24 Forgotten Photos Reveal the True Spirit of the 1920s
It’s been a century since the Roaring Twenties, an era that defined much of how the modern world operates today. However, the definitive era that brought consumers the radio, the television, and the first Ford motorcars felt very different from the 21st-century version.
We have looked into some of the lesser-known photos from the era that show how the world was developing then. We can compare these to where we are now. Some of these snapshots of our history might stir nostalgia or thankfulness, depending on one’s point of view.
1. Woolworth Tower in the Clouds, New York City (1928)
The first entry on the list shows New York’s skyline during its adolescent stage when the Woolworth Tower was king of the cityscape. The photo comes from the Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc., taken from the above.
Seeing the tower poking through the low-lying clouds summarizes the lofty ambitions of the United States at the time. The nation was still young but on the cusp of becoming the world’s superpower.
2. The Granite Temple of the Sphinx, Giza, Egypt (1920)
Ancient Egyptian explorers had been uncovering the nation’s epic history for a century. Still, one can only imagine the man’s feelings as he reflects upon his incredible heritage. In the background, the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid’s apex add a sense of timelessness that only history allows.
3. The u.s.s. Arizona in the Panama Canal (1921)
The ’20s was a lucrative time for the rapidly industrializing Western world, and one of the biggest influences on global trade was the Panama Canal. It took 11 years to construct and was completed in 1914, helping the United States establish itself as a superpower in the decades after. Now, it faces a new challenge with the realization of the new Mexican Trans-Isthmus Corridor.
This photo gives a uniquely powerful view of the canal. It shows the canal transporting another icon of the era, the U.S.S. Arizona. The ship made its first contact with water in 2015, though it is more famous for being destroyed during the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1941.
4. Alice Paul Meets With British National Woman’s Party Members (1925)
The Suffragette movement was born in late 19th-century Britain, led by women’s rights ground-breaker Emmeline Pankhurst. America’s movement had many guises, one of which was the National Woman’s Party, formed by Alice Paul in 1919.
A photo taken in 1925 shows Paul meeting new British members of the party’s International Advisory Committee in London. She was instrumental in pushing for federal suffrage in America, which the U.S. Government ratified in 1919.
5. Warren G. Harding on His Front Porch (1920)
The Republican candidate for the 29th U.S. presidency was renowned for his “front-porch campaign” style. Eventual presidential winner Warren G. Harding would address voters from in front of his own home. It’s a move that would raise eyebrows in today’s polarized political sphere.
In an era with a more narrow political divide, politicians weren’t afraid to rub shoulders with the electorate — captured in this photo. Nowadays, we are more likely to see TikTok dances and podcast appearances.
6. Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks (1921)
Few faces capture the Roaring Twenties’ zeitgeist more than Charlie Chaplin, the icon of silent cinema. Hollywood was still in its infancy when this photo took place, depicting Chaplin on set with his best friend and contemporary Douglas Fairbanks.
Stood alongside is Fairbanks’ wife and the film actress Mary Pickford. The three had famously strong chemistry, forming United Artists two years before with William S. Hart and D.W. Griffith. This gang of four was the ultimate ’20s movie production dream team.
7. Prohibition Agents at Work (1921)
A photo labeled “Prohibition Agents Destroying Barrels of Alcohol” is a poignant reminder of how society looked 100 years ago. Americans today have access to medical or recreational marihuana and all the alcohol they like. It wasn’t the case during prohibition when all alcohol was banned.
During this time, people relied on moonshining and a network of black-market vendors, as illustrated in the image. Ironically, getting a drink after prohibition proved harder for some than during the prohibition era.
8. The Hollywoodland Sign (1920)
The Hollywood sign went up in 1923, and it was initially planned as an advertisement billboard, according to the sign’s official website. A classic image shows its full glory on the hillside, with its trademark crooked arrangement.
For added ’20s gloss, a black Ford Model T is in the foreground as it winds along a hillside pass. The “Land” part stayed until 1951; in 1978, the flimsy, wooden design made way for the steel fixture we still see today.
9. The Audiometer
A New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) post details how, during the 1920s, calls elevated for better treatment for hard-of-hearing people. The New York League for the Hard of Hearing (NYLHH) began in 1910. Throughout the following decades, members (all of whom had hearing disorders) made the case for treating deafness like any other medical condition — not an education issue.
A prominent figure was Harold M. Hays, who was vociferous in his lament. “We are saving the child’s eyes! We are saving the child’s teeth! Is it not worthwhile to save the child’s ears?” In this 1923 photo, we see the audiometer — the earliest device used for measuring hearing impairments.
10. Henry Ford with a Model T Car (1921)
Henry Ford must be included in any 1920s list — because he is freakin’ Henry Ford. The automobile visionary was such an inspiration to modern life that novelist Aldous S. Huxley canonizes him in Brave New World. “In Ford We Trust” is the motto in Huxley’s groundbreaking dystopian novel, deifying the industrialist.
It was a fitting use of Ford’s name in some ways — such was his influence on the American motor industry. This photo shows a proud Ford standing next to his iconic Model T, America’s first commercial automobile. Ford famously quipped in his memoir My Life and Work (1922), “Any color you want — as long as it is black.”
11. The Wall Street Bombing (1920)
The New York Stock Exchange captures the imagination for many reasons; the J.P. Morgan Building’s white pillars and steps are the facade of an economic behemoth. However, one photo from 1920 shows Wall Street in its darkest hour. During a mid-September lunchtime rush, an unknown man pulled up with a horse and cart, which contained a shrapnel-laden bomb.
The eruption killed 30 people, maiming and injuring hundreds, and sent a shockwave through New York City. The FBI reports that anarchist groups were to blame, but to this day, no case was ever brought against a culprit.
12. Art Deco (1925)
Architecture fans still fawn over architecture from the 1920s — and rightly so. Most of America’s older cities gleam with Art Deco architecture, a movement with its roots in Europe. In 1925, the Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Art and Modern Industry showed the Art Deco style for the first time.
Since then, it spread across the Western world, landing firmly in cities that still bear the decade’s mark. New York City, Chicago, and Cincinnati are all prime examples of American Deco architecture at its zenith. U.S. World & News Report lists the best art deco cities to visit in the U.S. This photo shows how Paris’ opulent five-star Hotel du Collectionneur guest salon looked in 1925.
13. Turnfest, Germany (1922)
Germany was a fascinating place in the 1920s. In the wake of a continental war, the country sought to stabilize with a new form of democracy. Unfortunately, the Weimar Republic suffered political instability and the Great Depression, which led to the Third Reich. Despite such turmoil, however, the nation’s culture flourished — especially in film, architecture, and literature.
It was before the Republic collapsed that events like the German Workers’ Gymnastics and Sports Festival (or Turnfest) took place. This celebration of physical fitness involved 100,000 participants competing in events or just working out in unison. It’s such an innocent image; little did they know what was around the corner.
14. Babe Ruth and Co. (1928)
Ask most Americans who the best-ever baseball player is, and the answer will invariably be “Babe Ruth.” While determining who the best all-around player is, there is no denying Ruth is the king of batting; others might point to Willie Mays’ complete game.
In any case, Babe was part of baseball royalty, and this photo shows him posing alongside contemporaries Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Lou Gehrig. If sporting greatness could be encapsulated in one photo, this is it.
15. The Irish War of Independence (1921)
Britain went through a volatile post-World War I period. Following centuries of British rule, Ireland started fighting for the right to sovereign status in 1916 with the Easter Uprising. Taking advantage of a weakened Britain, which was fighting overseas against Kaiser Wilhelm’s forces, Ireland finally seceded in 1919.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in 1921. However, it took three more decades of domestic fighting between the loyalist North and the newly declared independent Ireland. This image, taken in the same year, shows a British tank in Dublin ramming a church door to uncover hiding Irish dissidents.
16. Immigrants Nearing Ellis Island (1920)
The United States became a beacon of hope for the whole world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The world was (and still is) rife with countries where political, religious, or economic hardship drove millions to the promise of freedom and prosperity. Arguably, Ellis Island was the motif for this era: the penultimate stop before entering the mainland and seeking one’s fortune.
A 1920 photo captures a snapshot of the period: one of many ships docking at the Ellis Island processing facility. One can only imagine the excitement and relief these travelers felt, seeing New York City in the background as they entered the fabled building. Such was the influx that the government enacted restrictions in 1924.
17. Coco Chanel and Dmitriy Pavlovich (1920—)
While the exact date is unknown, this picture of Coco Chanel and Russian Romanov Grand Duke Dmitriy Pavlovich is remarkable. The photo shows a French high fashion dame alongside a real-life Russian royal. Pavlovich was one of only a few Romanov royals to survive the Russian Revolution, having been exiled.
The photo also shows two survivors. Yet, Pavlovich’s story of escape to England from the Bolsheviks contrasts with Chanel’s, whose survival is less than admirable. The French fashion designer collaborated with Hitler’s forces during World War II, elevating her interests in the process. While some may see this photo as romantic, I just see the irony.
18. Waterskiing Women (1920)
We can thank this era for many sporting inventions, including canoeing, archery, and waterskiing. What photo sums up the Roaring Twenties better than two ladies tandem water skiing?
Regardless, we must address the elephant in the room. What the enthusiasts ride hardly looks like a waterski at all. On closer inspection, it appears as if they each surf atop a coffee table.
19. Romania’s First Electric Traffic Light (1923—)
Although it isn’t clear exactly when this photo was taken, it was sometime during the decade and looks as such. Snapped by Bucharest photographer Nicolae Ionescu, the photo shows a rather bored-looking traffic cop standing beside an individual STOP sign. It came almost 10 years after the United States installed its first one.
The black-and-white color range doesn’t capture the red color of the stop light, though it is obvious. One must wonder what the police officer thinks of this new early form of mechanization — he doesn’t look pleased.
20. Outdoor Fashion Show in Germany (1921)
Germany was at the forefront of style during the pre-Hitler period. While America had Art Deco and Charlie Chaplin, Germany had Bauhaus architecture and Fritz Lang. Germany’s fashion style in the 1920s, as shown in this sepia snapshot, won many admirers.
Ilene Krall writes for The Saint how the country’s fashion industry was a success thanks to Jewish culture and designers. She explains how they “spearheaded daring and modern fashions as society looked to enjoy liberation in the wake of the First World War.”
21. Gertrude Ederle Crosses the English Channel (1926)
This photo shows American swimmer Gertrude Ederle swimming the English Channel, a feat she completed just aged 19. If a woman deserves recognition for what she did in the ’20s, it’s Gertrude Ederle.
She broke the record for crossing the Channel, beating the male holder’s time by almost two hours. If that isn’t awesome enough, prior to this, Ederle held a reported 29 U.S. national and world records before even turning professional. What an underrated icon she was.
22. George Mallory With Mountain Guides (1924)
The revered British explorer George Mallory was another icon of the period, though famed like so many others for his glorious failure. His quest to summit Everest was shrouded in mystery, much like the great mountain is perpetually covered in clouds.
Of course, Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine never returned, though they were spotted near the summit. Ed Douglas of The Guardian shed some light on it recently. Mallory’s body wasn’t discovered until 1999 and disappeared entirely sometime after. Douglas suspects publicity-wary Chinese authorities were behind it.
23. Teaching The Charleston (1926)
In the ’20s-era movie The Cat’s Meow (2001), the film’s socialites and stars dance “the Charleston” at the drop of a hat. The movie gives viewers a view of high society in the Roaring Twenties, though this wasn’t where the Charleston had its roots.
Charleston County Public Library dates the dance’s first appearance in a Broadway show called Runnin’ Wild — an African American production. This 1926 photo shows Charleston experts teaching some novices a thing or two.
24. Jack Dempsey Exhibition Training (1921)
Boxing was a big deal in the 1920s, which some fans consider the “golden era” of the sport. They may be right — the top guns of the era included Gene Tunney, Tommy Loughran, and Harry Greb.
However, few could pull a crowd like Jack Dempsey, who sold out a 91,000-strong crowd at a purpose-built arena: Boyle’s Thirty Acres in Jersey City. This photo shows Dempsey selling out a crowd for an open-training event prior to the fight.
