In 1938, America was still clawing its way out of the Great Depression, while Europe braced for the possibility of yet another war. You’d think folks might have just given up, but people still found reasons to carry on — swing music filled dance halls as couples stole loving glances and maybe even a kiss or two, Hollywood’s Golden Age was going strong, and families huddled around radios hoping for good news from abroad. Here are 35 photos that capture the highs and lows of a monumental year.
1. Family Portrait in the Living Room, Circa 1938
2. Colorized Image of Times Square, New York
3. Couples Swing Dancing the Night Away
4. A Photographer Captures an Elderly Woman Sitting Outside a Village Home in Kaifeng, China
5. ‘My Mother in 1938’
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6. Triplets!
7. Schoolchildren Pose for a Class Photo in San Joaquin, California
8. ‘Portrait of My Okinawan Grandmother, 1938’
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9. Technician Works on a Massive Wall of Telephone Switchboards in New York
10. A 1938 REO Speedwagon Pictured Hauling a Curtis Aerocar
11. A 23-Year-Old Frank Sinatra Arrested in New Jersey for Adultery
12. Surfers Ride the Waves on Longboards in Waikiki, Hawaii
13. ‘My Maternal Grandparents’ High School Graduation Photos, 1938’
14. ‘Giving a Pal a Boost on a Hot Day’
15. ‘My Grandmother and Her Older Sister Grew Up in the Chicago Suburb of Lisle During the Great Depression’
16. Just Having a Tea Party With an Eagle and a Lobster
17. A Snowball Fight Breaks Out By the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
18. Tourists Enjoy Tea and Sunbathing Atop the Great Pyramid of Giza
19. American Heartthrob Cary Grant During the Filming of ‘Holiday’
20. ‘Girl Fieldworkers at the King Farm Strike Against 17-Cents-an-Hour Wages in Morrisville, Pennsylvania’
21. Actors Portraying the Munchkins in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at MGM Studios
22. Women Concentrate on a Game of Bingo at a County Fair in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
23. Women Walk Past a Rexall Drugstore in Newark, Ohio, Advertising Its Sale Prices
24. ‘Unemployed Lumber Worker Goes With His Wife to the Bean Harvest in Oregon, 1938’
25. A Man Shows Off His New Whip in South Richmond, Virginia
26. Surfer Girls Ready To Catch Some Waves in Hawaii
27. A Mother Cares for Her Children in a Rundown Shack in Missouri
28. Judy Garland’s Screen Test for ‘The Wizard of Oz’
29. A Sea of People Sunbathing at Barry Island, Wales
30. ’20-Year-Old Robert Wadlow, the World’s Tallest Human Being, Standing With His Father’
31. A Newspaper Boy Flashes a Smile While Doing His Daily Run in Ohio
32. Two Kids Pose Outside the ‘World’s Largest Log Cabin’ in Portland, Oregon
33. Crowds Gather To Inspect the Wreckage of a Crashed Military Plane in Washington, D.C., November 1938
34. Austrian-Born Actress and Inventor Hedy Lamarr
35. A Coal Miner’s Wife and Three of Their Children Pictured in West Virginia
More ’30s content:
- 33 Photos That Show Life in the Early 1930s — These 33 vintage photos capture the emotion and grit of an era caught between hard times and a more hopeful future.
- 15 Haunting Photos of the 1930s Dust Bowl — The Dust Bowl remains a somber reminder of how badly humans can damage nature, and the price they pay in doing so.
- Travel Back to 1939 With These 33 Captivating Photos — These photos capture the moments of joy, resilience, and quiet normalcy in a time of fear and adversity.
