Old Photo Gallery

#15 Ken Reid’s World-Wide Weirdies: A Grotesque and Glorious Journey Through the Bizarre Imaginations Around the World

A blast of lurid color and pulp-era mischief greets the eye in this artwork from Ken Reid’s “World-Wide Weirdies,” where the words “WORLD-WIDE WEIRDIES” arc above a chaotic scene labeled “LONDON SCAREPORT.” The circular vignette plays like a travel poster…

#1 Marion Forde poster by Charles Gesmar – 1926.

A pale, stylized dancer stretches across a deep black field, arms flung wide as if mid-leap, while rose-colored petals and looping ribbons whirl around her in a theatrical storm. The figure’s sleek silhouette, sculpted hair, and stage-ready poise embody the…

#2 Don’t throw chewing gum on the platform (September 1976).

Bold Japanese lettering dominates the upper half of the design, delivering a blunt instruction: don’t toss chewing gum onto the platform. Beneath it, a caped superhero recoils mid-stride, arms raised in alarm as his boot lands in a sticky, stringing…

#11 Rare and Heartwarming Childhood Photos of Julie Andrews #11 Celebrities

Celebrities

#2 Fabulous Photos English Mode, Twiggy in Hippie Outfit, 1967 #2 Celebrities

Celebrities

#50 Marlon Brando with Vivien Leigh, 1951.

Celebrities

#15 A Greek woman checks in with the village patrol for the evening curfew during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

At the threshold of a small wooden guard post, a village patrolman studies a slip of paper while a local woman waits, bundled against the chill and bent under the weight of gathered firewood. Another uniformed man leans from the…

#31 Blown up bridge between Joannina and Konitsa by the Democratic Army, Greek Civil War, 1948.

A jagged gap interrupts the road between Ioannina and Konitsa, where a steel truss bridge has been torn from its supports and left skewed over the cut in the terrain. The masonry abutments still stand at the edges, but the…

#9 A weary protester pleads with a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer sitting in his truck to not crack down on the student demonstrators.

Pressed against the chipped green door of a military truck, a weary protester leans in close, his face tightened with exhaustion as his hands clutch the metal and the side mirror for balance. Behind the windshield sits a People’s Liberation…

#15 Rue des Martyrs towards Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, with left rue de la Tour d’Auvergne by Stéphane Passet

Along Rue des Martyrs, the city falls away toward Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, framed by tall Parisian façades and a widening perspective that draws the eye down the street. The intersection with Rue de la Tour d’Auvergne opens on the left, while a…

#31 Paris (Xe arr.) by Leon Auguste

Along the stone façade of a Paris building in the 10th arrondissement, everyday commerce spills onto the sidewalk in a scene that feels both orderly and improvised. A woman stands beside a spread of papers laid directly on the pavement,…

#47 Parade of foreign delegations on the deck of Double for the funeral of Marshal Foch, view taken towards the quai de Montebello.

Along the riverside near the quai de Montebello, a dense parade of foreign delegations advances in formal order, their standards and flags rising above dark coats and uniforms. The colorization lends a striking immediacy to the scene: warm tones in…

Pianos, Pin-Ups, and Party Tunes: Exploring the Wild World of Honky-Tonk Records Cover Art

#15 Pianos, Pin-Ups, and Party Tunes: Exploring the Wild World of Honky-Tonk Records #15 Cover Art

Nick Nicholas’ “Honky Tonk Piano Party No 2” bursts with the kind of lived-in mischief that honky-tonk records loved to promise before the needle ever dropped. The ornate frame and bold red lettering feel almost old-fashioned and proper, yet the…

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Exploring the Heyday of Martial Arts Mags in the 1970s and 1980s Co

#11 Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Exploring the Heyday of Martial Arts Mags in the 1970s and 1980s #11 Co

Bold, high-contrast cover art like this issue of *Fighting Stars* speaks to the magazine-rack magic that powered martial arts culture in the late 1970s and beyond. The oversized masthead, the punchy cover lines, and the dramatic, close-up pose in a…

Blood, Masks, and Glory: A Visual Tour Through Lucha Libre Magazine Covers of the 1970s Cover Art

#15 Blood, Masks, and Glory: A Visual Tour Through Lucha Libre Magazine Covers of the 1970s #15 Cover Art

Bold color blocks and oversized lettering rush across this 1970s *Lucha Libre* magazine cover, turning the page into a ringside billboard for spectacle. The masked wrestler stands centered in a classic ready stance—arms slightly raised, chest forward, legs braced—while the…

#13 Camilla Sparv in a silk jersey top and white pants in Australia, May 1964

Sunlit rocks and a rolling, blue surf set the stage for Camilla Sparv’s relaxed pose, stretched out as if she has simply paused between breaths of sea air. A silk jersey top in a deep, cool green clings softly to…

#8 Man in a traditional costume, probably Göttingen, Germany, 1870s

Fashion & Culture

#29 Model in a rayon-crepe nightdress by Van Raalte, April 1967

Against a brooding sky and a band of molten light on the horizon, a solitary model stands at the water’s edge, turned partly away as if caught between departure and return. The sea reads as a dark, glassy plane, while…

#7 A chimpanzee drink milk just like human

At a simple table set outdoors, a chimpanzee leans in with quiet concentration, lifting a spoon toward its mouth as a shallow dish of milk sits in front. The posture feels strikingly familiar—one hand steadying the moment, the other performing…

#3 Worried Girl vs Teen-Age Girl

Humor gets surprisingly candid in this old cartoon panel titled “Worried Girl vs Teen-Age Girl,” where two bathroom scenes are played for contrast. On the left, the “Worried Girl” perches tensely on the toilet, shoulders hunched and hand to mouth,…

Lovely Photos of Little Girl and Her Best Friend Elephant, 1980s Funny

#8 Lovely Photos of Little Girl and Her Best Friend Elephant, 1980s #8 Funny

One small hand reaches up toward an elephant’s massive hind leg, and the contrast is instantly endearing. The child, bundled in casual clothes, leans forward with the fearless curiosity kids seem to summon on demand, as if she’s helping a…

#44 Aquitania’s 2nd Class stateroom E27. This two berth outside stateroom was on Main Deck (E Deck), May 1914

Step inside Aquitania’s second class stateroom E27 on the Main Deck (E Deck), and the first impression is how carefully every inch is made to serve the traveler. Two berths are stacked in classic liner fashion, each dressed with patterned…

#60 Aquitania about to sail to Europe from Pier 54, W. 12th St. A young New Yorker has been hoisted on to his dad’s shoulders for a better view, circa 1934

Under the shadowed edge of Pier 54 on West 12th Street, the great liner Aquitania looms like a moving city, its tall funnels and web of rigging cutting sharp lines against the bright harbor sky. The photograph frames the ship…

1939 Schlörwagen, The Bizarre Ultra-Aerodynamic German Car that Never Made it Inventions

#4 1939 Schlörwagen, The Bizarre Ultra-Aerodynamic German Car that Never Made it #4 Inventions

Sleek to the point of strangeness, the 1939 Schlörwagen looks more like a rolling airship than an automobile, its teardrop body swallowing the wheels and smoothing nearly every edge that could catch the wind. The cabin sits inside a glossy…

#10 Grace Kelly and James Stewart with Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Rear Window.

Movies

#26 L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart), Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly), and Stella (Thelma Ritter) in a scene from the 1954 Rear Window.

Movies

#42 James Stewart and Grace Kelly in a promotional portrait for ‘Rear Window’, 1954

Movies

#166 Film actor Kirk Douglas and the Indian actress Mehtab rest at the Lido beach, 01 September 1953, during the Venice Film Festival.

Sunlight and striped cabanas set the scene on the Lido beach during the Venice Film Festival, where film actor Kirk Douglas and Indian actress Mehtab pause for an unguarded moment away from screenings and spotlights. Douglas, dressed for the sand,…

Behind-the-Scenes from the Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’, 1989 Movies &; T

#7 Behind-the-Scenes from the Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’, 1989 #7 Movies & T

A quiet moment breaks through the grime and shadows on the set of *A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child* (1989), where a crew member leans in close to adjust a heavily made-up performer. The figure in prosthetics…

Behind-the-Scenes from the Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’, 1989 Movies &;

#23 Behind-the-Scenes from the Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’, 1989 #23 Movies &

A starkly lit nun in a crisp white habit towers over a battered figure whose face is smeared with grime and stage blood, the kind of unsettling contrast that defined late-1980s horror aesthetics. The rosary and cross catch the light…

#24 Fabulous Photos of Elvis and Priscilla Presley on Their Wedding Day on May 1, 1967 #24 Music

Music

#40 Fabulous Photos of Elvis and Priscilla Presley on Their Wedding Day on May 1, 1967 #40 Music

Music

#11 Iggy and the Stooges Invade Farmington High: A Night of Pure Punk Rock Chaos in Photos #11 Music

Music

#9 Capturing a Revolutionary: Elliott Erwitt’s 1964 Portraits of Che Guevara #9 Photography

Photography

#3 Elliott Erwitt: The Dog Whisperer of Photography #3 Photography

Photography

#8 Windows into the Night: William Gedney’s Photos of America from the 60s and 70s #8 Photography

Photography

#13 A Look at Student Life at the University of Hartford in the 1970s #13 Places & People

Places & People

#4 The Great Blizzard of 1947 in Photos: When New York City Disappeared Under Snow #4 Places & People

Places & People

#59 A Family in Fancy Dress Dressed Identically as Chinese Mandarins at the Mardi Gras, 1950s.

Places & People

#36 Protos car in Berlin at the court of the Ullstein house, regard by viewers.

Crowded into the courtyard of the Ullstein house in Berlin, a ring of onlookers presses close to the Protos racing car, studying it with the kind of attention usually reserved for stage performers. The machine sits low and purposeful, its…

#52 Drivers of the Thomas Flyer, victorious American auto in the 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race, ride with crowds in Manchuria.

Along a narrow road in Manchuria, the Thomas Flyer inches forward as onlookers crowd in close, drawn by the unfamiliar rumble of an early automobile. The car’s high wheels, exposed lamps, and bundled gear speak to long-distance hardship, while the…

#16 The 1903 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin.

Maurice Garin stands with arms folded beside a bicycle dressed in flowers, the kind of celebratory touch that instantly signals victory. His simple racing kit and calm, steady gaze contrast with the formal figure next to him in a dark…

#15 Singapore, Republic of Singapore.

Then & Now

A view of Duncannon Street decorated with bunting and banners for the coronation ceremony of Edward VII. There are pedestrians and vehicles in the foreground and the National Gallery is visible in the distance in 1902 and 2014.

#7 A view of Duncannon Street decorated with bunting and banners for the coronation ceremony of Edward VII. There are pedestrians and vehicles in the foreground and the National Gallery is visible in the distance in 1902 and 2014.

Then & Now

The aftermath of a car wreck that took the life of three-year-old Martha Cartagena, who was riding her tricycle when she was struck and killed on Porter Ave. in Brooklyn on April 4th, 1959.

#7 The aftermath of a car wreck that took the life of three-year-old Martha Cartagena, who was riding her tricycle when she was struck and killed on Porter Ave. in Brooklyn on April 4th, 1959.

Then & Now

#82 Super Motor Fuel station, 1920s.

Vehicles & Transportation

#98 What Gas Stations Looked Like Through the Lens of the Past Century #98 Vehicles & Transportation

Vehicles & Transportation

#10 Navigating Through History with Baby Car Seats from the Past #10 Vehicles & Transportation

Vehicles & Transportation

Hand-launched flares illuminate the hills as soldiers fire M60 machine guns with red tracers. One round can be seen ricocheting near the top of the mountain.

#2 Hand-launched flares illuminate the hills as soldiers fire M60 machine guns with red tracers. One round can be seen ricocheting near the top of the mountain.

Night turns the hillside into a harsh stage of fire and motion as hand-launched flares bloom overhead, bleaching the slopes in sudden, wavering light. Red tracer lines streak across the frame from M60 machine-gun bursts, carving luminous paths that make…

#8 A Vietnamese man and boy, treated as prisoners, walking along being stopped by an Army soldier in the 2nd Battalion.

Under a pale sky and a haze of distant hills, a Vietnamese man and a boy move along a dusty road while an Army soldier steps in to halt them. The soldier’s posture and the pair’s close, cautious spacing convey…

#24 Several Vietnamese women and children, considered prisoners, sitting on the ground near the helicopter landing area of the 2nd Battalion.

Near a rough helicopter landing area associated with the 2nd Battalion, a small group of Vietnamese women and children sits low to the ground, clustered together on gravel and bare earth. Two boys stand slightly apart, watching the scene ahead…