See how gazebos became one of America’s favorite outdoor retreats with a look back at some vintage styles and backyard designs!
1912
The charm of a New York City summer vacation — the ideal place for a summer resort? — lies in the unrivaled transportation facilities of the great seaport.
Look back at what antique school supplies looked like back in the 1800s, along with popular teaching materials from the Victorian era!
These vintage tips to identify antique silver come from the 1940s – and include diagrams, descriptions and photos of lots of vintage silverwork.
Before air conditioning and refrigerators existed, see some of the ways people managed to stay cool in summer during the great New York heat wave of 1911!
Take a look at these modest old-fashioned swimsuits for men and women, seen on real beachgoers and early movie actresses, with many high-quality and colorized vintage photos!
If you think there couldn’t be much that’s changed about vintage baby bottles in the past 100 years or so, you may be surprised. Here’s a look!
100 years ago, public swimming pools were vital for summer survival The charm of vintage public swimming pools from the early 1900s transports us back
Take a stroll back to the late 1800s and early 1900s to see some of the grand homes and New York mansions that lined Fifth Avenue.
Old-fashioned candy in the US traces its roots from luxury 1800s treats to timeless favorites. See how these sweets have captured the affection of generations.
See our collection of vintage St Patrick’s Day postcards — these sweet little hello notes offer a nostalgic peek into early 20th-century celebrations.
Here’s a sweet selection of vintage Valentine’s Day cards – little love notes people sent to each other by the millions around the early part of the 20th century.
Explore how vintage drugstores and the pharmacy apothecary once sold not just tonics and elixirs, but also narcotics like cocaine & heroin with ease.
Discover a curated roundup of must-see vintage Craftsman house plans. Perfect for those interested in classic design, renovation, or new builds.
Try not to be too creeped out by this collection of vintage Halloween party ideas spanning over a century!
The invention of the Ferris Wheel was a jaw-dropping innovation of its time! Find out the history of the Ferris Wheel ride we now know so well, plus see pictures of the HUGE first one.
When teddy bears hit the market, the craze for these soft, comforting companions was instant and universal. Here’s a look back at the remarkable history of the teddy bear, and see lots of adorable versions through the years.
Light up your memory with some some great old home décor – more than 200 antique and vintage table lamps from the beginning of the twentieth century to its end!
Toby Jugs came to America in the 1700s and quickly became a favorite collectible. Check out these examples of the art form!
For decades, Cracker Jack has been more than a just a popcorn and peanut snack. Thanks to the famed Cracker Jack prizes, it’s also a treasure hunt in a box! Find out more about this peak Americana treat.
Millions know ‘Say, Say, Oh Playmate’ – also known as ‘Playmate’ – but few today know much about the rhyming song & hand clapping game. Find out more here!
The book “Little Folks of Animal Land” by Harry Whittier Frees was released in 1915, and featured mostly kittens and puppies in various human scenarios. Take a look!
See what it looked like inside the Titanic – the interiors of fancy lounges, dining rooms, first-class cabins and other luxurious delights – before the ship sunk to the ocean floor on her maiden voyage in 1912.
From awful double entendres to horrible diseases to the just plain bizarre, here are some vintage bad product names that used to appear on grocery store shelves.
Throughout the 20th century, the nursing profession and vintage nursing uniforms evolved in step with society.
Before the advent of modern refrigeration, there was the charming, wooden icebox in the corner of the kitchen – the epicenter of cold storage from the mid-19th to early 20th century.
Revive Edwardian elegance with these 1910s home decor tips provided by a design expert from the era.
What can you make with green tomatoes? Here’s an old-fashioned recipe for fried green tomatoes, plus 10 more ways to use them!
This collection of vintage Girl Scout uniforms, badges and insignia represents a century of tradition, friendship and — most of all — girl power.
Check out these silent movie title cards were created as movie theater etiquette notes, reminders and announcements that preceded a film that really are snapshots in time.
From uprights to baby grands & more, these antique pianos are works of art!
Over 100 years have passed since the shocking Titanic tragedy in 1912. Here we’ve assembled some essential Titanic facts and stats about the ship, as well as those who traveled on her doomed maiden voyage.
As long as antique buttons have adorned our clothing and shoes, people have been collecting them. Made from a multitude of materials – from metal to bone, wood to plastic – buttons are miniature pieces of everyday history.
Here is a collection of 24 colorful vintage Easter cards from the early twentieth century!
See the surprising reasons so many old silent movies have completely disappeared — leaving us to wonder what cinematic treasures have been lost to the ages.
New York in 1911: Watch Edwardian New Yorkers come to life in this amazing rediscovered film footage
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to have lived a century ago, or to have wandered the streets of a much younger Manhattan, you will be amazed by the footage in New York 1911!
The story of the Titanic sinking is a tragedy that has captivated audiences for over a century. Despite the passage of time, our fascination with the event and its aftermath has hardly diminished.
The man behind the famous Hell Gate Brewery, George Ehret, wasn’t just a business success — he was a success as a human. Find out more about his story!
Here’s an old-fashioned hot cross buns recipe from the 1960s, plus two more from 1912, so you can pick your favorite way to make some classic Easter buns with real vintage flavor.
Based on the state of plastic surgery in the 1920s, and with regular improvements in science, one journalist suggested in 1922 that soon women wouldn’t have to age – ‘I mean shriveled or waddling old and all that.’
Marshall Pinckney Wilder was a hugely successful comedian during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
If you’ve ever bought a pricey bottle of flavoring, you may have wondered: How can you make your own homemade extracts for less? It’s probably a lot easier than you think.
Vintage circus posters are a fantastic way to get a glimpse into the world of the old-fashioned circus and all the excitement it offered!
Take a look back in time at some vintage postcards sent by people in the first two decades of the 1900s to wish friends and family a happy new year!
The Life Savers candy brand has been around for more than a century! Here’s a look back at how the little sweets with a hole became so popular, and the many flavors they have made over the years.
How did people celebrate the spookiest holiday many generations ago? Look here for some very vintage – but hauntingly creative – old-school Halloween party table decor ideas & menus!
What did the Titanic ship look like inside? Check out several different Titanic cross-section views, and get an idea of the size and the layout of the doomed vessel.
These idyllic scenes from old Atlantic City show the fancy hotels, beautiful boardwalk, busy beaches, and fashionable crowds – all part of why the city and the Jersey shore used to be one of the east coast’s top vacation destinations.
What was a classic Craftsman house like – and what made it unique? Find out more here about this vintage architectural style and its founder, Gustav Stickley – plus see more than 70 old examples of this iconic design.
Tales of courage about people who died on the Titanic fascinate us to this day. Here are stories about some of the ship’s most prominent passengers.
Stained glass windows are back in style! Take a look at lots of gorgeous design examples, for churches, homes and businesses – plus get some historical perspective on stained and leaded glass art!
Weddings have changed a lot in the past century – and so have the parties for the bride-to-be! Here’s a look back at some sweet old-fashioned bridal shower ideas from the first decades of the 20th century.
Charlotte Collyer lived through the tragic disaster the world remembers more than 100 years later. Here, read about what happened in this dramatic and compelling first-person account from a Titanic survivor.
Here are some accounts from Titanic survivors of the mid-ocean disaster, who managed to be rescued from the doomed ship back in 1912.
Here are some front pages of newspapers around the country, showing very first breaking Titanic news on the night she sank. There was very little information available at the time, and some news reports were, sadly, completely inaccurate.
Celebrate a joyous and happy holiday with these old-fashioned, traditional Easter blessings and prayers from more than a century ago!
Below are several chapters from a book that was issued the same year as the Titanic disaster, and was called simply Titanic. While many aspects
Why take the stairs while you can ride up in comfort inside one of these metalwork ‘cage’ style antique elevators, made with beautiful ornamental iron? Just tell the bellhop what floor you want.
We discovered these 22 amazing old pictures of some of the most gorgeous historical hotel lobbies from across the US. Have a scroll and step back in time with us to a more elegant era!
Crystal chandeliers have been a symbol of luxury and opulence since the 18th century. If you’re wondering what crystal chandeliers used to look like, take a peek below at these vintage photos!
Olc cash register history goes back to the Victorian era, and were used to both streamline accounting, and to keep cashiers from stealing money. Find out more here!
The Cadillac innovation mentioned herein was a two-speed rear axle, combined with a door-mounted, electrically-operated shifter which allowed the driver to change the rear axle
Old-fashioned dentistry in the early 1900s had come a long way since the Wild West days, but, compared to what we have available in the 21st century, it might as well have been the Dark Ages. Take a look!
These vintage selfies, several of which date back to the 1800s, prove that the desire to capture our own images has been around for a long time. Here’s how people took self-portraits with old cameras long ago!
By the early 20th century, materials were more readily available to make picture jigsaw puzzles – and the novelties were soon found in households across the country.
What did old New York look like years ago, after night fell? Here’s a peek at the ‘city that never sleeps’ as it appeared by the light of the moon, the stars… and the skyscrapers.
Take a glimpse into what the famous old Macy’s department store looked like just over a hundred years ago – and how it offered its customers a shopping experience like no other.
For generations, mail carriers and other postal workers have worked hard to bring us letters, magazines, packages and more. Here’s a look at how they transported the mail long ago!
What was old bedroom decor like from the early 1900s? Here are some rooms from just after the turn of the century, from the simple to the super-floral.
More than 100 years ago, see how antique baby carriages like these were styled with beautiful designs, made from wicker, metal and wood – sometimes embellished with wooden spindles and woven reeds.
Books in a home once signaled that the residents were intelligent, worldly, and could afford to collect their favorite volumes. Look back at some vintage bookshelves from the past!
Planning a wedding with a classic old-fashioned feel? Check out this collection of beautiful vintage wedding dresses from the first two decades of the 1900s!
Through this rare collection of photographs and other ephemera, see what New York’s classically elegant old Ritz-Carlton Hotel was like once upon a time, starting when it opened in 1911.
Onboard these old Deluxe Overland Limited trains, every hotel luxury could be found – including a barber shop, valet service, a library, buffet meals, a mens’ clubroom, and a cafe dining car. Take a look!
Antique early American weathervanes shaped like horses, cows, deer, roosters, angels, ships and even fish were hammered in metal and used as much to decorate rooftops as to note the direction of the wind
What were calling cards, and how were these visiting cards used by polite society back at the turn of the century? Find out!
Here’s a look back at some of the most popular automobiles for 1911 – when motor cars were still quite a novelty, and there were dozens of companies producing cars that ran on both gas and electricity.
The old-fashioned benefits of breastfeeding are many, no matter what century you’re living in. Here’s a look back at some of what experts were saying about nursing babies back in the early 1900s.
Through 75 artistic antique color covers of The Theatre magazine, take a peek back in time from the first decades of the twentieth century to see these classic actors & actresses who performed onstage more than 100 years ago
Women have destroyed the beauty of their hands by trying to transform with the scissors the blunt, thick finger ends that belong on the practical or elementary hand into the dainty or tapering fingertips.
Mosey on over and meet William Cody, who was known in these parts for his Buffalo Bill’s Wild West & Congress of Rough Riders of the World exhibitions. Yee haw!
If you have a pair of vintage gloves – or even a new pair – and want to know the best way to care for these delicate and elegant classic accessories, this article is for you!
There is not a man living who does not like to see a woman in an apron. Every groom dreams of his young wife donning an apron in which to pour his coffee.
When the old Victrola record players were first introduced, those turntables were some cutting-edge tech. Here’s a look at the history of the famous Victor Talking Machines!
Our grandmothers used to take care of lace to preserve them, and we, too, can follow in the footsteps of our ancestors to keep our laces in good condition.
It’s not often you can discover long-lost information about somewhere like New York City’s PJ Clarke’s saloon/restaurant. How much more could there be left to learn about a piece of living history?
Here are three old-fashioned plum pudding recipes – classic Christmas desserts full of fruit, booze, and other good things that there is little room for the dough.
No doubt that several of these vintage hairstyles for women from the 1910s could be adapted for use today, and would look as elegantly stylish as ever. Take a look!
Here are a few ideas for antique-style Christmas embroidery you can use to create small gifts. We have also included some bonus patterns, also from the early 1900s.
Long before automatic washing machines, people had to wash their clothes the old-fashioned way – using vintage washboards, tubs, hand scrubbing, and things called manglers. Here’s how they did it.
When the Titanic sank, it was the biggest ship in the world – and although the movie industry was still young, many cameras were able to cover the disaster. Here’s a look.
Winchester rifles for all kinds of hunting (1905) Winchester rifles are not the choice of any one special class, but of all intelligent sportsmen who go to the
Below are terrifying and telling sketches of the Titanic’s last moments, drawn by Lewis P Skidmore, who was a passenger on the rescue ship Carpathia
Here’s a selection of vintage 4th of July postcards to celebrate Independence Day, all dating back to the first two decades of the 20th century!
Even today, there are ships buried under downtown San Francisco that you might walk over, on land reclaimed from the Bay thanks to the Gold Rush.
After years of growth, Detroit became a major transportation hub, and many gorgeous Victorian mansions were built for wealthy residents.
A hundred years ago, needle baths were popular in hotels and luxury homes. They were like a shower, but with a few basic differences. See some here.
Explore how Nikola Tesla’s inventive genius powered the world, from AC motors to wireless electricity, and why his legacy continues to shine bright today.
