From the rise of new technologies to the rhythm of jazz drifting from radios, the spirit of 1935 was one of quiet endurance and cultural shift. It was a time when people leaned on each other, found joy in simple things, and carried on despite uncertainty.
Through these photographs, we’re offered a window into that world. Let’s dive into 35 photos that embody life in 1935
1. This was taken during the construction of the Hoover Dam, 1935
2. Protesting against unemployment, 1935
3. The champion watermelon eater at the 4th of July watermelon eating contest, Brooklyn, 1935
4. The Diamond T Doodlebug, 1935
5. Miss Idaho Potato, 1935
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6. A Union Army vet telling stories of the Civil War to shoeshiners, 1935
7. A Soba noodles deliveryman, 1935
8. Blues musician Lead Belly and his wife Martha, 1935
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9. Model Mardee Hoff, selected for having the most perfect figure in America, 1935
10. Construction workers were fearless in 1935
11. Sunlight flooding into Grand Central Station, 1935
12. Ansel Adams setting up for a shoot in Yosemite, 1935
13. This is how brothers solved their problems in 1935
14. Actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr, 1935
15. Halloween costumes were all downhill after this one, 1935
16. Penn Station, 1935
17. Earnest Hemingway and his sons with their Blue Marlin, 1935
18. Shirley Temple playing for the locals in Waikiki, 1935
19. A night out in Harlem in 1935
20. Selling roasted chestnuts in Soho, London, 1935
21. Quitting time after a long day on the Bay Bridge construction team, 1935
22. Civil War veterans in 1935
23. Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man in history, with his parents & siblings in Alton, Illinois, 1935
24. Sean Connery and his good boy, RIP both legends, 1935
25. Working on the Golden Gate Bridge, 1935
26. The first Indian woman to fly an aircraft, Sarla Thakral, 1935
27. Before trampolines, we had spring shoes, 1935
28. Performer Harriet Hodgini sits on the gate of a truck helping Otto Griebling, a circus clown, apply his makeup, 1935
29. Protesting unfair wages in 1935
30. American tattoo pioneer Charlie Wagner, tattooing a client, 1935
31. One of the only known photos of the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson, 1935
32. Boris Korloff, enjoying a cup of tea on the set of Frankenstein, 1935
33. This is what a college dorm room looked like in 1935, Tufts University
34. Shirley Temple watching Bill Robinson use a typewriter, 1935
35. Factory workers making Reese’s peanut butter cups by hand before machines took over, 1935
Want to see more content from the 1930s?
Check out 20 Toys From the 1930s That Should’ve Come With Warning Labels, or take a look at 15 Rules 1930s Factories Made Workers Obey. Finally, if you want to see historic photos from Pearl Harbor, check out 20 Historic Photos From Pearl Harbor That Bring It To Life (1930s-1940s).
