Wow! Wait until you check out this archive full of old photos! The images here are intriguing because they show us American history unfolding. But they’re also strangely disturbing and unsettling because of what they tell us about the times in which they were made.
Some of the images on the WeirdVintage website are old ads, taken from newspapers and magazines from back to the middle of the nineteenth century.
A few of the ads were hard to figure out. I’m not sure what was being hyped in this ad with a cute kitten climbing out of a box of “Eclectric Oil. It says it’s both an internal and an external remedy. But for what?
And then there were these funny little advertising gems:
Dancing frogs for a sewing machine. Sure, why not?
Or the one about how to shame your child into neatness, courtesy of Kitsch-Slapped.
Some of the ads in the old archive were more heavy handed, though. Check out this “in your face” reminder about personal hygiene:
A bunch of the photos in this fascinating archive are just plain creepy, while others are amazing snippets of real history. For example, here is a picture of Albert Einstein holding a puppet of himself:
And one of Spanish artist Salvador Dali walking his pet anteater:
A few of the best images were supposed to be serious social lessons, and they are hilarious. Check out this one, which is personal favorite:
Hahaha! No smutty stories for this hardworking boy, no siree!
Of course, women who had joined the workforce around the turn of the century might have benefitted from these instructions on how to beat a masher with your bumbershoot:
This leads to a whole mini-history on feminism. Look at these:
via Mentalfloss
And then there is our ongoing struggle to understand human sexuality:
Finally, there are the just plain horrific pictures, like this one of “Mortado the Human Fountain” circa 1930. This guy had bored holes in his hands and feet so that he could perform at the Coney Island Dreamland Circus, where water was made to spew through his hands and feet like a fountain. EEEEW.
Times have certainly changed. We may still have to deal with annoying advertising, but at least there are no more human fountains around.
At least, none that I know about!
Then there are the just plain creepy pictures, like this one of “Mortado the Human Fountain” circa 1930. This guy had bored holes in his hands and feet so that he could perform at the Coney Island Dreamland Circus, where water was made to spew through his hands and feet like a fountain. EEEEW.
Check out Weird Vintage for more disturbing and fascinating glimpses into the past.
Check out the site Weird Vintage. Have yourself some creepy fun.
