A selection of 20 touching vintage Christmas photos for you from the first half of the 20th century to get you into the spirit of the Holiday.
Vintage Christmas Photos From The Early 1900s
1. Studio portrait of a young woman in Christmas tree dress and hat costume. Christchurch, New Zealand, 1910:
2. Scandinavian Children bringing home traditional Christmas decor, exact year unknown. (courtesy of the Norwegian Digital Museum:
3. Children carrying holly and mistletoe, December 1915:
4. A soldier carrying a Christmas tree, 1915:
5. Early 1900’s Christmas window shopping, New York:
6. American servicemen in London prepare for Christmas at the Eagle Hut, a YMCA centre, December 1917:
7. Christmas Dinner for Horses in Washington, D.C, December 1918:
8. Xmas Post Office Cart, Washington DC, 1919:
9. Christmas Tree, Buick ride-on toy and children, Washington DC, 1920:
10. Skating at the Ice Carnival on Sunset Lake, c.1922 near Vassar campus (courtesy of Vassar Archives).
11. Two children singing Christmas carols to the strains of a violin outside the door of someone’s house. December 1924:
12. Three girls on Christmas morning delighted with their gifts from Father Christmas, December 1925:
13. Mistletoe Salesmen, Paris, 1928:
14. Father Christmas delivering presents to the Children’s Aid and Adoption Society at Leytonstone, London, 20th November 1931:
15. Macy’s Window, Christmas Toys (exact date unknown):
16. Beverly Hills, California 1930s:
17. Santa shaking hands with Mickey and Minnie Mouse on roller skates. Central Park, December 1935:
18. Santa and Friend, December 1938:
19. A young shopper climbs on to the sandbags to get a closer look at the toys in a shop window in the West End of London, December 1939 (also shown cropped at top):
20. There were two Santas at Macy’s Department store in New York, concealed from one another by a labyrinth to prevent disillusionment of the children. December 1942.:
sources:
Getty image archives
Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
Juniper Gallery
NYC Parks Photo Archive
Avax news
picture archives of the Library of Congress