Unique historical footage that will take you back in time (21 photos)

Traveling to the 19th century through photographs is a unique opportunity to touch an era that was marked by revolutionary changes in science, culture and technology.





A wagon pulled by bison in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 1900.

By the time this photo was taken, the number of bison in America had drastically decreased, there were about three hundred of them left. Although at the end of the 18th century their number was 30-60 million.



Italian tightrope walker Maria Spelterini (sometimes spelled Spelterina) crosses the Niagara River Gorge on a tightrope with two baskets of peaches on her feet, July 1876. In 1876, she demonstrated incredible skill by crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope. On July 12 of that year, she covered the distance over the falls in 11 minutes, moving forward, and then returned back in 10 minutes, walking backwards.

One of the most mysterious episodes was her journey on the tightrope with baskets of peaches - experts still wonder why she did it. Perhaps the peaches were used to lower her center of gravity, or perhaps they were a way to emphasize her exceptional skill.

Equally astonishing was her performance a week later, when she walked the same route with chains on her hands and feet, and a blindfold over her eyes. The suspension bridge over Niagara Falls behind her was filled with spectators.





Photographer: George Barker

Students and their teacher. Beaugency, France, 1890.



A Hopi woman, 1890. The traditional "squash blossom curl" hairstyle was popular among unmarried Hopi girls. This style symbolized their status and youth, and also reflected the cultural traditions of the people.



A boy in a fur coat surrounded by toy railroad trains, 1889.



Photographer: Charles Phelps Cushing

A European using a hammock. Allada, Benin, 1895.

At the end of the 19th century, Africa was heavily influenced by European powers. The Europeans often used the local population to do various jobs, including using hammocks, a convenient means of transportation in hot climates.

Hammock use was a privilege reserved for high-ranking individuals. It also served as a demonstration of social status and power among the local population for the Europeans.

While the photograph may seem like a symbol of inequality, it also speaks to how Europeans adapted to African conditions by using local traditions and technologies, such as the hammock.



"Cleopatra's Needle" in Alexandria, Egypt, circa 1870. Now "Cleopatra's Needle" stands flanked by two sphinxes in the historic center of London, on the Victoria Embankment. It is a granite monolith 18 meters high and weighs 186 tons. It was taken from Alexandria by the British in 1877.



A sailboat on the Seine. France, 1890.



Two men are pictured working on the Thames docks. London, 1877.

In 1877, Scottish photographer John Thomson and journalist Adolphus Smith collaborated on a book called Street Life in London. The project was a pioneering attempt at social documentary photography, aimed at showing the real living conditions of London's poor.

The book included a series of photographs, each of which told about specific people or professions of the time.



Photographer: John Thompson

Leopold II (1835-1909), King of the Belgians, in Nice, France, 1900.

Leopold II, King of Belgium from 1865, is known as one of the most controversial figures in the history of Europe and Africa. His tenure as monarch was marked by both progressive reforms within the country and extreme cruelty towards the people of the Congo, a territory he turned into his personal colony. The story of his reign over the Congo became a symbol of the inhumanity of European colonialism.



Women of the Egyptian harem in a shop choosing dresses and gowns, late 19th century.



Photographer: Chusseau-Flaviens

Bathing elephants. India, 1862. He was an East Indian tea merchant, an indigo plantation owner, and an avid amateur photographer.



Photographer: Donald Horn Macfarlane

Samuel Pierpont Langley's bolometer or coelostat with an equatorial photographic camera installed at the camp of the American mission sent by the Smithsonian Institution to observe a solar eclipse. Wadesboro, North Carolina, 1900.

Samuel Pierpont Langley was an American astronomer, physicist, and aviation pioneer known for his important scientific inventions. Among his most significant achievements were the bolometer and coelostat , which played a revolutionary role in the development of astronomy and physics.



Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Italy, 1888.



Photographer: Giorgio Sommer

A Tamil girl picking tea. Ceylon, 1891.

In the mid-19th century, the British Empire began to actively develop tea plantations in Ceylon after coffee crops were devastated by disease.

Tamils ​​from South India were brought to the island as cheap labor to work on the plantations. Many lived in extreme poverty, working for next to nothing.



London, 1877.



Photographer: John Thompson

Fishermen near Mont Saint-Michel. Normandy, France, 1889.

Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most famous and impressive fortresses and architectural landmarks in France, located on the border of the Normandy and Brittany regions. This unique ensemble of abbey, fortress and city is a symbol of medieval architecture, spirituality and engineering genius. In 1979, Mont Saint-Michel was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Fishermen catch shrimp. The bay is full of small brown shrimp.



Havana Cathedral. Cuba, 1890-1910.

The Havana Cathedral is one of the most significant architectural and religious buildings in Cuba, located in the historic center of the capital. This cathedral is a symbol of the Catholic faith on the island and an example of unique Baroque adapted to the conditions of the Caribbean region.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1748 and was completed in 1777.



A hot air balloon ride in Florence. Italy, 1884.



An English hunter with his trophies. British India, 1883. An English man, on whose shoulders, as Rudyard Kipling said, lies the so-called "white man's burden." He shows off the trophies he has taken while hunting. These are the skulls of buffalo, antelope, Kootenay sheep, mountain goats, leopard skins and other living creatures.