Historical photographs that may change your perception on things

Hannah_Alumni

As I usually do when on my phone, I was scrolling through TikTok...

A new trend that has started is, as the title suggests, videos of historical photographs that may change your perception on things. In particular, creator Ethan Durbin has shared some amazing ones.

It really has, completely, opened my eyes. It reminds me just how far photography has come, just how far we have come as a society and how some things seemed to be hundreds of years ago and were in fact, much more recent. 

I wanted to share 3 photographs that I really liked;

[Image above is of Queen Genepil, the last Queen of Mongolia. Photo taken around 1920]

We learnt so much about Nazi Germany, World War One, World War Two and British monarchy history at school, that I never learnt about the history of Asian Cultures until I broadened my reading. For such an old photo, to see so much detail in what Queen Genepil is wearing, is amazing.

[Image above is of a dog, sitting on a stool, with a wooden pipe in his mouth, unlit. Photo taken in 1875]

Even before the 20th Century, people liked to take funny pictures of their pets 😂 This makes me chuckle, such a good dog.

[Image above is of The London Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group supporting the miners. Photo taken 1985]

In honour of Pride Month, a photography of the LGSM group. An absolutely amazing history of an alliance of lesbians and gay men who supported the national union of mineworkers.

Over to you:

• Are there any historical photos that have changed your perception on things? 
• Is there an historical event you wished could have been photographed? 

surfygoose

Have you watched the film ‘Pride’? It’s all about the LGSM. Brilliant film.

Adeline

I love the first photo Hannah. I was much older than I care to admit when I learned that there were actually multiple royal families across the world and still are today. The dog photograph is also interesting to me as to just how good the quality of the photo is for the time. Just lovely. 

66Mustang

I can't find a photo, because I don't even remember her name, but there was a piece on QI. It was a woman who if I remember correctly accidentally exposed her backside when getting off a horse and it happened to be taken on camera. Some time in the 1800s. It became one of the most reproduced photos. She was instantly made famous and became filthy rich. I believe at one time she coated a banknote worth 1 years' average salary in butter and ate it just because she could.

I like the story because it shows that "pointless" famous people like the Kardashians and other "influencers" are not a new thing, they were about in the 1800s!!

Adeline

I remember seeing this picture near the start of the Covid pandemic and thinking it was very interesting. It supposedly from 1918 and is of a policeman in San Francisco telling someone for not wearing a mask during the 1918 influenza pandemic. 

Adeline

66Mustang said:

I can't find a photo, because I don't even remember her name, but there was a piece on QI. It was a woman who if I remember correctly accidentally exposed her backside when getting off a horse and it happened to be taken on camera. Some time in the 1800s. It became one of the most reproduced photos. She was instantly made famous and became filthy rich. I believe at one time she coated a banknote worth 1 years' average salary in butter and ate it just because she could.

I like the story because it shows that "pointless" famous people like the Kardashians and other "influencers" are not a new thing, they were about in the 1800s!!

I had no idea about this but I've enjoyed learning it. It's very interesting that 'celebrity' has always been the same!

Hannah_Alumni

@surfygoose I have it recorded, hoping to watch it on my next day off  

@Adeline It is strange how we all learn differently around the world. I had a friend at University who was from America, and they had never heard of the partition in India. I see what you mean with the quality, I love the texture to the image too. I wish we printed photos like that still.

Love the photo you added, from the fashions, you wouldn't think that to be 1918!

@66Mustang That's amazing, I'm going to research that one. I was talking to some friends on a similar point the other week! When we see celebrities who date each other to generate some fame. It's like everyone forgot the number of marriages between Hollywood movie stars to promote their films!

66Mustang

Got it a bit wrong, spent some time on Google. No photo, sorry. It was in the 1700s.

Got some bits right at least!

Her name was Kitty Fisher.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Fisher

Interesting read though, she really does seem like an old fashioned Kardashian / influencer.

rebel11

Historic figures, Abraham Lincoln. I really need a 'Time Machine'.

OverlyAnxious

66Mustang said:

Got it a bit wrong, spent some time on Google. No photo, sorry. It was in the 1700s.

Got some bits right at least!

Her name was Kitty Fisher.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Fisher

Interesting read though, she really does seem like an old fashioned Kardashian / influencer.

Kitty Fisher sounds like the name of a Bond girl!

Hannah_Alumni

@rebel11 there is a great image of Abraham Lincoln without his beard! 

[Image above is of Abraham Lincoln without a beard. Taken around 1858]

Hannah_Alumni

Oh my gosh, it does @OverlyAnxious! 

Sandy_123

Love anything todo with history. On utube there is someone that pics a city, then it goes back, to a date and shows the differences in time. Its really good

Hannah_Alumni

That sounds so cool @Sandy_123 Is that from one creator or multiple? 

66Mustang

I don't have the picture sadly as I didn't save it.

I saw a picture of a very early car enthusiasts meet-up, to give an idea of the times it was Ford Model Ts etc., there were 7 cars together and 4 of the 7 drivers were women which I think was quite cool.

Hannah_Alumni

Oh if you find that please post it @66Mustang  

@sandy_123 I just came across this one. Times Square from 1921!

[Image above is of Times Square. Taken in 1921]

Hannah_Alumni

[Image above is from the discovery of an ancient Maya Statue in the jungles of Honduras - Taken in 1885]

66Mustang

I used to like this as I thought it was a good example of attitudes to drink driving in the 70s.

It's quite a well known advert.

But I recently learnt it is complete rubbish and there was no such advert, it was made up in the 2000s.

(It says "Driving? Don't have that 5th pint!")

Jimm_Alumni

Decided to  do  a touch of reading into that. It's from a Mitchell and Webb book! It is more lenient than the actual law of the 70s as well. Which in Ireland was about 2 and a half pints (based on a man of 11 stone or 70kg) till you hit the limit there abouts. I use Ireland because for some reason the poster did the rounds in Ireland despite having H.M.G (Her Majesty's Govt.) on the bottom!

For me there's no limit personally, once you've taken some alcohol for the rest of the day that's a no to using heavy machinery.

CATP

i have always been interested in titanics history as i felt the leonardo di caprio film was far to long , far to hollywoodised and my dad was a big titanic obsesive so used to tell me a lot of things about it.

so i recently saw a video on youtube which had lots of photos taken onboard the titanic,unfortunatly they used bits of james camerons film to compare these photographs to but its makes me feel a lot of empathy for all the people and animals who were onboard (livestock animals were looked after but then slaughtered on board due to lack of fridgeration,there were many ship cats and i also felt so sorry for the rats, and all the animals being brought to there new home).

theres a photo of what is believed to be the ice berg that the titanic ran into unfortunatly nothing coud be done about it so the captain of the small ship wrote the coordinates of the ice berg down and had it developed when he got home.........the third class acomodation is not what we were led to believe in fictional films-when you see the photos and infomation about the third class areas i dont know...it shocked me how...ok it was,thats not an excuse to support the awful poverty and the horible class system of the ship but people under 3rd class were provided with meals every day (doesnt say what and how many meals per day) and they all had running water,bathrooms and acess to blocks of toilets and what seems to be a nice looking dining room.

however only 25% of the 700 people under 3rd class survived though which makes me sad as they had gone on the titanic to get a better life.

theres a lot of info and photos in this video inc of the swimming pool which was cheap and often free to men under 1st class but 1st class women were charged full price all the time and werent allowed in the pool during 'male sesions'.

if anyone wants to see this video i can post the link,i dont know i find it very interesting.

OverlyAnxious

66Mustang said:

I used to like this as I thought it was a good example of attitudes to drink driving in the 70s.

It's quite a well known advert.

But I recently learnt it is complete rubbish and there was no such advert, it was made up in the 2000s.

(It says "Driving? Don't have that 5th pint!")

Very few cars had 5 gears in the 70's.