The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” was coined by American newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane in 1911. It’s a simple notion that applies to many aspects of our lives, but especially to historical photography. Sometimes, one simple picture can tell you more about history than any story you might read or any document you might analyze.
These photographs all tell stories about the historical figures or events that they represent. Once taken simply to document their present, they now help us witness the past. Many photographs only become iconic shots years later, once we understand their importance and historical context. From historical landmarks and famous people to the basic daily routines of the past, these pictures portray the past in a way that we can empathize with and understand more intimately.
Woman With A Gas-Resistant Pram, England, 1938
Unpacking the head of the Statue of Liberty, 1885
Elvis in the Army, 1958
Animals being used as part of medical therapy, 1956
Testing of new bulletproof vests, 1923
Charlie Chaplin at age 27, 1916
Hindenburg Disaster, May 6, 1937
Circus hippo pulling a cart, 1924
Annette Kellerman promotes women’s right to wear a fitted one-piece bathing suit, 1907. She was arrested for indecency
Annie Edison Taylor, the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, 1901
These photographs all tell stories about the historical figures or events that they represent. Once taken simply to document their present, they now help us witness the past. Many photographs only become iconic shots years later, once we understand their importance and historical context. From historical landmarks and famous people to the basic daily routines of the past, these pictures portray the past in a way that we can empathize with and understand more intimately.
Woman With A Gas-Resistant Pram, England, 1938
Unpacking the head of the Statue of Liberty, 1885
Elvis in the Army, 1958
Animals being used as part of medical therapy, 1956
Testing of new bulletproof vests, 1923
Charlie Chaplin at age 27, 1916
Hindenburg Disaster, May 6, 1937
Circus hippo pulling a cart, 1924
Annette Kellerman promotes women’s right to wear a fitted one-piece bathing suit, 1907. She was arrested for indecency
Annie Edison Taylor, the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, 1901