A Year in Focus: 30 Photos That Reveal What 1940 Was Really Like
Marred by the harsh realities of war, 1940 was a year filled with turmoil and uncertainty. With WWII now looming over much of the world, men in America braced for the possibility of being shipped off to Europe, women took over factories, and rations became commonplace.
But life also carried on in surprisingly mundane ways as children played in the streets, couples danced to swing music, and hope found its way into the everyday. Here are 30 vintage photos that capture the ups and downs of 1940.
1. Women Riveters Working Together in an Aircraft Plant
2. ‘My Grandfather in the Middle, Pictured With Friends’
3. A Woman Stands Next to a Sign Advertising ‘Fresh Pig’s Feet’
4. Taking a Selfie During Wartime
5. Two Little Girls Rush Into the Arms of Their Wounded Father Returning From War in France, June 1940
6. Three Ladies Dressed in Stylish Dresses Chat on a City Street
7. ‘My Grandmother (Front Row With Glasses) and Her Nursing School Graduating Class in Texas’
8. Women on Roller Skates Promote Gas Conservation by Skating to Work in New York City
9. A Group of Florida Migrants Pictured on Their Way to New Jersey To Pick Potatoes
10. A Family Enjoys Some Down Time at Their Home in Crawford, Illinois
11. ‘Only Young Picture I Have of My Grandmother, Kindest Woman in the World’
12. Children Take to the Streets To Splash Around in Spanish Harlem, New York City
13. Two Women in Floral Dresses Pose for a Photo on a Snow-Dusted Sidewalk
14. ‘Children Dancing in Harlem, New York City’
15. A Week’s Worth of Rations for One Adult in the UK
16. Two Women Work at an Aircraft Factory in Preparation of America’s Entry Into WWII
17. ‘My Great Grandad During WWII’
18. Defying Gravity: A Man Lifts His Partner to New Heights on the Dance Floor
19. Children Play in the Streets of Manchester, England, With Makeshift Swings
20. A Couple Dances the Lindy Hop at a Club in Harlem, New York City
21. Children Ask a Store Worker for More Ice Cream on the Streets of New York
22. ‘My Grandpa in a Postcard He Sent To My Grandma During WWII’
23. A Bride Walks Out of Her Recently Bombed Home To Get Hitched in London During the Blitz, November 1940
24. ‘My Grandpa in the Marines During WWII’
25. Kids Play on the Streets of North Dakota as One Reads a Message Written in Chalk on the Sidewalk
26. A Shopkeeper Stands at the Entrance to His General Store in Vermont
27. ‘A Five-Year-Old Boy Tugs Away From His Mother’s Hand To Reach Out to His War-Bound Father in British Columbia, Canada’
28. Children Sled and Play During a Snow Day in Jewett City, Connecticut
29. Robert Wadlow, the Tallest Man in History, Pictured in a Florida Hotel Lobby Five Months Before His Death
30. ‘My Mexican Grandma Looking Classy in a Typical Spanish Mantilla’
More ’40s content:
- 35 Candid Photos That Capture Real Life in the 1940s — These pictures from the 1940s take us back to a time that teemed with uncertainty and promise all at the same time.
- Photos That Capture a Changing World in 1947 — These vintage photos of 1947 capture the highs and lows of a year in motion.
- 33 Early 1940s Photos That’ll Make You Feel Like You’ve Stepped Back in Time — These vintage pictures show what those early days of the 1940s looked like.