Vintage photos certainly can be reminiscent, entertaining, mesmerizing, or downright creepy. Some are just so darned peculiar one can determine just what these people were thinking or what they were trying to express. It all seems far to strange in this modern day or does it. Nevertheless, it is extremely intriguing to take a glimpse into the past to see what people were up to. I am making reference to the photography of the 1800’s. or early 1900’s. When cameras were just developing and people were getting creative with this new and strange device. Very creative………Now here is a fun filled photo to send home to mom after your spring break. She will be thrilled! Really do not know who, what or why this picture was taken but definitely up there on the strange and unusual list.
These photos were quite a process to make. It required combing multiple negatives to produce just one image. 
What was their fasciation with the headless., as there are just hundreds of these photos. Quite the sense of humor or quite the ghoulish fascination of the time.
There are many photos that are explained and do make sense. For instance the garments worn by doctors during the plague. If this doctor came to my home to treat me I would run like heck but if
you have the plague you probably or hopefully did not notice. This was to protect the doctor. Also, the long beak contained scented substances to help disguise the odors from the plague ridden. A very sad and horrifying time of history. This is not an actual picture of the doctors, as cameras were not around at that time. However, it is a good depiction and you can read more regarding this garb by clicking HERE.
There is a style of photography that began to be developed in the middle to late 1800’s. It is called lenticular photography. This was a process of taking pictures that appeared to change at different angles of observation. As you moved your head or walked by a photo on the wall, things seemed to move, faces changed. Many used this to create haunted lenticular photographs which were very creepy. Of course this type of picture taking could be used for various picture styles not just the creepy
haunting lenticular photography. Here is an example of lenticular photography. What a sweet demure child in the 1800’s. Take another look with a change in the angle of the picture and this is what you see. Ghoulish grinning.
Of course, not all photos are strange and bizarre. There are others that depict the fun times as well. Take for instance the sport of stacking from the Edwardian period. Lets see how many people they can stack standing on on their shoulders. This actually took some talent and strength to be able to do so. From some pictures a lot of courage to be the one at the tippy top! This reminds me of my day when kids would see how many people they could fit into a VW Bug. You are probably more familiar with the how many clowns that are packed in a tiny circus car. Or maybe the earlier 1900’s when kids would fill up a phone booth with as many as possible. Must have been some pretty good contortionists back then. Personally, I think it might have been harder to get out of the phone booth than in. Kids sure do love to have a good time. Glad photography was available to capture all the craziness.
The many wonderful historical pictures we have of historical people. Most of us are familiar with the TV series Little House on the Prairie . How many know what the three sisters a actually looked like. From left to right we have Grace, Mary and Laura. I enjoy have actual faces to historical characters. Makes things more real, a better connection to history for me.
The beloved family dog has always been important to us.
I do wonder how they got them to stand so still, as it took longer than a split second back then to take a photography. Dogs and children together must have been quite the challenge.
We also have a fantastic record of medicine in the vintage library of photographs. Some procedures felt tortuous. One must give these people tremendous credit for what they had to go through. In the beginning no aesthetics as today and then only ether. With the patient for surviving a procedure, doctors and caretakers were left dealing with the pain and infections of the aftermath. Makes modern medicine seem like pure magic. 
Check it out for yourself if you dare. Click HERE and see the progression of just pharmaceutical or HERE to see medical tools from 1850’s. There are any number of vintage pictures showing us just how blessed we are to have modern medicine. Back then there was no penicillin to aid in the recuperation form surgeries making the future bleak for many patients. So, not only are procedures more humane and safe but the recover process is given an added survival rate.
We always have the everyday pictures of the fun found in life. This never changes throughout the years. Life is a journey during which we are to have many adventures. Some are better than others but record them all. That’s just what these folks are doing.
Don’t miss out on your adventures and photograph them for our future generations to look back upon in wonder and amazement. What seems dull and humdrum now can be inspiration for the future.
“Thought is the bud, language the blossom and action the fruit behind it.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think, speak and then go do. Create your history and record it.