Historical Photos From Around The World:1907-1963

~ beetleypete

I dicovered some more random historical photos online. I hope that you find them interesting.
(Most of the photos can be enlarged for detail by clicking on them.)

England, 1907. A Health Ministry official measures the width of a back alley, to ensure the street is fit for human habitation.

England, 1942. Two female war-workers take a smoke break during WW2.

London, 1909. A boy selling cigarettes and tobacco on a mainline station.

Paris, 1889. The official opening of The Eiffel Tower.

Paris, 1899. Painting the Notre Dame cathedral.

California, 1924., The original Hollywood sign.

America, 1930. The carving of the Mount Rushmore monument.

San Francisco, 1936. The Golden Gate Bridge under construction.

London, 1937. A mobile refreshment stand at Paddington Station.

Rome, 1940. An ice-cream seller outside The Colosseum.

New York, 1949. An almost traffic-free Times Square.

Chicago, 1953. A busy night on State Street.

Berlin, 1963. A couple living in West Berlin talking over the wall to relatives in the East.

39 thoughts on “Historical Photos From Around The World:1907-1963”

  2. I have been wondering what kind of workforce it took to build Chicago in the late 1800s – or anywhere else like London in the UK. Any guesses, Pete? It took skilled labor to build such elaborate skyscrapers, right?

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    1. The skyscrapers in America were mainly built by later-generation Mohawk Native Americans, as they had no fear of heights. Much of the hard labour used to build London was from Irish immigrants who crossed the sea for regular employment.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  5. All great images what a boring job measuring the width of an alleyway …we have lots of mobile sellers here including the ice cream man peddling his bike I always remember the usherettes and the queue at the cinema when I was young 🙂 x

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  6. I get the impression that WW2 created a lot of chain smokers. My mother was certainly one. I never understood the appeal but clearly a fag was much needed in times of stress. That war was unimaginable. I suppose you had no choice but to get on with it and hope for the best. All great pics Pete. I commented earlier but ?

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn. Growing up in London in the 1950s, I didn’t know any adult who didn’t smoke. I suppose that’s why I started smoking when I was 17, as it seemed very normal. (My parents actually encouraged me to start too. When I was 16, my dad said “Still not smoking yet? What’s wrong with you?”)
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. (1) I once saw Kirstie Alley on stage. I didn’t get a chance to measure her. (This is actually true. She was filming a scene for Veronica’s Closet at Warner Bros. Burbank Studios.)
    (2) Two war-workers, In other words, WWII.
    (3) Mesopotamian News headline: Babylonian boy accused of engaging in pyramid scheme to sell miniature ziggurats to smoking hot female tourists.
    (4) Gustave Eiffel was a time traveler who visited Las Vegas in 1999 because he wanted to meet Catherine Deneuve after seeing her in a dream. When she flipped the switch on the Eiffel Tower, he said to himself, “Wow! I need to build a tower like that!” So when he returned to the 1880’s, he immediately began work on it. But he decided to make it twice as tall. Very clever, monsieur!
    (5) That painter is hunching his back, but not nearly enough to impress the cathedral’s gargoyles.
    (6) What can I say? I enjoyed that silent picture of the Hollywoodland sign.
    (7) A tourist at Mount Rushmore asked if they gave George Washington Carver a chisel.
    (8) Evel Knievel would have loved pulling off a motorcycle stunt on the Golden Gate Bridge back in 1936. But that would have required a jump back in time.
    (9) Said the woman, “I prefer a mobile refreshment stand to a one night stand. So I’ll keep coming back, even if what’s-his-name won’t.”
    (10) Watching gladiators being mangled by bloodthirsty lions was always more entertaining when eating a scoop of gelato.
    (11) The traffic in Times Square died because everyone was at the movie theater watching Joan of Arc.
    (12) I tried looking for the Caddy, but there are just too many cars on the street.
    (13a) Are the Berliners being watched by a member of the Stasi? There’s a man staring out the window!
    (13b) The man in the window defends himself: “Stasi? Are you kidding? I’m as harmless as a wallflower. See the flower on that poster above the wall? That’s my portrait!”

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    1. Thanks, Don. ‘Measuring an alleyway’ is pretty creepy though. Two feet four inches wide. A lot of people in this country wouldn’t be able to walk along that these days. Shows how undernourished people were in Edwardian times.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. Pingback: Historical Photos From Around The World:1907-1963 | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  15. Time capsule. The Berlin Wall featured in the news most days in the 60’s. Your visit there must have been very interesting. The idea of communism always appealed to me but that’s just it, isn’t it, an ideal. All these years after WW2 people are still suffering the after affects. Amazing to see the pictures of those landmarks that for us have always been there. Those poor women war workers. The generations that came after don’t know what tough is, self included, though not you and people who like you work in emergency services. And those brave, brave people who fight forest fires. Your postings always provide food for thought Pete.

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