Life in PicturesFascinating, beautiful, and enlightening photographs from history, in their original black-and-white forms, colorized, or even in sepia.
Updated May 20, 2022 6.6K votes 1.0K voters 38.2K views
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Vote up the historical photos you find most fascinating.
More than almost any other medium, photography has the power to capture the immediacy of history as it happens, preserving it for subsequent generations. In fact, the best photos tend to be those that not only freeze a particular moment in time, but also allow viewers who come after to feel as if they are bearing witness to a particularly important moment, allowing them to appreciate what has come before.ย
The users of Facebook have helpfully curated a number of these types of images, demonstrating just how pivotal photography remains to a true grasp of modernity. Be sure to vote up those you find the most compelling.ย
Forgive me being a bit obvious but it has to be "Earthrise." I could think of so many [photos] that make me smile laugh, rage or weep and they're all powerful. But they're all encompassed, here.
This one has always hit me hard. Shows us what humanity is truly capable of. I remember when I first saw this photo in school and I couldnโt take my eyes off the expression on the little boy's face. Breaks my heart every time I see him.
[In this] photograph by Dorothea Lange she really captures the feeling of the great depression in this mother's eyes. One of my favorite photos because you can really feel the despair in her. Today we seem to just walk by the homeless without even thinking of them as people. Her photography was so bold and real.