Posts

Old and Shaky: Amazing 3D Photos of life in 1860 to 1930

/4 Comments/in , , /by

The vintage 3D photos below are created using the Lenticular Steroscope, a contraption invented by Scotsman Sir David Brewster in 1851. His invention was presented to Queen Victoria and became a hit phenomenon during the Great Exhibition in London. The resulting images, stereographs were advertiserd with catchphrases such as “See the world from your parlour!”. In a world before radio and TV, stereograph collections were seen as hugely entertaining. The demand employed hordes of photographers who were sent out far and wide to document the world in Stereo Photography.

On the Internet, blogs such as Vintage3d create animated gifs of these stereoscopic images by editing the originals using a specific method.  We feel that these help us see the past as more real, with just a quick glance.

This time we’ll focus on stereographs that show us something about  industry, transportation and logistics in these old milieus.

Havana's biggest cigar factory in 1903

Havana’s biggest cigar factory in 1903

GARD Pro Not Registered

Broadway, NYC. Rany day in the 1860s

Broadway, NYC. Rany day in the 1860s.

Nanking and Scechuen Road intersection, Shanghai, China, ca. 1931.

 Nanking and Scechuen Road intersection, Shanghai, China, ca. 1931.

Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, Maryland, 1933. The tower is the Baltimore Washington Monument. On the right, the spire of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church is visible

Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, Maryland, 1933. The tower is the Baltimore Washington Monument. On the right, the spire of  Mount Vernon United Methodist Church is visible

The Panama Canal under construction, 1907

The Panama Canal under construction, 1907

GARD Pro Not Registered

Man making coke coal. Starkville, Colorado, 1906.

Man making coke coal. Starkville, Colorado, 1906.

A Japanese silk factory in 1905. Work in progress: larvae cocoons are being boiled and silk reeled onto spools.

A Japanese silk factory in 1905. Work in progress: larvae cocoons are being boiled and silk reeled onto spools.

stereograph rialto and grand canal Venice Italy 1902

The Rialto and Grand Canal, Venice, Italy, 1902.

railway station Rickshaws waiting Beijing China 1931

A railway station and rickshaws waiting to take passengers. Beijing, China, 1931. 

Carpet factory in Orizaba, Mexico, 1903.

Carpet factory in Orizaba, Mexico, 1903.

Follow the web’s hottest history blog on Twitter and Facebook 

19 photos that prove just how cool the 1930s really were

/16 Comments/in , , /by

best1930spics

The 1930s were a difficult time in the United States and around the world. After the stock market crash in 1929, roughly 25% of Americans found themselves unemployed, many people had very little cash to spare, and the economy ground to a halt. But that doesn’t mean that people couldn’t have a little fun during the Great Depression – in fact, the people suffering through the worst depression in modern history often sought out forms of entertainment that would help them to mentally escape the tough times they were facing.

Radio and live music such as Swing and Big Band, and films such as gangster films and comedies became more popular than ever, offering the population a tiny bit of reprieve from grim reality. Prohibition was repealed in 1933, letting people take the edge off and party down without worrying about legal consequences. Literature adapted to reflect the struggle of everyday people, resulting in something of a merge between “high” and “low” culture.

The people of the decadent 1920s might have let loose simply because they could, but the people of the 30s let loose because they needed to be occasionally distracted from the troubling times. Let’s take a look at 19 photos that show just how cool the 1930s could be, proving that humanity’s ability to smile through tough times is a remarkable and wonderful thing.

Read more →

Lass in space: How women conquered the cosmos

/1 Comment/in , , /by

valentina-tereshkova

 

Getting into space in the 20th century was backed by massive military tension between the world’s two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The huge investments made in getting out there paid off in huge developments in technology and science we take for granted today.

To even be considered for participation for massive state efforts to stare down at our home world from a tin can in nothingness, you essentially have to be some sort of übermensch with physical and mental superpowers. Unbeknownst to most, some of the mutants who’ve attempted to get their feet in the airlock hatch have, since the earliest days, been women. Here are a few of their striking stories.

Read more →