AuthorVictor Doppelt contributes visual history articles with an interest in military history, public spectacle, forgotten technology, and the ways photographs preserve small clues about large historical changes. His pieces often begin with a single striking image and expand outward into context, character, and consequence.
The Spanish American war was a brief armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. The war pitted the new battleships of the American navy against the decrepit and outclassed vessels of Spain. In the result, the United States…
Dutch Children The following pictures of Holland were taken from a book written in Dutch called De Aarde en haar volken (“The Earth and Its People”) written in 1906 . The photos show daily life in various parts of the world and offers a…
“Glory to the conquerors of the universe!”, ca., 1960. The USSR developed an early lead over the United States in the Space Race, when it launched the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik, the first successful orbiting satellite.…
traditional Dutch Costumes Dutch Costumes Not long ago clothing was based on local traditions and customs. There were no national brands or fashions. The clothing that one wore reflected the culture of the place: their village, their…
Out for a Drive A group of fashionably dressed women go for a Sunday drive on a beautiful summer day in 1915 San Francisco through Golden Gate Park. I have no idea how they managed to keep their giant hats from being blown off. Based on…
This is a photographic journey back to British India , known then as the Raj. India in 1912 was still a colonial possession of the British Empire, the jewel in its crown. Its vast population, strategic position and resources made the…
Climbing a Glacier in Mt. Ranier National Park A group of adventurous men and women, sporting the latest mountain climbing equipment for 1915, climb a glacier in Mount Rainier National Park. It’s interesting to see just how unsuitable…
wpsso pinterest pin it image added on 2021-06-20T17:36:19+00:00 .wpsso-pinterest-pin-it-image The San Francisco Earthquake and its Aftermath The San Francisco Earthquake: a view of the ruined city. The San Francisco Earthquake: a view of…
The Ansonia Hotel on the corner of Broadway and 73rd Street in New York, billed itself as “Fireproof in Every Sense of the Word.” I am not sure how many types of fire proof there are! Here is their advertisement from around 1900.…
chillabour A little girl works at a knitting mill at the Louden Hosiery Mills in Loudon, Tennesseem 1910. She is so young and small that she has to stand on a stool in order to reach her machine, yet she is doing the same work as the…
