Last Updated on September 5, 2025 by Matt Staff
As 1899 unfolded, the world teetered on the threshold of a new century. There was one foot stuck in tradition, and the other stepping cautiously toward the unknown. The closing year of the 1800s carried the weight of decades shaped by steam power, imperial expansion, and rapid industrial growth. While electricity had just begun to light the cities and motorcars were rare curiosities, much of daily life still moved at a slower, familiar rhythm.
From quiet streets and factory floors to portraits of everyday people navigating uncertain times, each image preserves a moment of life before the 20th century redefined everything. Taken together, they form a visual time capsule. Let’s dive into 20 photos from 1899.
1. Working the ranch in Texas, 1899
2. Sharpshooter Annie Oakley, showing off her behind-the-back trick shot, 1899
3. The first photograph ever taken underwater, 1899
4. Young love in the pumpkin patch, 1899
5. Sailors taking part in a boxing match on the USS New York, 1899
6. Nikola Tesla creepily looking out the door of his lab in Colorado Springs, 1899
7. Dressed to the nines in Marshall, Texas, 1899
8. Falling crew 1225, chopping down a massive tree, 1899
9. Outlaw Pearl Hart, the woman who committed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies in the U.S., 1899
10. Heading out to shred some waves with Diamond Head Mountain in the background, 1899
11. A rainy night in London, 1899
12. Nikola Tesla casually reading with lightning
13. A motor scout on an armored quadricycle, 1899
14. This was what the people of 1899 envisioned 2000 to be like
15. The crew of the USS New York, practicing for the off chance that they encountered pirates, 1899
16. Garrison train station in New York, 1899
17. A Swedish couple on a date by the lake, 1899
18. Claude Monet in color, 1899
19. Nicholas II goofing off with the Grand Dukes of the Russian Empire, 1899
20. Tsar Nicholas II on horseback, 1899
Want to see more content from the 1800s?
Check out 19 Vintage Photos of the Early to Mid-1880s, or take a look at 20 Vintage Photos Of The 1870s. Finally, if you want to see the Civil War in color, check out 20 Colorized Photos From the Civil War That Bring it to Life.
