24 Colorized Photos That Bring the 1800s to Life

Written by Rachel Schneider on
The image is split: on the left, two men in suits sit at a table outside a tent; on the right, a woman in traditional embroidered dress holds a bundle of wheat.

Color photography didn’t become more widely available until the 1930s, and photography in general wasn’t all that common until the late 1800s. Because of their obsolete nature, colorized photos from that era are among the closest things we have to traveling back in time and seeing what those harder-to-document moments looked like in real life. Here are 24 colorized photos from the 1800s that do just that.

1. Female Samurai

A Japanese woman wearing traditional samurai armor with floral hair ornaments, posed against a pale background. An ornate red helmet rests in front of her. The image has a vintage, hand-colored appearance.
ILeadAgirlGang / Reddit.com

2. Bone Necklace, an Oglala Sioux Chief (1899)

A Native American man with long hair sits holding a bow and arrows, dressed in traditional clothing with beadwork, fur, and feathers. He looks down thoughtfully, with a neutral background behind him.
Hado0301 / Reddit.com

3. Civil War Soldiers at Camp (1860s)

Five men in blue Civil War-era uniforms sit and pose in front of cream-colored canvas tents on grass, with three seated on chairs and two on the ground. Another uniformed man appears in the background near a tent.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

4. Civil War Veterans Eating at the National Soldiers Home in Marion, Indiana (1898)

Large hall filled with rows of men in uniform sitting at long tables, eating a meal. The scene is orderly, with food and drinks on the tables, and the background shows more diners and high ceilings with pillars.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

5. A British Veteran of the Napoleonic Wars and His Wife (1860s)

A colorized vintage photo of an older man in a worn jacket, top hat, and a medal, sitting beside an older woman in a bonnet and patterned shawl, both with serious expressions, against a plain background.
GaGator43 / Reddit.com

6. Women in Sweden Jokingly Dressed as Men at a Photo Studio (1890s)

Seven young women dressed in suits and hats pose for a formal group portrait, some seated and others standing, with neutral expressions against a studio backdrop. The image is colorized and marked by Julius Jääskeläinen.
jocke75 / Reddit.com

7. Ukrainian Bride in Traditional Costume (1875)

A woman wearing traditional Eastern European clothing and a patterned headpiece holds a bundle of wheat. She has layered red and blue necklaces and embroidered sleeves, and poses against a plain background.
mygrapefruit / Reddit.com

8. Little Girl in a Fancy Hat (1890)

A young girl in a purple coat with white fur trim and a large black hat sits on a wicker chair, smiling. She holds a fluffy white bag and wears lace-up boots. The background is a dark studio backdrop.
memorylanepr / Reddit.com

9. Farmers in Eikesdalen, Norway (1885)

A young man leans against a large tree holding a bundle of harvested grain, while a woman in a headscarf and apron stands nearby with a sickle, set in a grassy field with mountains in the background.
jocke75 / Reddit.com

10. Children Sleeping on Mulberry Street in Manhattan (1890)

Three young children in worn clothes sit huddled together on a metal grate in a narrow, stone-walled alleyway, appearing cold and tired. The scene suggests poverty and homelessness.
jocke75 / Reddit.com

11. Buying Ice Cream From a Vendor in Tehran (1890)

A group of men and boys in traditional clothing gather around a street vendor with a cart in an open, sandy area. Some are standing, others are sitting, and the scene appears historical and outdoors.
Ehsan_Hashemi / Reddit.com

12. Japanese Archers (1860s)

Three men in traditional Japanese clothing stand outdoors; two are drawing longbows while the third holds arrows, watching. All are barefoot and wear loose pants, with greenery and a wooden structure in the background.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

13. Mason With a Trowel and a Sledgehammer (1865)

A side-by-side image shows a black-and-white photo of a bearded man holding a trowel and a hammer, next to a colorized version of the same image. The man wears a striped shirt, suspenders, and a wide-brimmed hat.
Colorized_Foretime / Reddit.com

14. Lumberjacks Felling a Giant Tree (1889)

Five men pose next to a giant redwood tree that has been freshly cut down in a forest; large saws and slices of the tree trunk are visible, emphasizing the tree’s enormous size.
Colorized_Foretime / Reddit.com

15. Einstein at 5-Years-Old (1884)

A young boy with dark hair, dressed in a brown 19th-century suit with a large bow and holding a hat, stands by a stone railing with a nature backdrop.
PeJae / Reddit.com

16. Abraham Lincoln (1865)

A historic portrait of Abraham Lincoln seated, wearing a dark suit and bow tie, looking slightly to the side with a neutral expression against a plain background.
BurchardColbert / Reddit.com

17. Siamese Oarsman (1865)

A barefoot man with short hair stands outdoors, holding a wooden paddle. He is shirtless and wears a traditional wrapped cloth around his waist. Lush green plants and a rustic building are visible in the background.
IckyChris / Reddit.com

18. Hanging Out in a Saloon 

A group of men in hats and vests sit at tables and stand at a wooden bar inside an old-fashioned saloon with patterned wallpaper, framed pictures, and a mirror behind the bar.
Remarkable_Put_7952 / Reddit.com

19. Abraham Lincoln in His Tent (1862)

Two men in 19th-century attire sit at a table inside a canvas tent. An American flag covers a cot beside them, and documents and maps are spread on the table. The scene appears historical and outdoors.
Blarghish / Reddit.com

20. 72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders (1852)

Three men in 19th-century Scottish military uniforms pose together. They wear red jackets, plaid trousers, and tall fur hats or caps, and display medals and rifles, with serious expressions against a plain background.
abt137 / Reddit.com

21. Rome, Italy (1890s)

Historic photo of the Spanish Steps in Rome, with people sitting and standing near the base, street vendors, and the Trinità dei Monti church at the top under a clear sky.
unl0veable / Reddit.com

22. US Revolutionary War Veteran, William Hutchings, at Age 100 (1864)

Elderly man with white hair, wearing a dark suit and bow tie, holding a cane, looks directly at the camera against a plain background.
draugen_pnw / Reddit.com

23. Ohio Couple Posing for a Photo (1890s)

A man in a vest and tie sits on the grass beside a woman in a long blue skirt and a decorative hat, both posing in front of a painted outdoor backdrop and next to a tree.
morganmonroe81 / Reddit.com

24. Minang Tribe in Australia (1876)

Six Indigenous Australian men stand in a circle, wearing traditional cloaks and body paint, with spears in hand, on sandy ground with smoke and natural landscape in the background.
ArchiGuru / Reddit.com

More from the 1800s:

Three vintage mugshot-style photos: a man with a bandaged head, a woman with a serious expression, and a man being held by the neck by someone off-frame. Handwritten names and numbers appear above each person.
dannydutch1/Reddit.com
Author
Rachel Schneider

Rachel is a Michigan-based writer with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing and English. Throughout her career, she has dabbled in a variety of subject matter from finance and higher education to lifestyle pieces and food writing. She also enjoys writing stories based on social media trends. Find her on Instagram @rachel.schneider922