Some Vintage Photographs of London From the 1920s

London’s growth accelerated during the 18th century, and it was the world’s largest city from about 1831 to 1925. This growth was aided from 1836 by London’s first railways which put small countryside towns within easy reach of the city. The rail network expanded very rapidly, and caused these places to grow whilst London itself expanded into surrounding fields, merging with neighboring settlements such as Kensington. Rising traffic congestion on city centre roads led to the creation of the world's first metro system — the London Underground.

Of course during World War II the Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London.

So what was London like during the 1920s, after the boom times when it was the world’s largest city, but before the great depression and WWII? The photos below may give some clues, more pictures here.

Victoria Station

Horses and Carts

Old Ford Picture Palace

City

Tower Bridge

22 Interesting Old Photographs of People Posing With Their Cameras

The quality and portability of cameras these days would be quite astonishing to photographers from back in the earlier days of photography — the days in which you needed both hands and a strong back to work as a photojournalist. Here, an interesting collection of old photographs of people posing with their cameras.

A traveling photographer shooting in Columbus, Ohio with his sidewalk portrait camera, 1938.

In 1939, when star college quarterback Davy O’Brien visited Washington to receive a prestigious award, he paid a visit to Presidential Secretary Marvin H. McIntyre at the White House. To demonstrate his passing technique to McIntyre, O’Brien grabbed a camera from a news photographer nearby and pretended to use it as a football.

Children at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) Camelback Farms inspect the photographer's camera, Phoenix, Arizona, 1942.

Photographers at President Taft's inauguration, March 4, 1909

Theodor Horydczak lying on ground with camera in the early 1900s.

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Vintage Smoking Gals In Lingerie & Stockings

Smoking looks almost shocking these days. Those bad girls and their cancer sticks.

Ballet-training in New York, 1931

Dance, ballet training. New York girls train legs. America, New York, 1931

I'll go first!

Charlie Chaplin in "Sunnyside", 1919

Charlie Chaplin in "Sunnyside", USA 1919

Zookeeper Feeding Bears at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, 1900

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