Spread the love

Vintage photography can offer you very different perspectives of the past, even if you’re looking at familiar buildings and landmarks. The switch to black-and-white photography alone is enough to make you pay attention to different details.

‘HistoryRepeated’ is a niche online community for history, architecture, and photography enthusiasts. Its members post photos of famous and lesser-known sites from all over the globe, and provide context about them. We’ve picked out some of the most iconic and timeless images to share with you. Keep scrolling to learn something new. Meanwhile, check out Bored Panda’s interview with the founder of the community, Frank!

#1 Gare Montparnasse In Paris, France, Made Headlines Worldwide On October 22, 1895, When The Granville Express, A Few Minutes Late, Pulled Into The Station Too Fast And Crashed Through The Station Wall

#2 One Times Square, New York, Circa 1904 And Present

The original gothic revival building, designed by c. Eidlitz, was built as the headquarters for the New York times. The newspaper’s owner, Adolph Ochs, convinced the city to rename the area, long acre square, times square in 1904

#3 The Lion Gate Of Mycenae (CA 1250 B.c.) On A Photograph From 1891

It was long assumed that the man leaning on the oldest monumental sculpture in Europe was the famous archaeologist Schliemann, who excavated Troy and Mycenae in the 1870s, but archival research now shows that it’s a German count

Bored Panda asked Frank, the founder of ‘HistoryRepeated,’ about the inspiration behind the online group.

“It’s just a hobby to create this for everyone,” he told Bored Panda.

“There are so many unique historical places in the world, and old photos of famous places really are nice in themselves to see, but sometimes also have very unique and/or forgotten stories.”

#4 Cologne Cathedral Is A Gothic Cathedral, But This Is Actually A 1855 Photo Of The Church In Construction

Since 1528 Building Was Stopped Because Of A Lack Of Interest And Money, But It Was Started Again In 1824 Using The Original Drawings. The Dome Was Finished In 1880

#5 Rms Titanic Under Construction (Circa 1909-1911), In The World’s Largest Shipyard, Harland & Wolff, In Belfast

Of the more than 3,000 people who worked on the world’s most famous ship, which set sail on April 2, 1912, 246 were injured, 28 of whom lost arms or legs to objects such as falling steel

#6 A Frozen “Telefontornet” At Malmskillnadsgatan 30 In Stockholm, CA 1890

This was one of the main telephone junctions in Stockholm between 1887-1913 with about 5000 telephone lines connected here and remained as a landmark until 1953

“It’s nice to repost them [the stories] in one central place for everyone who likes a bit of history about the famous and less famous places in the world with a great story,” Frank told us.

He added that, from his perspective, great and timeless photos are those that focus on something unique or show off lesser-known facets of a place.

Building something—anything!—that stands the test of time is phenomenally difficult. The same goes for architectural legacies. The passage of time eventually wears down all things, and it is incredibly expensive to build things that last. Not to mention the costs of maintenance and repair. But it’s still possible to do with enough resources.

However, in many cases, it’s not time, but the conscious decision to demolish a building that ends its lifespan.

#7 Quah House In Conwy, Wales In 1902 And 2016

The 16th-century house is the smallest in Great Britain, with a floor area of 3.05 x 1.8 m. In 1900, the last resident, fisherman Robert James, who was 1.91 m tall, was forced to leave when the council declared the house uninhabitable

#8 William Shakespeare’s Home Before The Extensive Restoration Of 1857-1864 And Now

It began, paradoxically, with the demolition of the adjacent houses of the original 16th-century house in Stratford where the famous writer was born in 1564 and was based on a 1769 engraving of the original house

#9 Then And Now: Aachen Town Hall In Reconstruction After Allied Ww2 Raids In 1943/1944, And In 2016

In fact the early 14th century administrative center which also served as medieval prison almost collapsed but was staved off through the use of emergency beams holding the structure in place

According to Dezeen, most commercial buildings have a standard design life of around 50 to 60 years, “and it’s common for them to last only half that long.”

Mel Allwood, the sustainable buildings director at Arup, told Dezeen that it’s tough to predict when buildings will outlive their usefulness.

After all, a building has to have a useful function. And in some cases, it might be cheaper to tear something down than to renovate or retrofit it.

That being said, when you choose to demolish a building, you’re also destroying the architectural and cultural heritage of the location. And if whatever you build in its place ends up being destroyed just a few decades later, you’re creating a cycle of permanent demolition instead of preservation. It would be smarter to instead try to predict what functions might be needed in the future and to create buildings in such a way that it’s easier to adapt their interiors if need be.

#10 This Is The First Artificial-Lit, Underground Photo, Taken In The Catacombs In Paris By Pioneer In Photography Nadar

He used a magnesium powder exposure method, which had the risk of explosion but allowed him to reduce the shutter speed from 1 day to 20 minutes, enabling underground photography

#11 100 Years Ago: With The Passage Of “Law No. 671 On Hats” On November 25, 1925

National assembly-members were required to wear European hats and the traditional fez was banned for the Turkish population. It was an attempt by the pro-european Atatürk to shift Ottoman identity more towards the west

#12 The First Known Picture Of The Pantheon In Rome (Mid 19th Century)

French painter Eugène Constant visited the city in between 1848 – 1852. He used the new method of albumen on glass plate negatives

“The very long-life building that is always raised in these circumstances is the Pantheon. The function is very basic: it’s the gathering of people in a city centre. It’s almost the lowest common denominator of what society is,” Allwood told Dezeen.

“It is fundamental that we want that material investment to have as long as possible to repay itself. But the constraint is about utility. If it stops being useful, it’s no longer paying back its investment, it’s just taking up space. And that judgement is really interesting.”

#13 The World’s Oldest Still Existing Aerial Photo Ever Taken Was Made In Boston (1860)

The area around milk street, old south meeting house & central wharf, which was later destroyed in the great fire (1872), was photographed at an altitude of 1200 feet (or 365 meters) in Samuel A. King’s air balloon

#14 The Rms Titanic On April 11, 1912, In Queenstown, Ireland, Just Before Crossing The Atlantic Ocean

The photographer was Jesuit father Francis Browne, who was forced to disembark thanks to a telegram from his superior with the simple message: “Get off that ship,” which saved his life

#15 Erecting The Eiffel Tower (1887-1889)

In the first photo (July 18), we see that the legs were put in position with positioning and stabilizing cables until they could be mounted to the first platform with millimeter precision using hydraulic jacks, and further construction could begin

Allwood explained that if she “had a magic wand that would allow [her] to predict what kind of functions we’re going to use buildings for in 20 years time, 50 years time, 100 years time, [she’d] be doing something else.”

Meanwhile, as Dezeen points out, some buildings are specifically built to last as long as humanly possible.

The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, deep in the Norwegian permafrost, is one example of this. It is built in a way to last indefinitely and to withstand everything from climate change and nuclear winter to literal asteroid strikes.

#16 La Seine Seen From The Pont Neuf In Paris, CA. 1836–1839

This picture by Daguerre is less famous than his 1838 photo of the first people ever captured on the Boulevard du Temple because the date is less certain, but two people appear to be lying to the left of the statue, so it’s possible this is in fact older

#17 First Known Photo Of The Forum Romanum (Rome) Shot Between 1848-1852

The famous pillars in front are the remains of the temple of Saturn. The original temple is believed to be built in the Roman kingdom, but these pillars are actually the remains of the third temple, built in 360 a.d. After a fire

#18 Original And Colorized: Us President Lincoln Visits Antietam On October 3, 1862

The bloodiest battle in American history had just taken place here on September 17, with more than 23,000 casualties, and Lincoln visited personal friend and general John A. Mcclernand (right) to insist on taking action

And yet, Peter Söderman, the architect, told Dezeen that the building’s longevity “wasn’t that important” during the design process. However, in recent years, longevity has become a more and more important topic, as the conversation about architectural lifespans shifts.

“We have to think about buildings that they have a longer life expectancy than before. We’ve been building buildings with a 50-to-100-years perspective, but we actually should think longer than that.”

#19 AI Colorized Picture Of Karl Marx’ Famous Picture

But did you know the photo we all know is in fact also a handmade black & white restoration of the 1875 original? The photo was selected by Friedrich Engels, who sent 12,000 copies to newspapers & organizations to promote Marx’ famous “Das Kapital”

#20 110 Years Ago [march 25, 1911] The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire In New York City

The fire takes 146 garment workers, mostly women, due to a lack of safety regulations. The public nature of this disaster led to sweeping safety reforms

#21 Indian School, Pine Ridge, SD, 1881. Lakota Sioux Camped Nearby To Be Close To Their Children

The ‘HistoryRepeated’ online group is a fairly new addition to the Reddit family. Its curator created it nearly a year ago, in late February 2025. According to him, the community is a place for people to “discover the world’s historic gems,” all from the comfort of their couch.

He notes that the group doesn’t just cover the history of famous world historic sites, but also lesser-known locations as well.

#22 Irish Girl Mocking A British Soldier For His Height, Derry, Northern Ireland (1972)

#23 Tereska Adwentowska, A Polish Girl Who Grew Up In Warsaw During Wwii, Draws A Picture Of “Home” While Living In A Residence For Disturbed Children – Warsaw, 1948

#24 In The Very First Photograph Of The Parthenon In Athens, Taken Almost 200 Years Ago In 1839

An observant eye will notice an Ottoman mosque in its center. It was demolished immediately after Greece gained independence from the ottomans in 1843 to showcase the idealized classical Greek identity again

The moderator asks all the members of ‘HistoryRepeated’ to focus on history and historic places: “Opinions about it based on political views or modern-day cultural climate can be placed in other subs.”

What’s more, the discussions should be based on historical, scientific, architectural, and archeological facts, not alternative theories.

#25 One Of The First Photos Of Lightning Ever Taken In An Urban Environment

A lightning strike on the Eiffel tower on June 3, 1902, at 9:20 pm by photographer Gabriel Loppé. The tower itself was designed as a natural lightning rod, acting as a faraday cage, and is struck approximately 5 times per year

#26 Istanbul, 1843. The Oldest Known Photograph Of The City, Then Called Constantinople

Is a daguerrotype panorama taken from the Beyazit lookout tower by French photographer Girault de Prangey. In the center is the Nuruosmaniye mosque, then less than 100 years old; on the left we see the hagia Sophia

#27 Keizersgracht Amsterdam 1857 During The Oldest Known Photoshoot Of Typical Dutch Canal Houses

British photographer Benjamin Turner had to stop mid-shoot, for which he had come from London, when part of his equipment fell into the water due to pushy onlookers who had never seen photography before

Once you’re done scrolling through these photos, share your thoughts in the comments down below, Pandas. Which of these buildings impressed you the most and why? What is the most awe-inspiring historic site that you’ve personally seen? What, for you personally, are the signs of a truly timeless and iconic photo? What’s your favorite historic period? We’d like to hear your insights.

#28 Then & Now: Great Sphinx Of Giza In December 1849, 75 Years Before The Imposing

20-meter-high statue was finally excavated by Émile Baraize between 1925 and 1936. The photo was taken by inexperienced photographer Maxime du Camp during his trip to Egypt with the then-unknown writer Gustave Flaubert

#29 Not Everyone Knows The Immense Complexity Of The Colosseum’s Hypogeum Under Its Wooden Floor

Dating back to the 1st century, it was a network of passageways with ingenious elevators, stairs and trapdoors to allow animals and soldiers to enter the arena at unexpected moments for spectacular effects

#30 The War Over Ukrainian Territory Actually Dates Back To The 19th Century

It is in fact the first war ever photographed. Roger Fenton took these photographs of Crimea in 1855, in which the French and British helped the Ottoman empire prevent russian power from expanding too much in central Europe

#31 Aerial Photo Of The Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, 1930) In Construction

Construction of Gaudí’s masterpiece is planned to be completed in 2026. The church is the most visited church besides saint peter’s in Rome, and will be the highest in the world with its tower of Jesus reaching 172.5 meters

#32 E(Asy) Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Known From Band Of Brothers)

Having a well-earned rest after capturing Hitler’s Eagle’s nest in Berchtesgaden, Bavarian alps, May 1945. The bunker complex was completed in 1938 for 30 million reichsmark which equals around 163 million dollars today

#33 “Parliament Street From Trafalgar Square” (1839)

It is the first known photograph of London, taken by French mr. De st. Croix coming to promote a new photographic technique of mr. Daguerre in Britain. The vague figurines (because of minutes-long shutter speed) are the first Londoners to be photographed

#34 The First Photograph Of Lower Yellowstone Falls Taken In 1871, Colorized

The 94-meter-high waterfall is the largest and most famous in the park. The photo, taken by William Henry Jackson, was taken from the location of the now-famous lookout point, before it was given that name in 1880

#35 Amsterdam’s Dam Square In The 19th Century With Statue “De Eendracht” (The Unity) Commemorating The Ten Days’ Campaign Against Belgium

In the background to the right, instead of the Bijenkorf, we see the former Zocher stock exchange

#36 Then & Now: One Of The World’s First Public Urinals Next To The Église Saint-Laurent In Paris Photographed In 1865

The very first were installed here in 1830 but were quickly destroyed during the French revolution. This is one of 400 cast iron urinals installed in 1834 when peace was restored

#37 Construction Of The Eiffel Tower In 1888 For The 1889 World Fair

Not Eiffel himself, but structural engineer Maurice Koechlin who worked for Eiffels company, came up with this construction idea which was first highly criticized and not expected to be feasible

#38 Auschwitz Camp Guards On A Day Trip (1944), It’s Just Astounding To Look At

#39 “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels” : A Native Of Papuan New Guinea Aids Wounded Australian Soldier In 1942. They Were Instrumental In Guiding And Saving The Lives Of Many Australian Servicemen

#40 The Dog Tags Of 58,307 Us Soldiers Lost During The Vietnam War At The Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago

#41 Joe Arridy (Right), Nicknamed “Happiest Prisoner On Death Row”

Giving his toy trains to another inmate (left) before he is taken to the gas chamber. Wrongfully accused of [crime], Joe had an IQ of 46, asked for ice cream as his last meal and was reportedly smiling while being led to the chamber-1939

#42 A Red Army Veteran On The Anniversary Of The Great Patriotic War, 1966

#43 A Poor Woman And Child Gleaning (Picking Up The Crops Left Behind After Harvest). Pajala, Sweden In 1918

from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/PGWHthx
via IFTTT source site : boredpanda

Bored Panda, IFTTT