From a U.S. perspective, the 1860s were largely defined by the Civil War, the height and demise of Abraham Lincoln, and the abolishment of slavery. Around the globe, poverty was prevalent, Japan rose to prominence, and China’s Qing Dynasty fell, along with plenty of other pivotal moments. These pictures capture the raw essence of the 1860s.
1. Holding Little Sister’s Head Still for a Picture (1864)
2. Sara Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s Ward and Goddaughter (1862)
3. Marian Sophia Green and Her Husband Charles Henry Munn (1861)
4. Ambulance Train at Harewood Hospital in City Point, Virginia (1863)
5. Black Union Soldier Sitting Outside of a Slave Auction House in Atlanta (1864)
Trending on Wealth Gang
6. Virginia City Mine Workers (1868)
7. The Pasta Shop in Palermo (1864)
8. Abraham Lincoln’s Inauguration (1861)
Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe to Wealth Gang and get exclusive tips, top deals, and money-saving ideas sent directly to you.
9. Frances Clayton, Who Fought Disguised as a Man Alongside Her Husband During the Civil War (1865)
10. Courting Couple (1860)
11. On Board the ‘Nereid’ (1869)
12. Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan (1865)
13. Tent Life at Fort Slocum (1861)
14. A Street in Corinne, Utah (1869)
15. Group of Sami Fishermen and Women (1867)
16. Wedding Portrait (1863)
17. Abraham Lincoln’s Funeral Procession in Philadelphia (1865)
18. Confederate Soldier Edwin Francis Jemison (1861)
19. Charles Dickens and His Daughters, Mamie and Katie (1866)
20. ‘Contrabands’ (Escaped Slaves) Moving Via Oxcart Through the Rappahannock River in Virginia (1862)
21. First Subway Ride in London (1862)
22. Musician in Constantinople (1867)
23. British Veteran of the Napoleonic Wars and His Wife
24. Argentine Gaucho (1868)
25. Flooded Street in Montreal (1869)
26. Samurai With a Longbow (1863)
27. Drinking Coffee on Cliffs in Sweden
28. Elizabeth Tower From Westminster Bridge (1869)
29. Slum in Glasgow, Scotland (1865)
30. Native American Man Looking Out at the Newly Completed Transcontinental Railroad in Nevada (1869)
31. USS Galena (1862)
32. Emancipated Slave Children From New Orleans (1863)
33. Washington, D.C. (1863)
34. Homeless Boy (1860)
More from the 1800s:
- 24 Colorized Photos That Bring the 1800s to Life — Colorized photos from this era are among the closest things we have to traveling back in time.
- 15 Mugshots From the 1800s — These vintage photographs captured everyone from hardened criminals to small-time pickpockets who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
- 17 Colorized Images of the Civil War — These colorized images strip away the distance of time by offering a visceral glimpse into the hardship and resilience of those who lived through one of America’s most defining periods yet.
