Take a journey back to 1899, a time when the world stood on the edge of a new century. These 25 photographs, carefully colorized by hand, offer a rare and vivid look at everyday life over 120 years ago. From crowded city corners to quiet countryside scenes, each image brings the people, places, and emotions of that era back to life.
1. The first underwater photo ever taken, 1899
The sign the driver is holding says “Underwater photography” in French.
2. Garrison train station, New York, 1899
3. Lady Firbank in Court Dress, London, England, 1899
4. Adjie and the lions, 1899
5. A Swedish couple by the lake, 1899
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6. Taylor Gordon and his friends, Sulpher Springs, Montana, 1899
7. The Association of Itinerants, 1899
8. The interior of Miller and Shoemaker soda shop, 1899
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9. Claude Monet, 1899
10. Staff, faculty, and students from the Chemistry department of the University College, Bristol, England, in 1899
11. Nicholas II having fun with the Grand Dukes, Russian Empire, 1899
12. Ute Native American tribe mounted on horseback, 1899
13. Tsar Nicholas II on horseback, 1899
14. Football practice at the University of California, 1899
15. The RMS Oceanic, 1899
16. John Martin-Harvey, 1899
17. Tsar Nicholas II in Darmstadt, Germany, 1899
18. A mugshot from 1899
19. The 1899 staff of the Yukon Sun, the farthest North British paper in the British Empire
20. A coachmen’s strike in Buenos Aires, 1899
21. Celebrating the new century in France, 1899
22. Autumn leaves in Michigan, 1899
23. Detroit in 1899
24. A cavalryman braces his rifle on his horse, 1899
25. Lorian Moreau Ekin, a stenographic prodigy, and his new bride, Martha Lucile Agnew, 1899
Want to see more content from the 1800s?
Check out 19 Photos of Real Samurai from the 1800s, or take a look at 17 Firearms from the 1800s That Changed History. Finally, if you want to check out vintage photos from the 1880s, take a look at 19 Vintage Photos of the Early to Mid-1880s.
