The modern world was just beginning to take shape in the first decade of the 20th century. Cities were expanding, and everyday life was slowly shifting away from the traditions of the 1800s. It was an era caught between old and new, where horse-drawn carriages still shared streets with early automobiles, and industries were rapidly transforming how people lived.
The clothes, workplaces, and public scenes gained a whole new personality with the added color, making it easier to imagine what life looked like in these early years. Together, the images here offer a personal look into a world on the edge of change. Let’s take a look at 20 colorized photos from the first decade of the 20th century.
1. A farmers’ market in New York City, 1900
2. Breaker boys at the Woodward Coal Mines in Pennsylvania, 1900
3. President McKinley’s last speech, September 5, 1901
4. Naval Academy Midshipmen at their superintendent’s house, 1901
5. Office workers in Detroit, 1902
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6. A young girl photographing her doll, 1902
7. This is a photograph of the first successful flight of the Wright Flyer, 1903
8. This is the train that brought supplies and equipment to help build the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1903
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9. Navajo riders in Arizona, 1904
10. Flower vendor in New York, 1904
11. Chief of the Absaroke Native American tribe crossing shallow rapids on horseback, Montana, 1905
12. Atlantic City Beach, 1905
13. A frozen fountain in Detroit, 1906
14. President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir at Yosemite National Park, 1906
15. Cruising in a 1907 Franklin Model D Roadster, 1907
16. Bert Killion overlooking the grazing herd, Texas, 1907
17. Vance Palmer, a 15-year-old trapper boy, 1908
The trapper boy’s job was to open the doors to the coal mine every few minutes to let fresh air in.
18. Spanish bullfighters, 1908
19. 11th Ave in New York, 1909
20. Out on a rowboat on Lake Louise, 1910
Want to see more content from the early 1900s?
Check out 35 Vintage Photos Of The Late 1910s, or take a look at 20 Colorized Photos From The Mid-1920s. Finally, if you want to see photos of New York in the ’20s, check out 20 Vintage Photos Of New York City from the 1920s.
