They didn’t call them the Roaring Twenties for no reason. Though still recovering from the ravages of World War I, 1922 was a year that saw ordinary folks turn hardship into celebration. Jazz spilled out of dance halls, silent films were taking over, and everyday life carried on in speakeasies, Sunday dinners, and soda shops. From children playing on war-torn streets to flappers dressed to the nines, here are 32 vintage photos that capture a world that feel both familiar and distant at the same time.
1. A Man in Crutches Stands Outside of a Soda Shop in New York
2. ‘My Great Grandfather in His Irish Republican Army Uniform, Aged 18’
3. A Couple Rides a Motorcycle Car in Front of the Eiffel Tower
4. ‘My Grandpa, 23, Posing For His Football Picture at the University of Chicago in 1922’
5. Albert Einstein Lecturing Students on the Theory of Relativity
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6. ‘1922 Passport Photo’
7. A Group of Flappers Showing Off the Latest Fashion
8. Robert T. Lincoln (Son of Abraham Lincoln) Is Helped Up the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial to Honor His Father, May 1922
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9. ‘My Great-Grandmother Bertha Anderson in 1922’
10. A Car Crashes Into a Lamp Post Along the Hudson in New York City
11. Colorized Image of 18-Year-Old Inventor H. Day Wearing Wired Headphones Connected To His Top Hat, May 1922
12. British Archaeologist Howard Carter Studies the Tomb of Tutankhamun After Its Discovery in Egypt, November 1922
13. A Gun-Totin’ Toddler: ‘My Grandfather in 1922’
14. ‘Miss America Contestants of 1922’
15. A Donkey Cart Delivers Rainwater in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
16. Twin Showgirls Pose for a Snap in Feathered Costumes
17. ‘Producer and Silent Film Actress Mary Pickford, 1922’
18. An Elderly Woman Spins Wool in a Rustic Cabin
19. Lota Cheek, Winner of a Beauty Contest in New York City
20. Big Bows for the Win: Two Little Girls in Matching Dresses and Bows Play in St. Augustine, Florida
21. A British Nanny Driving a Motorized Baby Pram
22. ‘Sharing a Drink at the White House Easter Egg Roll, 1922’
23. An Inuit Eskimo Man Listens to Music on a Phonograph
24. ‘The Prosperity Special Crosses the Pecos High Bridge Near Langtry, Texas’
25. ‘My Great, Great Aunt After Becoming the First Miss America in 1922’
26. A 7-Year-Old Frank Sinatra Already Looking Like a Charmer
27. Mugshot of Valerie Lowe, Arrested in Australia for Breaking Into an Army Warehouse To Steal Boots and Overcoats
28. A Flapper Is Arrested in Chicago for ‘Showing Too Much Leg’
29. Two Kids Take a Spin in Their Toy Car
30. Colorized Photo of Babe Ruth in the Stands After His Suspension From the First Six Games of the 1922 Season
31. A Sea of Children Beg for Food During the USSR Famine 1921-1922
32. Colorized Image of High Society Ladies Playing Mahjong
More 1920s content:
- These 30 Photos Capture What Life Was Actually Like in the Early 1920s — Here are 30 vintage photos from the early ’20s that capture slices of life in an unforgettable moment in time.
- 20 Dreamy Photos That Show Why Paris in the 1920s Was Pure Magic — These 20 dreamy photos capture a world where modernity merged with tradition — and where Paris truly earned its title as the City of Lights.
- 32 Vintage Photos That Capture the World in 1928 — On the cusp of the Great Depression, life in 1928 embraced simplicity and looked innovation dead in the face.
