header

These Super Rare Vintage Photos Will Fascinate You

Whenever we come across a vintage photograph of a place or event, we can’t help but feel fascinated. Those photos take us back to a time we weren’t a part of and give us a unique glimpse of what life used to be like back then. While we have shown you plenty of pictures that depict historical moments and figures in the past, we're sure that you will enjoy these rare old images just as well. These include the 1930's version of a GPS, a fridge with a built-in radio from the 1950s, a Tasmanian tiger (now extinct) in captivity, and an astonishing shot of the Niagara Falls without water from the ‘60s. These slices of history are going to stay in your mind long after you’ve scrolled through this collection. 

1. The 'Iter Avto', the 1930's version of a GPS. Developed by Touring Club Italiano, this device was more like a “map guidance tool” and came with a set of paper maps. It was tethered to the car’s speedometer that kept the scrolling of the map in proportion to the speed of the car.

Rare Vintage Photos, Iter Avto
Image source: Historic Photographs

2. A 'Tasmanian tiger' in captivity circa 1930. Also known as the thylacine, this carnivorous marsupial was native to the Australian mainland and went extinct in 1936.

Rare Vintage Photos, Tasmanian tiger'
Image source: Historic Photographs

3. Airline reservations before computers, 1945

Rare Vintage Photos, Airline reservations

4. The 1950s '3-in-1 Kitchen Combination.' It came with a stove, a sink, and a fridge - all in one!

Rare Vintage Photos, Kitchen Retro
Image source: Historic Photographs

5. American photographer James Ricalton posing with two extra tall men, fondly remembered as the 'Giants of Kashmir,' in 1903. The photograph was taken in Delhi during 'The Durbar,' a celebration of the British monarch Edward VII’s (the great-grandfather of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II) succession as the Emperor of India.

Rare Vintage Photos,  Giants of Kashmir
Image source: Historic Photographs

6. Television shopping in 1974

Rare Vintage Photos, Television shopping

7. A gas station on Brovarsky Prospect in Kyiv, Ukraine, 1979

Rare Vintage Photos, Gas station on Brovarsky Prospect
Image source: Historic Photographs

8. A woman standing in the doorway of an RV Camper at an exhibition in London, 1927. It was also called the "Road Yacht."

Rare Vintage Photos, road yacht
Image source: Historic Photographs

9. Draft beer being served during a Lufthansa flight in the 1960s

Rare Vintage Photos, Lufthansa flight
Image source: Historic Photographs

10. The Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

Rare Vintage Photos, Esso Hibernia tanker
Image source: Historic Photographs

11. Niagara Falls without water, 1969

Rare Vintage Photos, Niagara Falls
Image source: Historic Photographs

12. An Empire State builder hanging on a crane above New York City, 1930

Rare Vintage Photos, Empire State builder

13. An elementary piano class in progress in 1947 (photo by Yale Joel)

Rare Vintage Photos, piano class
Image source: Historic Photographs

14. Military bomber planes fly past Mount Vesuvius in Italy as lava and ash spurts from the top of the volcano. The devastating eruption ravaged the village of San Sebastiano and San Giorg in March 1944 and killed 57 people. Meanwhile, the Allied forces were battling for supremacy in the skies.

Rare Vintage Photos,  Mount Vesuvius
Image source: Historic Photographs

15. The original Moulin Rouge, Paris, 1914

Rare Vintage Photos, Moulin Rouge
Image source: Historic Photographs

16. A Phillips fridge from 1956 with a built-in radio!

Rare Vintage Photos, fridge
Image source: Historic Photographs

17. A horse being rescued from a canal that it fell in - Amsterdam, 1929

Rare Vintage Photos, horse
Image source: Historic Photographs

18. Control Room of the German UB-11 Submarine (First World War)

Rare Vintage Photos, German UB-11 Submarine
Image source: Historic Photographs

19. Swedish Warship 'Vasa' being recovered from the seafloor in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 24th of April, 1961. It stayed underwater for 333 years and was still astonishingly well-preserved.

Rare Vintage Photos, Warship 'Vasa'
Image source: Historic Photographs

20. A young woman of the Ouled Nail tribe, Algeria, circa 1905 (photo by Lehnert & Landrock)

Rare Vintage Photos,  woman of the Ouled Nail tribe

21. Philadelphia Electric Co. streetlight maintenance vehicle, 1910

Rare Vintage Photos, Philadelphia Electric Co. streetlight maintenance vehicle
Image source: Historic Photographs

22. A treehouse of the Koiari people, east of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 1886

Rare Vintage Photos, tree house of the Koiari people
Image source: Historic Photographs

23. A woman using a vacuum cleaner in 1906

Rare Vintage Photos, vacuum cleaner
Image source: Historic Photographs

24. The 1958 'Sir Vival.' Designed by Walter C. Jerome of Worcester, this unique two-section vehicle was made to protect its driver and three passengers from death or injury on the highway. The designer believed that, in case of a collision, the engine compartment would take most of the brunt and leave the passengers safe. Its standout features included a two-piece engine and cab, along with a driver turret. Unfortunately, only one Sir Vival was ever made, and it remains in the care of Bellingham Auto Sales in Bellingham, Massachusetts, even today!

Rare Vintage Photos, Sir Vival
Image source: Historic Photographs

25. A Native American chief at the Canadian Rockies, 1938 

native american

Image source: Historic Photographs

Share these amazing vintage photos with friends and family...
Receive the newest nostalgia updates directly to your mail inbox
Did you mean:
Continue With: Facebook Google
By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Receive the newest nostalgia updates directly to your mail inbox
Did you mean:
Continue With: Facebook Google
By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy