Classmates Protesting Against Homework, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1970s
Image source: No_Dig_8299
#59 Dr. William T. Corlett Of Cleveland’s Western Reserve University Took This Photograph Of A Recovered Smallpox Patient. The Scars Were Permanent. Circa Early1900s
Image source: onwhatcharges
#60 Last Known Photos Of Extreme Cave Diver Dave Shaw, Moments Before His Final Dive Into South Africa’s “Bushman’s Hole”
He blacked out at a depth of 872 feet while retrieving a fellow diver’s body, his helmet camera recording his demise.
Image source: Chemical-Elk-1299
#61 The Niagara Falls L Without Water, 1969
Image source: theanti_influencer75
#62 A 1972 Photograph Of Maria Rasputina Holding A Portrait Of Her Father, Grigory Rasputin. She Left Russia In 1920, Became A U.S. Citizen, And Lived In Los Angeles Until Her Passing In 1977
Image source: dannydutch1
#63 James Dean Sitting In An Open Coffin At Hunt’s Furniture Store In Fairmount, Indiana, 1955. He Would Return To His Hometown In A Coffin Just Seven Months Later
Image source: CarkWithaM
#64 Uma Thurman’s Mother Nena Von Schleebrügge Posing For Vogue Magazine In 1958
Image source: CarkWithaM
#65 Robert Bloch, Author Of Psycho, At His Desk In The 1950s. Widely Regarded As His Most Enduring Work, The Novel Remains One Of The Most Influential Horror Stories Of The 20th Century
Image source: onwhatcharges
#66 This Is The Grave That 20yr-Old Barbara Mackle Was Buried Alive In After Being Kidnapped In 1968
Image source: dannydutch1
#67 On This Day In 1977, Park Ranger Roy Sullivan Was Struck By Lightning For The Seventh Time, He Survived All Seven Strikes Over 35 Years, Setting A World Record
Image source: dannydutch1
#68 Lew Alcindor’s Graduation At Ucla, 1969. (Later Known As Kareem Abdul Jabbar)
Image source: morganmonroe81
#69 A Gigantic Man In A New York Tavern, 1908
Image source: CarkWithaM
#70 Boxer Fred Bretonnel In 1920 At The Age Of 15 And In 1928 At The Age Of 23
In a career totaling 76 matches, he lost 18, drew 14 and won 42 with 14 knock outs. He would commit suicide in 1928
Image source: onwhatcharges
#71 A Korean Sailor Takes A Break From Transporting Cargo, Sitting Under The Shadow From The Sail, Smoking From His Long Bamboo Pipe. He Wears Cool Hemp Clothes. Circa 1904
Image source: dannydutch1
#72 February 2014: Raleigh North Carolina, Following 3.3 Inches Of Snow
Image source: morganmonroe81
#73 Hillary Clinton Getting Her Face Painted At Wellesley College, 1969. She Graduated That Year Earning A Degree With Honours In Political Science
Image source: UtterlyInterest
#74 A Kiribati Warrior From Beru Wearing A Suit Of Armor Made From The Tough Outer Fibers Of Coconut Husks, A Helmet Of Dried Pufferfish, And Holding A Shark Tooth Spear
Image source: dannydutch1
#75 First Underwater Photograph Of A Person, 1899. The Photographer Was Louis Boutan, And The Man We See Is Emil Racoviță, A Romanian Biologist And Explorer
Image source: TidesOfMarch
#76 Teenage Sigmund Freud With Mother, 1872
Image source: ExtremeInsert
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