Photos From 50 to 100 Years Ago To Put Life As We Know It Today In Perspective

History may repeat itself, but sometimes it's nice to look back on events and the lives of our loved ones instead of living through them.

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• March 3, 2022

There is something inherently fascinating about the past. It seems to be a universally accepted idea that folks really enjoy looking at photos, documents, or even personal stories and anecdotes from years past.

With the invention of the internet, and subsequently, Reddit, we are able to not only share our own photos and stories that have been passed down, but we can experience other people too. Especially thanks to the subreddit r/TheWayWeWere.

r/TheWayWeWere is a community where Redditors share a peek into life 50+ years ago. Per their description: “What was **normal everyday life** like for people living 50, 100, or more years ago? Featuring old photos, scanned documents, articles, and personal anecdotes that offer a glimpse into the past.”

This subreddit has grown to be one of the most popular and largest vintage archives online, with more than 568 THOUSAND subscribers. And for good reason, there is something addictive and awe-inspiring about scrolling through really old photos.

We’ve collected 55 photos that range from 50 to over 200 years old. Photos that share a peek into the lives of families, people at work, and just life in general.

Continue scrolling and check out why so many people subscribe to r/TheWayWeWere.

1. "A Parisian Woman With Her Cat In Her Cannabis Garden, 1910"

2. "This Is My Grandma Dorothy. She Was A Dress Designer In The 50s Which Always Made This Photo More Funny To Me. She Passed Away Today At Age 89. A Life Well Lived"

3. "Dad Showing Off His Skill To The Surprise Of His Little Daughter In Melbourne, Australia, Ca. 1940s"

4. "My Great Grandmother In The Early 1900’s. Thought She Looked Too Awesome Not To Share"

5. "The Day Daddy Came Home. Gunner Hector Murdoch Had Been Gone Over Four Years, Most Of It As A Prisoner Of War In Singapore. His Wife Rosina And Son John Hadn't Known If He Was Dead Or Alive. He Got Home On His Birthday"

6. "Caught On The Firescape, 1946"

7. "London's First Black Police Officer, PC Norwell Roberts, On Point Duty Near Charing Cross Station, 1968"

8. "This Is Hazel, My Grandmother-In-Law. 1916"

9. "1976 vs. 2018; 42 Years And We're Still Going Strong"

10. "Cats Blackie & Brownie Catching Squirts Of Milk During Milking At Arch Badertscher's Dairy Farm In Fresno, California, 1954"

11. "Protesting The High School Dress Code That Banned Slacks For Girls, Brooklyn C.1940"

12. "The Rolled-Stockings Trend Of The 1920's Brought On A Fad Of Hand-Painted Knees"

13. "My Ridiculously Attractive Grandparents Sitting For A Portrait In The Early 1940s"

14. "Ladies At A Lesbian Club In Chelsea, 1953"

15. "Reddit Seems To Love My Taita (Grandma), So Here Is Another One Of Her From 1950’s Beirut"

16. "Gay Men Pose For A Photo While Being Detained At A Police Station For Being Homosexuals In Mexico, 1935"

17. "This 1955 Photo Is One Of Walter Chandoha’s Most Famous Shots. “My Daughter Paula And The Kitten Both ‘Smiled’ For The Camera At The Same Time. …but The Cat’s Not Smiling, He’s Meowing”"

18. "My Mother Made Us Matching Dresses For A Fancy Party Back In 1954"

19. "Women Trainees Of The Lapd Practice Firing Their Newly Issued Revolvers, 1948"

20. "My Great-Great-Grandmother Sometime In The 1890s"

21. "Class Divide In Britain, 1930's"

22. "Listening To The Radio On The Beach, Circa 1940s"

23. "“Our Michael”, 1938"

24. "Police Officer Unaware Of The Imminent Danger, Chicago, 1959"

25. "My Parents’ Wedding Photo, Okinawa, 1964"

26. "A Native American Girl Of The Kiowa Tribe, Oklahoma, 1894"

27. "Saw This Photo Posted Here.. Noticed I Have The Photo The Grandmother Took That Day. (Bought At An Antique Shop Years Ago In Phx)"

28. "Mary Wallace: First Female Bus Driver For Chicago Transit Authority (1974)"

29. "A Sailor "Meets" His Baby For The First Time After Fourteen Months At Sea, 1940s"

30. "My Grandpa (Left) And His Best Friend Willie Hall During The Korean War. Those Smiles Say It All"

31. "My Mom On Her Wedding Day November 1951"

32. "A Mostly Happy Family Outing At Chicken Bone Beach, The Segregated Section Of Atlantic City's Beach Area, New Jersey, 1950s (Photographed By John W. Mosley)"

33. "My Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Great-Great-Grandfather, And Great-Great-Great Grandmother, Ca 1918"

34. "My Grandmother And Mom Circa 1974. My Grandmother Took My Mother To National Parks Over The Course Of A Few Months, Just The Two Of Them"

35. "Sisters In Skirts, 1950s"

36. "After Spending More Than Five Years In A North Vietnamese Camp, Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm Is Reunited With His Family At Travis Afb, March 13, 1973"

37. "Me And My Best Friend Rocky Watching TV, 1959"

38. "Vintage Photo From A Family Album, Freeport, Il"

39. "Last Picture Of My Great Uncle Kennith, Before He Drowned In The Buffalo River, 1940’s. He Gave His Life Saving My Grandpa"

40. "My Great-Grandfather That Was Too Poor To Afford A Suit In Sicily, So He Had To Pose In Front Of A Cardboard Cut-Out, 1930s~"

41. "Offerings To The Unknown Dead, Kyoto, Japan, 1963"

42. "Young Oyster Shuckers, Port Royal, South Carolina, 1909"

43. "Grandma And Papa In 1937. She Passed Away Today At 100 Years Old"

44. "The Wedding Rings Of My Ggm, Gggm, Ggggm, And Gggggm Oldest Dating Back To 1832!"

45. "My American Grandmother Visiting Athens In The 1960s"

46. "My Grandpa’s Schoolhouse In Texas Ca. 1930’s. He Was Always Embarrassed Of This Picture Because He Was Too Poor To Afford Shoes"

47. "The 70s Transition: My Parents In 1968 And Again In 1970"

48. "Two Pals (1920)"

49. "Dublin, 1962"

50. "Me Ready For Friday Night Lights, 1969"

51. "Fatherhood, 1970s"

52. "My grandma and parents taught me to save newspapers from major US events as a reminder of our collective human experiences. I have 9/11, Bin Laden’s death, Obama winning the election. For the holidays, I was gifted the whole family collection. I have goosebumps. Here are a few of the oldest."

53. "My great grandparents on their honeymoon (1936)"

54. "A mother with her children, 1,800 years ago. Alexandria, Roman Egypt."

55. "Getting cooled air piped into the car while enjoying a meal at a drive-in restaurant. Houston, Texas, 1957."

I don't know about you, but it's hard not to smile while scrolling through these pictures. Love in all forms, romantic, parental, friendship, and even for pets, hasn't changed, no matter how much time has passed or how much the world has changed.

Did you have a favorite picture from this collection? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to share this with your friends!

Kylin