50 Iconic and Rare Historical Photographs

We at HistoryColored have decided to curate 50 interesting, rare and iconic photos from history. There are many reasons why a photograph may be featured on this list. Some of the reasons include: it was the first time something was ever captured on camera, it shows a famous figure from history, the image depicts an important historical event, it is a “rare” photo that does not get shared as much as it should, or it is an “iconic” historical photo. It may not fall under any of these categories but can still be featured in this list for a different reason.

These photographs are in no particular order. They have been curated and added to the list over a long period of time, so no decision was taken on how they should be ordered. Be sure to take the time to check out every historical photograph featured on this list!

As well as this list, be sure to check out the other photos featured on HistoryColored!

1. The First Photograph Ever Taken, 1826 or 1827

The first photograph in history, the view from a window at Le Gras in 1826 or 1827.
The oldest surviving photograph to exist. It was taken by pioneer photographer, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. The scene depicts a view from a window in Nicéphore Niépce’s estate known as Le Gras in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, Bourgogne, France in 1826 or 1827. Credit: Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

2. General William Tecumseh Sherman, circa 1865

Side profile photograph of General William Tecumseh Sherman in his Union Army military uniform in c. 1865
Side profile of Union Army Major General, and the Commanding General of the US Army, William Tecumseh Sherman, in his Union Army military uniform in circa 1865. Credit: Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

3. Dali Atomicus, 1948

Salvador Dali suspended in mid air along with other objects within the iconic photograph Dali Atomicus taken in 1948
The photographic artwork by Philippe Halsman called “Dali Atomicus” showing three cats water, an easel, a chair, and Salvador Dalí all frozen in mid-air, 1948. This was the 28th attempt at taking this photograph. Credit: Library of Congress // Public Domain

4. The Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics, 1927

Key attendees of the 1927 Solvay conference photographed sitting down and in suits. The names are Auguste Piccard, Émile Henriot, Paul Ehrenfest, Édouard Herzen, Théophile de Donder, Erwin Schrödinger, Jules-Émile Verschaffelt, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Ralph Howard Fowler, Léon Brillouin,
Peter Debye, Martin Knudsen, William Lawrence Bragg, Hendrik Anthony Kramers, Paul Dirac, Arthur Compton, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Niels Bohr,
Irving Langmuir, Max Planck, Marie Skłodowska Curie, Hendrik Lorentz, Albert Einstein, Paul Langevin, Charles Eugène Guye, Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Owen Willans Richardson
The 1927 Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics at the Institut International de Physique Solvay in Brussels, Belgium. This image features many of the greatest scientists in modern history. Some of those that you may recognize are: Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and Auguste Piccard. See the full list of names here. Credit: Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

5. King George V & Tsar Nicholas II Together, 1913

Nicholas II of Russia photographed alongside similar looking and cousin King George V of the United Kingdom, while wearing military uniform.
First cousins and royals Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (left) & King George V of the United Kingdom (right) photographed together wearing military uniforms in Berlin, Germany, 1913. Credit: Library of Congress // Public Domain

6. The Manhattan Bridge Under Construction, 1909

Photographs of the Manhattan Bridge under construction. You can see the layout of the bridge but there is still a lot to build. March 23 1909.
The construction of the Manhattan Bridge on the East River in New York City. This photograph was taken on March 23, 1909. The bridge finished construction in 1909 and first opened up on the 31st of December 1909. Credit: Library of Congress // Public Domain

7. Soviet Prisoner of War, 1940

An injured Prisoner of War from the Soviet Union with a bandage around his bloody head, with clothing wrapped around his body. He looks cold as he is near the Arctic Circle where temperatures can get to -43 degrees Celsius
An injured Soviet Prisoner of War (POW) dressed in new clothes near the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland, during the Winter War on the 6th of January 1940. Credit: Military Museum of Finland // CC BY 4.0

8. Dr. Wernher von Braun with 5 F-1 Engines

Aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun standing next to five F-1 rocket engines in 1969.
Dr. Wernher von Braun, an aerospace engineer that was a leading figure in Nazi German rocket technology, and then United States rocket technology, photographed standing in front of five F-1 rocket engines in circa 1969. Credit: Wikimedia Commons // Public Domains

Food and Sweets Started Disappearing from My Home — When I Turned On the Hidden Camera, I Went Pale

Food kept vanishing from Christine’s home — first chocolates, then entire meals. When her husband, Samuel, swore he wasn’t the culprit, she set up a hidden camera. When she spotted the intruder on the footage, her blood ran cold.

At first, it was just little things disappearing from my fridge and kitchen cabinets. A handful of chocolates missing from the box I’d been saving. The juice boxes Samuel loved, running out faster than usual.

Juice boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

Juice boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

Each time something disappeared, I’d do a mental inventory, trying to remember if I’d eaten it myself in some late-night fog.

But I knew my habits.

I could make a box of chocolates last for weeks, savoring one piece at a time. Not the type to devour half a box and forget about it.

A box of chocolates | Source: Pexels

A box of chocolates | Source: Pexels

Still, I tried to rationalize it.

Maybe Samuel was sneaking midnight snacks. Maybe I was working too hard, losing track of things.

But then the incidents started escalating.

A woman in a kitchen looking worried and confused | Source: Midjourney

A woman in a kitchen looking worried and confused | Source: Midjourney

A bottle of wine we’d been saving for our anniversary — the one I specifically remembered pushing to the back of the cabinet — suddenly appeared in the recycling bin.

The fancy cheese I’d bought for our dinner party was half-gone before the guests even arrived.

Each disappearance felt like a tiny paper cut to my sanity.

I started keeping a log.

A woman writing in a notebook | Source: Pexels

A woman writing in a notebook | Source: Pexels

Monday: half a box of imported cookies missing.

Wednesday: three pieces of dark chocolate were gone.

Friday: the special raspberry preserves I’d ordered online were nowhere to be found.

The pattern was maddening, not just because things were disappearing, but because of what was being taken.

A thoughtful woman sitting at a kitchen table with a notebook | Source: Midjourney

A thoughtful woman sitting at a kitchen table with a notebook | Source: Midjourney

These weren’t random snacks or plain food — they were all the premium items, the special treats, the things I’d carefully chosen and looked forward to enjoying.

Then the caviar disappeared. Not the cheap stuff either, the premium Osetra I’d splurged on for Samuel’s birthday. $200 worth of tiny black pearls, gone without a trace.

That was the final straw.

A tin of caviar | Source: Pexels

A tin of caviar | Source: Pexels

Although it was out of character, the only logical explanation was that my husband had been snacking in secret. I had to confront him if I was ever going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

“Hey, babe,” I said one morning, trying to keep my voice casual. “Did you finish that box of Belgian truffles I bought last week?”

Samuel looked up from his coffee, forehead creasing. “What truffles?”

A man sitting in a kitchen looking confused | Source: Midjourney

A man sitting in a kitchen looking confused | Source: Midjourney

My stomach did a weird little flip. “The ones on the top shelf of the pantry. Behind the cereal.”

“Haven’t touched them,” he said, taking another sip. “Didn’t even know we had any.”

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign he was joking. Samuel was many things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. If he said he hadn’t eaten the chocolates, he hadn’t eaten the chocolates.

Which meant either I was losing my mind, or someone else was helping themselves to our food!

A shocked woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

A shocked woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

“Are you sure?” I pressed, my voice tighter now. “The caviar from your birthday is gone too. And that wine we were saving for our anniversary? The one from our trip to Napa?”

That got his attention. Samuel’s coffee cup froze halfway to his mouth. “The what? That stuff was expensive! And I was looking forward to opening it next month.”

“I know.” I crossed my arms, leaning against the counter. “And unless we’ve got a very sophisticated mouse with expensive taste, someone’s been in our kitchen!”

Close up of a woman with a serious expression | Source: Midjourney

Close up of a woman with a serious expression | Source: Midjourney

I watched as the implications sank in.

Someone had been in our house. Multiple times. While we were sleeping? While we were at work? The thought sent a chill down my spine.

“Maybe we should set up some cameras?” Samuel suggested, his voice uncertain now. “Just to be safe?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Maybe we should.”

A couple having a serious conversation at the kitchen table | Source: Midjourney

A couple having a serious conversation at the kitchen table | Source: Midjourney

The camera was easy enough to hide: a small wireless one tucked behind some cookbooks on the kitchen shelf.

I positioned it carefully, making sure it had a clear view of both the pantry and the refrigerator. Then I waited, jumping every time my phone buzzed with a notification.

Two days later, I was at work when my phone buzzed with a motion alert.

I ducked into an empty conference room and pulled up the live feed.

An empty conference room | Source: Pexels

An empty conference room | Source: Pexels

I’m not sure what I was expecting; a maintenance worker, a hungry, homeless person with expensive tastes, or… I don’t know, a very ambitious raccoon?

Instead, I watched in growing disbelief as my mother-in-law, Pamela, waltzed into our kitchen like she owned the place.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered, eyes glued to the screen.

A woman staring at something in shock | Source: Midjourney

A woman staring at something in shock | Source: Midjourney

She moved with the confidence of someone completely at home, pulling out a wine glass, and helping herself to the expensive Bordeaux we’d been saving. She even knew where we kept the good cheese.

The way she moved through our kitchen; opening drawers without hesitation, and reaching for items without searching, told me this wasn’t her first solo visit to raid our kitchen. Not by a long shot.

But it was what happened next that made my blood run cold.

A concerned woman staring at her phone | Source: Midjourney

A concerned woman staring at her phone | Source: Midjourney

Pamela didn’t leave after finishing her impromptu wine and cheese party. Instead, she strolled into the hallway and turned toward our bedroom.

The kitchen camera couldn’t show me what she was doing in there, but luckily, I’d placed additional cameras throughout the house, just in case.

I switched to the feed from the bedroom and nearly dropped my phone in shock.

A bedroom | Source: Pexels

A bedroom | Source: Pexels

Pamela was slipping into my favorite dress. She then turned to admire herself in the mirror. Pamela wasn’t just stealing our luxury snacks, she was trying on my clothes!

But the worst was still to come.

My jaw dropped as I watched her go straight to my underwear drawer and start digging through my lingerie.

A woman staring at her phone screen in horror | Source: Midjourney

A woman staring at her phone screen in horror | Source: Midjourney

She slipped my favorite dress off and tried on the satin and lace teddy I bought just last week.

WHAT THE HELL! Pamela hadn’t just overstepped the boundaries, she’d snapped them entirely.

But why? Pamela and I had always had a rocky relationship, but this was downright disturbing. And how did she even get into our house?

A worried woman staring at her cell phone | Source: Midjourney

A worried woman staring at her cell phone | Source: Midjourney

The next day, I called in sick to work. I lurked in the hallway, determined to catch my thieving MIL in the act.

Right on schedule, at 2 p.m. Pamela let herself in.

I waited as she went through her now-familiar routine: wine, cheese, a little caviar for good measure.

Then she headed for the bedroom.

A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney

A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney

The moment she started rifling through my closet, I stepped into the room to confront her.

“Enjoying yourself?” I asked.

Pamela screamed, spinning around so fast she nearly toppled over. “Christine! I — I was just—”

“Just what?” I kept my voice eerily calm, even as rage boiled under my skin. “Just breaking into our house? Just eating our food? Just trying on my underwear?”

A woman speaking angrily to someone | Source: Midjourney

A woman speaking angrily to someone | Source: Midjourney

She blushed, but instead of shame, I saw indignation in her eyes.

“I was checking to make sure your wardrobe still suited you! As Samuel’s mother, I have a responsibility—”

“To what? Make sure your son’s wife dresses to your standards?” I crossed my arms. “Where did you get a key?”

A furious woman confronting someone | Source: Midjourney

A furious woman confronting someone | Source: Midjourney

“Samuel gave it to me!” she shot back. “He said I could stop by anytime!”

I almost laughed. “Really? That’s interesting, considering he’s been just as confused as I was about the missing food.”

Something flickered across her face… fear, maybe? But it was quickly replaced by that familiar self-righteous expression I’d grown to hate over the years.

A mature woman with a smug, confident smile | Source: Midjourney

A mature woman with a smug, confident smile | Source: Midjourney

“Get out, Pamela.” I took her by the elbow and marched her to the door. “And give me the key!”

She pulled herself away from me and glared at me like I was something nasty she’d just scraped off her shoe. “This is my son’s house, too, Christine. And I’ll drop by whenever I like!”

She stormed off then, her nose in the air. But it was clear this was far from over.

A thoughtful woman staring out a window | Source: Midjourney

A thoughtful woman staring out a window | Source: Midjourney

That night, I showed Samuel the footage. His face went from confused to horrified to furious in the span of 30 seconds.

“I never gave her a key,” he said when I asked him about it, his voice tight with anger. “How the hell did she get one?”

We got our answer the next morning when Pamela showed up, acting like nothing had happened.

Samuel blocked the doorway. “Mom. Where did you get the key?”

An angry man standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney

An angry man standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney

She blinked innocently. “Oh, that? I just made a copy! For emergencies, you know.”

“Emergencies,” I repeated flatly. “Like emergency wine drinking? Emergency dress-up sessions with my clothes?”

Pamela looked sadly at Samuel. “Well, maybe if you spoiled your Mommy with more delicious food and bought me the beautiful clothes you buy for your wife, I wouldn’t have been so curious.”

A mature woman appealing to someone | Source: Midjourney

A mature woman appealing to someone | Source: Midjourney

I’d had enough. It was time to end this.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to give us back every copy of that key you made.”

She scoffed. “And what if I don’t?”

Samuel dropped a brand-new lock set on the table. “Then you’ll be wasting your time trying to break into a house you can’t get into anymore.”

A serious man speaking to someone | Source: Midjourney

A serious man speaking to someone | Source: Midjourney

Pamela stood there, her face twisting with barely contained rage. Then she yanked a key from her purse and slammed it onto the counter. “Fine! But don’t expect me to help you when you need me!”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, we never did.”

She stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the windows. She spent the next few weeks sulking, refusing to apologize or even acknowledge what she’d done wrong.

A couple sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney

A couple sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney

Samuel got the brunt of it as she bombarded him with texts and calls about how unreasonable I was being, and how he’d regret this if we had an emergency.

But he didn’t let her manipulate her way back into our lives.

I changed the locks that same day. Now, every time I open my fully stocked fridge or slip into an unworn dress, I smile, knowing my home is finally, truly mine again.

A woman twirling in a new dress | Source: Midjourney

A woman twirling in a new dress | Source: Midjourney

And if Pamela wants to know what I’m wearing or eating these days? Well, she’ll just have to use her imagination.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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