15 Incredible Vintage Photos of People Getting X-Rays Over the Decades

The world first learned about X-rays 120 years ago. Despite the danger, however, the judicious use of X-rays allowed great medical progress in diagnosis and treatment alike—not to mention numerous non-medical uses. Here are 15 vintage images of X-rays at work over the decades.

33 Amazing Vintage 1950s Street Photos of NYC And Chicago

Vivian Maier, an excellent New York street photographer who took thousand of photos in the 1950s and 60s, was left woefully unacknowledged during her time. It was only in 2011, two years after her death, that her photos were recognized for their raw beauty in a collection published by historian and collector John Maloof. MaloofContinue reading “33 Amazing Vintage 1950s Street Photos of NYC And Chicago”

80 Amazing Photos of Shanghai, China between 1947 & 1949

Shipping out to China in December 1947 with three ten-year-old German cameras and a plum assignment from LIFE magazine, Jack Birns was fulfilling a boyhood dream. The reality was something else: refugees and prostitutes, soldiers and beggars, street executions and urban protests photographed in difficult and often dangerous circumstances amidst the poverty, corruption, and chaosContinue reading “80 Amazing Photos of Shanghai, China between 1947 & 1949”

31 Terrifying Photos Showing the Early Days of Dentistry

People calling themselves dentists appeared in the late 1700s, though the profession wouldn’t be licensed for about 100 years. Before dentistry was licensed, doctors addressed tooth health. And before there were doctors, things were pretty dicey. If you think going to the dentist today is scary, imagine a guy with a bloody apron approaching youContinue reading “31 Terrifying Photos Showing the Early Days of Dentistry”

39 Amazing Photos of New York City Subway Passengers From the Late 1930s and Early 1940s

As photographic technology advanced—cameras became more portable and film more sensitive to light, requiring shorter exposure times—people were no longer required to stay still for pictures. Walker Evans was among the photographers who capitalized on this flexibility. Between 1938 and 1941, he took his camera underground, where he photographed subway riders in New York City.Continue reading “39 Amazing Photos of New York City Subway Passengers From the Late 1930s and Early 1940s”

20 Vintage Photos Show Beautiful Women’s Fashions in the Roaring Twenties

1920s fashion was the perfect blend between style and function. Beautiful clothes that allowed women to move. The 1920s heralded a dramatic break between America’s past and future. Before World War I the country remained culturally and psychologically rooted in the nineteenth century, but in the 1920s America seemed to break its wistful attachments toContinue reading “20 Vintage Photos Show Beautiful Women’s Fashions in the Roaring Twenties”