21 Old Portraits That Prove People Have Always Been Silly

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 05/02/2024 in wow

Old photos, especially portraits, have a distinct look to them; the subjects sitting somberly, usually with a serious expression, and a disposition akin to that of a funeral. There are multiple reasons for this, one being that old cameras took a long time to set up and capture an image, leaving subjects sitting for long periods of time. Too long to strike a pose. Additionally, subjects often mimicked the style of old painted portraits, trying to come off as sophisticated and serious.

But real people have never been serious, at least not all the time, and the more you look at old photos the more you realize that humans are going to human. From dressing their pets up to laughing with their siblings, old portraits can look like modern candid shots too, and these 21 fun old flicks capture the carefree spirit of the average person. Not every old photo looks like American Gothic.

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1.
Father and son goofing off in the 1910s.
2.
A man posing with his donkey in his lap, 1910s.
3.
Sig Smith doing a head stand 20 stories above the street, New York.
4.
Abe Lincoln refusing to straighten his hair, 1857.
5.
A peanut vendor wearing a suit made of peanuts, 1890.
6.
Men posing in bathing suites, Central Europe around 1910.
7.
A man and his goat mobile, early 1900s.
8.
Early 1900 firemen suit to get closer to the fire.
9.
Postcard of a strong man holding up 5 fellows on his body.
10.
A shy young woman smiling for the camera in 1881.
11.
1870 photo of a cat.
12.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife ride a tandem tricycle, 1895.
13.
On August 18, 1900, the world's heaviest recorded fish was caught with rod and reel off Catalina Island, California, by Franklin Schenck of Brooklyn. Pictured is the black sea bass that weighed 384 pounds and was captured with a 21 thread Cuttyhunk line after a 20-minute fight.
14.
Hairdryer from the 1920s.
15.
Women in boxing gloves in Hampstead Heath, London, ca. 1920.
16.
A Filipino-American family posing for a family portrait, Philippines, 1912.
17.
Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova and her pet swan at her London home, 1927.
18.
An old portrait taken of a woman while she was mid-sneeze, 1900.
19.
Oxford bags trousers, ca. 1920.
20.
Group of officials posing for a portrait during the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1935.
21.
Hop pickers use stilts on a farm at Wateringbury in Kent, 1928.

1.
Father and son goofing off in the 1910s.
2.
A man posing with his donkey in his lap, 1910s.
3.
Sig Smith doing a head stand 20 stories above the street, New York.
4.
Abe Lincoln refusing to straighten his hair, 1857.
5.
A peanut vendor wearing a suit made of peanuts, 1890.
6.
Men posing in bathing suites, Central Europe around 1910.
7.
A man and his goat mobile, early 1900s.
8.
Early 1900 firemen suit to get closer to the fire.
9.
Postcard of a strong man holding up 5 fellows on his body.
10.
A shy young woman smiling for the camera in 1881.
11.
1870 photo of a cat.
12.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife ride a tandem tricycle, 1895.
13.
On August 18, 1900, the world's heaviest recorded fish was caught with rod and reel off Catalina Island, California, by Franklin Schenck of Brooklyn. Pictured is the black sea bass that weighed 384 pounds and was captured with a 21 thread Cuttyhunk line after a 20-minute fight.
14.
Hairdryer from the 1920s.
15.
Women in boxing gloves in Hampstead Heath, London, ca. 1920.
16.
A Filipino-American family posing for a family portrait, Philippines, 1912.
17.
Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova and her pet swan at her London home, 1927.
18.
An old portrait taken of a woman while she was mid-sneeze, 1900.
19.
Oxford bags trousers, ca. 1920.
20.
Group of officials posing for a portrait during the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1935.
21.
Hop pickers use stilts on a farm at Wateringbury in Kent, 1928.