Century-Old Colorized Photos Bring The Past to Life

Life today is extremely different from what it once was. The world has changed rapidly with major advances in the last few decades alone in several areas, from technology, transportation, and healthcare to communications and societal roles. Changes were even more significant almost a century earlier in about every aspect – how business was conducted, home life, and even social life.

One hundred years ago life was vastly different. Black and white pics from that era can make it look like another world. Yet, once images of the time were colorized and restored, it illustrated how some things weren't all that different from today.

We took some of the most fascinating images from the 1920s and added color to bring the past to life.

It's fun to see what major cities looked like back in the day. This photo showcases the city of Omaha, Nebraska. There are plenty of cars and people moving about. We also get a good look at the famous Nebraska Clothing Company. While cities look somewhat similar today, they're definitely busier.

In color, the detail on these stylish old cars is incredible.

When many people think about work in the 1920s, they often imagine assembly lines in factories around the country, and for many, that was how they made ends meet. This image gives us young men and women working in a face cream factory in Chicago. This was probably in 1920. More work was done by hand back then than it is now.

With color, you can see the detail of the huge metal vats behind these workers.

In this image, we see a different type of working environment. This picture was taken at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company back in 1920. Here are a few men but mostly women working at their typewriters as they write up policies and complete various other work. This is how many offices looked back in the 20s.

Check out the rich colors of these wooden desks and chairs.

This photo shows a very familiar scene, and that's heavy traffic. We don't know where all of these people are going. It could be to or from work but it seems that as long as there have been cars, traffic jams have been an issue. It's interesting to see so many older cars in one place.

Color brings this scene to life – especially the grass in the foreground and the trees in the background.

Here we have another image of a workplace during the 1920s. This time, it's a shoe factory. In this picture, the folks are hard at work producing women's shoes and they take their tasks very seriously. A lot of work was done by hand during those days. Today, it's mostly machines doing the work.

Color highlights the wonderful detail of the shoe designs.

Here, we see a group of men working in a warehouse, which is likely a distillery or brewery. The men are all holding barrels while completing some sort of task. Look in the background, and you'll see countless barrels stacked up as far as the eye can see.

With color added it is easier to compare this scene to warehouse work today – the hats are a bit different!

This image shows a construction crew completing all of the tasks necessary to build the floors of an apartment building. They are working with prefabricated walls, which means they're built ahead of time so they can easily be added, and the construction time is cut down drastically. Even with fewer tools, buildings back then often went up faster than they do today.

The color version of this pic looks surprisingly familiar – apart from the outfits.

This work environment shows men working on a production line in a factory in America. They're building tires here. Almost every task back in the 20s was done by hand, and making tires for various automobiles was no exception.

Color brings this work scene to life – you can almost hear the machinery.

Here is another part of the car manufacturing process in the 1920s. The guys pictured here are working on car fenders. They need to inspect each one to ensure it's made exactly to specifications before it goes to the painting department.

Color adds depth and atmosphere to this 1920s scene.

This photo, taken around 1920, shows men tending to and caring for their horses. They may work for a farm or at the county fair. But either way, it's a picture straight out of the decade.

Thanks to color we get to see the true color of the horses and the detail of where they are stabled.

When many people think of what life was like in the 1920s, they think about diners and the patrons that made them famous. There were diners and buffets across the country, and for many, it was their favorite place to dine. This picture is taken during the lunch rush at the Exchange Buffet in New York.

Here you can see the details of the outfits as these workers eat their lunch.

People looked out for each other during the 1920s, and this pack of Girl Scouts is a perfect example. We're not sure if this is real or staged, but the girls are caring for a young boy who was injured while riding his bike.

It's great to see some of the outfits of the past and how they're not so different from what groups like the Girl Scouts still wear today.

In color, the girls' facial expressions look a little more sinister.

It's hard to fathom how different earlier vehicles were from what we have today. This image shows us an old truck with plenty of cargo space in the back. It's also interesting to see that many vehicles were set up so drivers sat out in the open. There's even space for the dog.

Color brings so much light and joy to this scene.

Baseball has always been one of America's favorite pastimes, and like today, many people will do anything they can to get a view of the game. This is an interesting picture of kids defying the odds while climbing high in trees to see their favorite team play.

With the blue sky behind them, the position of these men looks even more precarious.

Talk about having a wild time on the beach. In this image, we see a couple spending time near the ocean as they ride their favorite horse and spend time with their beloved dog. This is a sight that you won't see often these days, but people were a bit more carefree back then.

In color, this couple looks more like circus performers.

When we go out in the sun, we must be protected from the harmful UV rays. While we typically wear sunglasses and sunscreen these days, the girls from the 20s often wore protective goggles as they lay on the beach. It's better to be safe than sorry.

With color added, it looks a lot warmer on the beach.

While people in the 1920s loved to spend time on the beach during the summer months, when the weather turned cold, many opted to skate and ride sleds and toboggans on the frozen lakes.

You had to be careful, but if you found a lake in a deep freeze, you and your kids could really have a ball. In this case, the group consists of students at Bernard College in NYC.

Movement and life are added to this capture by the color.

Kids had all of the fun back in the 1920s. In this image, we see a large group of pupils from public schools around the New York area. This was a field trip to see the silent film "Robin Hood" at the Lyric Theater in the city, a trip paid for by the New York Globe newspaper.

This theater looks a lot more exciting in color.

In this photo from 1925, we see a family or group of friends enjoying life on the patio. There's plenty of watermelon going around and musical accompaniment via the banjo. With limited entertainment options to enjoy indoors, many people spend a lot of time out on their patio or around town.

This feast looks a lot tastier in color.

This is another photo that shows what life was like in the 1920s. Back then, milk was delivered in bottles, and it was big business. In this image, we see some young boys posing with their personal milk bottles next to a sign that teaches just how beneficial milk is to a growing body.

According to the source, the boys had collected the milk for their mothers. It was a nice and innocent time.

So much light and joy is added to this scene when colororized.

America has always had pride in the troops and the hard-working men and women of the Army deserve that respect. In this picture, we see the United States Army Signal Corps performing squats and balance exercises so they can be agile, quick, and strong while assisting on the battlefield.

This is probably not unlike the exercises they do today. Learn more about the world's military past by reading about the biggest battles America has ever fought.

Movement and energy are added to this image by the color.