35 Vintage Photos Of The Mid-1870s

Published

June 3, 2025

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A person with a rifle stands among rocks and brush on a mountain slope, overlooking a vast landscape of forested hills and distant peaks under a hazy sky. — Via Deleted99

Take a step back into an era when the world itself was being powered up on both steam and wild acts of invention. However, the streets continued to echo onward the whole time with hooves and hand-cranked melodies. This collection of 35 vintage photos dating back to the 1870s is able to capture the world as a whole in motion.

1. A very chill dog back in 1875

A fluffy dog sits on a round stool, holding a pipe in its mouth. The image has a vintage, sepia-toned appearance, giving it an old-fashioned, nostalgic feel. — darridynamite

2. The main square of Tromso, Norway in 1875

A historic, colorized photo of a Nordic fishing village. People in traditional clothing stand on a dirt road near wooden buildings and boats docked along a snowy, mountainous shoreline. — gregornot

3. Someone’s great-great grandparents in Dakota in 1875

A vintage photograph of a seated woman and man in formal 19th-century clothing. The woman wears a striped dress and jewelry, while the man wears a dark suit and bow tie. Both have serious expressions, and the image is faded and scratched. — astralpitch

4. International actress and singer, Elonora Duse

eaglemax

5. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzche in 1875

A black-and-white portrait of a man with a thick, bushy mustache, wearing a bow tie, collared shirt, and dark jacket, looking slightly to the side with a serious expression. — amorfati21

6. Teddy Roosevelt with his engraved Winchester in 1876

Black-and-white photo of a man wearing a fur hat and fringed jacket, sitting and holding a rifle across his lap, with a neutral, blurred background. — pitw

7. A urinal in Paris in 1875

Ornate vintage drinking fountain with a domed roof and sculpted details stands on a city street; old buildings and a horse-drawn carriage are visible in the background. — anonymous

8. Someone’s great grandfather Felicks in 1874

A black-and-white vintage portrait of a young man with a mustache wearing a formal military uniform with decorative buttons and shoulder epaulettes, framed by an ornate, oval frame. — plumporter

9. A woman in Washington D.C. outfitted in traditional clothing in 1874

A young woman with a fair complexion wears a high-necked, long-sleeved white blouse and a dark pleated skirt. She holds papers or a book and stands against a dark background, gazing slightly to the side. — deleted

10. The 1875 University of Michigan baseball team

Nine young men in vintage baseball uniforms pose for a formal group photo indoors. Some are seated, others standing, and two hold baseball bats. The background has decorative windows or panels. — collarpoppping

11. A mugshot of Ned Kelly in 1874

A black-and-white, oval-framed portrait of a young man with short dark hair, a trimmed beard, and strong eyebrows, wearing a high-collared shirt and dark buttoned jacket, looking seriously at the camera. — deleted

12. The original Alice in Wonderland back in the mid-1870s

A young woman with long dark hair stands among leafy branches, wearing a light-colored dress and looking seriously at the camera in this sepia-toned vintage photograph. — anonymous

13. A lebanese woman in 1875

A young woman with long, dark hair wears traditional clothing and an ornate headdress decorated with beads and embellishments, posing for a vintage sepia-toned portrait. — anonymous

14. Theodore Roosevelt looking especially gritty back in the mid-1870s

A shirtless man with sideburns sits on a chair outdoors with his arms crossed, wearing a cap and pants, in front of a wooden building. — deleted

15. Someone’s great grandfather in Dodge City, Kansas in the mid-1870s

A black-and-white vintage photograph of a seated young man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a suit jacket, waistcoat, and tie. He has a serious expression and sits with one leg crossed over the other. — deleted

16. A St. Louis baseball team in the mid-1870s

A vintage black-and-white photo of a baseball team, with ten men in matching "ST. LOUIS" uniforms posing together indoors; some standing, others seated or reclining with bats. — zerotimes

17. Someone’s great-great-great-grandparents way back in the 1870s looking especially stoic

A sepia-toned vintage photograph of a family with eight members—four women in hats and dresses standing and seated, a bearded man in a suit, and three boys, one sitting on the man's lap—posing for a formal portrait. — deleted

18. Making of the Flame of Liberty in the mid-1870s

Black-and-white photo of workers in a workshop building the Statue of Liberty’s hand and torch, surrounded by construction materials and scaffolding. The large sculpture dominates the busy, crowded workspace. — deleted

19. Someone’s great grandfather striking a pose in London in the mid-1870s

Young man in vintage formal attire sits with his elbow on an ornate table, resting his face on his hand. He looks directly at the camera, with old papers visible on the table beside him. The image is sepia-toned. — deleted

20. Oscar Wilde in the mid-1870s

A young man in a plaid suit and bowler hat poses for a vintage black-and-white portrait, standing with one hand in his pocket and the other resting on a cane, against a dark studio backdrop. — deleted

21. Some young women outfitted in witch clothing back in the mid-1870s

Four women in dark Victorian-era dresses and hats pose for a portrait; two are seated holding fans, while the two standing hold a dustpan and broom, suggesting a playful or themed photograph. — anonymous

22. A Welsh woman in traditional dress in 1875

A young woman in a tall, wide-brimmed hat and patterned dress sits on a chair, holding a woven basket in her lap. Her hair is in braids, and she looks at the camera with a slight smile. The photo is black and white. — ibekeepr

23. A Victorian maid with one of her go-to working tools in the mid-1870s

A woman in Victorian-era clothing with a lace apron and large bow poses holding an old-fashioned carpet beater, looking directly at the camera in a vintage black-and-white photo. — anonymous

24. William, “Bill the Butcher” in the mid-1870s

A vintage black-and-white photo of a stern man in a tall top hat and apron, holding a large saw and a knife, standing in front of a painted forest backdrop. — defactsoffacts

25. The first national park ranger in the mid-1870s

A person in old-fashioned clothing sits on a rocky outcrop with a rifle, overlooking a vast mountainous landscape covered in forest under a partly cloudy sky. — arivaderci

26. Friends, but the 1875 edition

Black and white vintage photo of eleven young adults, six men in suits and five women in long dresses with floral headpieces, posed together indoors against a painted backdrop. — cougars

27. Walt Whitman in the mid-1870s

Black-and-white portrait of an older man with a long white beard and hair, wearing a suit, seated and resting his head on one hand. The photo is signed “Walt Whitman 1875” in the bottom right corner. — smokeymountains

28. A couple of actors in Hong Kong in the mid-1870s

Two people dressed in elaborate traditional Chinese opera costumes sit side by side, posing for a black-and-white photograph. Their detailed garments feature ornate embroidery, headpieces, and patterned designs. — ibkeepr

29. A Marathi Theater Group in 1875

A group of people in elaborate traditional Indian costumes pose indoors with props and accessories, surrounding a seated figure in the center; the photo appears to be from an old theatrical performance or play. — anonymous

30. Foot Guards for the General Governor of Canada in 1875

A group of British soldiers in 19th-century military uniforms and tall bearskin hats pose with swords and flags in a formal studio setting. — deleted

31. Susanna Salter, the first female mayor of the U.S. in the mid-1870s

A sepia-toned portrait of a woman in an embroidered, light-colored dress with a rose at her waist, sitting on a chair and looking calmly at the camera. The background is softly blurred. — anonymous

32. A milkman in Buenos Aires, 1875

A man sits on a saddled horse on a cobblestone street, looking left. Three people stand nearby on the sidewalk in front of a building with barred windows. The scene appears to be from an earlier time period. — anonymous

33. A very young Vincent Van Gogh in the mid-1870s with colorization

A colorized portrait of a young man with wavy red hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, wearing a brown jacket, white shirt, green vest, and green tie, set against a pale blue background. — deleted

34. A young child and her dog in the mid-1870s

A vintage photograph of a young child in a dark dress standing on an ornate chair, with a small dog resting on a nearby table. A curtained backdrop is visible in the background. — anonymous

35. Someone’s great grandparents squared up for their nightly chess game

A woman and a man in Victorian-era clothing sit across from each other at a small ornate table, focused on a game of chess. The woman rests her head on her hand while the man reaches for a chess piece. — deleted

Explore more vintage content:

History truly never sits still. And with that being said, neither should your curiosity. Check out more glimpses from the past with these 35 Vintage Photos Of The Mid-1880s. If that doesn’t quite fill your cup, you can fast-forward time a bit to check out 20 Vintage Photos Of College Life In The 1980s.

Tags:

1800s, 1870s, 70s

Meet the Writer

Matt Staff

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.