Vintage Photos Showing Life In America During The Turn Of The Century
When American history is studied, the time immediately following the turn of the 20th century tends to be a little under-explored compared to life before and after that period. Although Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency is certainly remembered fondly, he’s one of the only aspects of the period between the Civil War and World War I that people commonly remember.
Since America was going through significant changes at a time when the camera was becoming more widely available, however, there was much about the lives Americans led that we can now study today. Indeed, the period had more going on that it may have seemed.
At Long Last, Humanity Achieves Flight
Throughout the late 19th Century and the first years of the 1900s, inventors the world over were puzzling over what kind of machine would allow people to fly as the birds do. Naturally, this meant that some designers tried to imitate the mechanics of flapping wings for their inventions, only to find them ineffective.
However, when Wilbur and Orville Wright tested their now-famous design out in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, they discovered and perfected a working glider that used the wingspan of birds without directly trying to imitate the creatures.
The Fight Against Smallpox Was No Longer A Losing Battle
Although smallpox vaccines had existed before the scene depicted in this 1905 illustration from Le Petit Journal Paris, previous decades had found that it was hard to ensure their potency due to unreliable and comparatively primitive storage systems and the fact that they weakened over time before injection.
However, enough advancements had occurred by the turn of the century that this French newspaper could open its offices to provide a free clinic expressly for the purpose of receiving smallpox vaccines after a synthesis that involved this cow’s blood. Although some European regions eradicated smallpox during this time, the U.S. would take a more few decades to achieve this across its vast territory.
Children’s Fashions Were Adorable
Although it’s truly that the dolls little girls loved at the turn of the century often have a way of looking creepy to modern eyes, the same can’t always be said for the clothes their parents dressed them in.
While this simple but darling dress likely isn’t so different from what most people would expect of the period, the little buttons and buckles strewn throughout the boy’s clothes wouldn’t be as common in future decades. The little hat he’s wearing would be adorable in any era, though.
Beach Culture Was Very Different Back Then
Although this photo shows that beaches were as popular in the 1900s as they are now, it might be a little hard for modern folks to imagine why. As it turns out, the modesty standards of the time had a way of putting a damper on how much fun you could have there.
After all, you might notice that only a few people are actually playing in the water while the rest stand around. Bathing suits that show skin would have scandalized everyone at the time and most people weren’t exactly trying to get the nice clothes they could wear wet. Hence, these awkward gatherings at the edge of the water.
A Cozy Domestic Life
Although this photo is likely staged, it nonetheless provides a view of a common domestic evening in 1900s America. While the family might dress down a little more in their actual homes, little else about this seems all that out of place.
The bust of Beethoven is certainly an attractive piece of home decor, but this especially emphasizes that people didn’t have many entertainment options back then. Aside from a collection of books like this family has, the only other real option was to amuse yourself, say with that piano in the background.
The Work Was Hard And The Tools Were Simple
Here, we can see a group of people working in North Carolina’s Great Pine Forest to extract resin used for making turpentine. If they have to bend down as much as it seems they do here, this is clearly pretty backbreaking labor.
And as we can see, it’s not like they have much else to work with besides their own two hands. They have a tool to extract the resin, barrels to put it in, and carts to move them, but that seems to be about it.
Staged Photos Like This Were Fun To Experiment With
Since most people didn’t have their own cameras by the turn of the century, it wasn’t unusual for curious citizens to try little scenarios out in photo studios. These experiments were a lark at the time but they’re also charming and often mysterious in retrospect.
Here, we can see three women standing on chairs out of concern that a mouse is about. Of course, the mouse is clearly artificial, which means that what they’re really doing here is as well.
It Looks Both Fancy And Intimate At The Same Time
Since people in the 1900s dressed this nicely even when they were just visiting friends, this gathering likely isn’t quite as formal as it looks. There’s a warm, convivial atmosphere to everything that makes it clear why they wanted to commemorate this moment.
This is the scene of a tea party that took place in San Francisco, though it’s hard to get more specific for when this was taken than “early 20th Century.” It feels like there aren’t many tea parties outside of the ones children throw with their toys anymore.
This Was A Very Different Skyline Back Then
Since it’s possible to see the sky over all these buildings and the most iconic of them is shrouded in fog, it’s worth mentioning that this is New York City’s bustling Manhattan borough. As this photo demonstrates, it’s a lot more bustling now than it would have been at the time.
At the time this photo was taken, the Flatiron Building at right was one of the tallest buildings in New York. It would have been a new one at the time as well, since construction finished in 1902. Even the Empire State Building wouldn’t exist for almost 30 years.
The View Of A Future State’s Streets
Although Alaska was considered American territory by the 1900s, the nature of what that meant was still very much up in the air at the time. We can see that the streets of Sitka look as developed as any city throughout the Lower 48 would have been at the time, but the gold rush of the 1890s likely had an impact on that.
If those living here would have liked to see Alaska become a U.S. state, few of them would have likely lived to see it. That’s because Alaska didn’t achieve statehood until 1959, at least a half-century later.
A Stroll Through One Of America’s Oldest Parks
Those who visit Boston will often hear about the Freedom Trail that takes tourists around some of the most significant landmarks of the Revolutionary War such as the Old North Church. That trail starts right here in Boston’s famous park, The Common.
Given the emphasis on natural features, the actual park itself doesn’t look terribly different from how it did when this photo was taken around 1900. The benches have likely been replaced since then and you’re unlikely to see people dressed like this in the area now but the scenery is very similar.
Theater Was Still A Dominant Form Of Entertainment
While Billie Burke and Farren Soutar may not be household names today, they were much more recognizable while acting in the popular musical comedy The Belle Of Mayfair. The play opened on 11 April 1906 and closed after 431 performances. Soutar was part of the original cast but Burke was not.
Although movie theaters did exist in America before 1900, they tended to be temporary affairs that flirted with what was then a new technology. Although permanent movie theaters like Thomas Edison’s Vitascope Theater in Buffalo, New York, did exist by 1897, they were incredibly few and far between.
Believe It Or Not, This Was Taken In The United States
This photo depicts Archie Roosevelt — son of then-president Theodore Roosevelt — befriending a police officer in 1902. Although the officer’s dress seems to resemble the classic “bobbies” patrolling British streets, police uniforms weren’t quite harmonized yet by the 1900s.
Although some American police organizations during this period included caps with their uniforms that more closely resemble what modern cops throughout the United States, some used uniforms that bore a much closer resemblance to their British counterparts.
Football Was Somehow An Even Rougher Game
Even with the armor-like equipment modern football players wear, it is stunningly easy for things to go wrong enough while playing it to cause life-changing injuries. With that in mind, it’s a wonder that the sport survived to be played in modern times at all.
As we can see from this turn-of-the-century photo, the padding they used to wear was far less reinforced at the time. Moreover, those leather helmets were an iconic part of the game at the time but offered fairly minimal protection as well. They make the period easy to identify, though.
Zoos Were Apparently A Lot More Relaxed Back Then
At the earliest, this photo was taken in 1909 but it could have been taken as late as 1932. Either way, it depicts a zoo visit that most zoo owners would consider out of the question today.
Nowadays, an animal like this wouldn’t have much contact with the zoo’s guests, unless one was reckless enough to climb into the enclosure. However, it seems that the dark side of human-animal interactions in this environment weren’t apparent at the time, as this boy is allowed to sit next to an orangutan on a simple park bench. Fortunately for everyone involved, their time together seemed wholesome and adorable.
