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

I Installed a Hidden Camera After My Daughter Started Behaving Strangely

Mothers have instincts, and mine was screaming at me that something was wrong. My daughter, Beverly, had started acting differently, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that my mother-in-law, Cheryl, had something to do with it. Desperate for answers, I installed a hidden camera—and what I uncovered shattered my world. Lies, manipulation, and betrayal ran deeper than I ever imagined.

A Seemingly Innocent Offer

Life had been running smoothly, or so I thought. My husband, Jason, and I worked full-time, and our four-year-old daughter, Beverly, was thriving at daycare. Then, out of the blue, Cheryl made an offer that seemed too generous to refuse.

“Why don’t I take Beverly on Wednesdays?” she suggested over dinner. “It’ll give her a break from daycare and allow us to bond. It’ll be good!”

Cheryl and I had never been particularly close. She had always been polite, but there was an unspoken tension between us. Still, she was family, and I wanted to believe she was acting in good faith.

At first, everything seemed fine.

But then, Beverly started changing before my eyes.

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Strange Behavior Begins

It started with little things.

“I only want to eat with Daddy, Grandma, and her friend today,” she said one evening, pushing away the meal I had prepared.

My stomach tightened. “Who’s Grandma’s friend, sweetheart?”

She just smiled secretively and sipped her juice.

Then came the bedtime whisper that made my blood run cold.

“Mommy, why don’t you like our friend?”

My gut clenched. “Who told you that?”

She hesitated before saying something too rehearsed for a four-year-old. “Our friend is part of the family, Mommy. You just don’t see it yet.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Something was happening—something I couldn’t see.

A Gut Feeling I Couldn’t Ignore

The next time Cheryl visited, I casually brought it up.

“Has Beverly made any new friends? At daycare, maybe? She keeps talking about someone.”

Cheryl barely looked up from her coffee. “Oh, you know how kids are. Always making up imaginary friends.”

Her voice was too smooth. My gut told me she was lying.

That night, I made a decision I never thought I’d have to make.

I installed a hidden camera in the living room.

By lunchtime on Wednesday, my hands were trembling as I checked the footage.

At first, everything seemed normal. Bev played with her dolls while Cheryl sipped tea.

Then, Cheryl glanced at her watch.

“Bev, sweetheart, are you ready? Our friend will be here any minute now!”

My heart pounded.

“Yes, Gran! I love her! Do you think she’ll play with my hair again?”

Her.

Cheryl beamed. “If you ask her nicely, I’m sure she will. And you remember, right? What we don’t tell Mommy?”

Bev’s voice was impossibly sweet. “Yes. Not a word to Mom.”

My stomach dropped.

Then, the doorbell rang.

Cheryl smoothed her clothes and opened the door.

And I saw her.

Jason’s ex-wife, Alexa, stepped inside.

The Shocking Truth Unfolds

Beverly ran straight into her arms.

I don’t remember grabbing my keys. I don’t remember the drive home. One moment I was watching my world fall apart on my phone screen, the next, I was storming into my house.

There they were—Cheryl, Alexa, and my daughter—sitting together like some twisted little family reunion.

Alexa turned to me, startled. “Oh. Hi, Martha. I didn’t expect you home so soon.”

She said it casually, as if she belonged here and I didn’t.

“What the hell is she doing here?” I demanded.

Beverly looked up, confused. “Mommy, why are you ruining the union?”

Union? Reunion? I didn’t understand.

Cheryl sighed, as if all of this was exhausting for her. “You always were a bit slow, Martha.”

“What union? What is my child talking about?”

Alexa shifted uncomfortably. “Look, I—”

“Shut up,” I snapped. To my surprise, she did.

Cheryl smirked. “Alexa is the one who was meant to be with Jason. Not you, Martha. You were a mistake. And when Jason realizes it, Beverly should already know where her real family is. Alexa won’t just dump her at daycare. She’ll stay home with her.”

Alexa wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“You manipulated my child, Cheryl! You made her believe I didn’t matter—that we were both replaceable!”

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you?”

Something inside me snapped. If my child hadn’t been in the room, I don’t know what I would have done.

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A Mother’s Vow

I turned to Alexa. “And you? Why? You left Jason! What do you even want?”

She swallowed. “Cheryl convinced me Beverly should know me. That maybe, if Jason and I…”

I took a step forward. “If you and Jason what? Got back together?”

She didn’t answer.

I turned back to Cheryl. “You’re never seeing Beverly again.”

Cheryl tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. “My son will never allow that.”

I met her gaze, cold and unwavering. “Oh, we’ll see.”

I scooped Beverly into my arms. She didn’t fight me, but she was confused. And that broke me more than anything else.

As I held her close, I made a promise.

No one would take my daughter from me.

Not Cheryl. Not Alexa.

And if Jason wasn’t on my side? Then not even him.

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