20 Great Vintage Christmas Photos From The Early 1900s

Vintage Christmas Photos From The Early 1900s

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:
New Zealand circa 1910 Half-plate glass negative by Adam Maclay

2. Scandinavian Children bringing home traditional Christmas decor, exact year unknown. (courtesy of the Norwegian Digital Museum:
Scandinavian children bringing home christmas trees

3. Children carrying holly and mistletoe, December 1915:
young children with holly and mistletoe, 1915

4. A soldier carrying a Christmas tree, 1915:
soldier carrying christmas tree, 1915

5. Early 1900’s Christmas window shopping, New York:
early 1900s window shopping for christmas toys

6. American servicemen in London prepare for Christmas at the Eagle Hut, a YMCA centre, December 1917:
Christmas Time, YMCA centre, December 1917

7. Christmas Dinner for Horses in Washington, D.C, December 1918:
Christmas Dinner for Horses, December 1918 in Washington, D.C

8. Xmas Post Office Cart, Washington DC, 1919:
Washington, D.C.,1919, Post Office and cart

9. Christmas Tree, Buick ride-on toy and children, Washington DC, 1920:
A Very Buick Christmas Washington, D.C., circa 1920

10. Skating at the Ice Carnival on Sunset Lake, c.1922 near Vassar campus (courtesy of Vassar Archives).
Skating at the Ice Carnival on Sunset Lake, c.1922. Vassar campus.

11. Two children singing Christmas carols to the strains of a violin outside the door of someone’s house. December 1924:
Christmas Fiddle, December 1924

12. Three girls on Christmas morning delighted with their gifts from Father Christmas, December 1925:
3 girls with presents christmas, 1925

13. Mistletoe Salesmen, Paris, 1928:
Mistletoe Salesmen, Paris, 1928

14. Father Christmas delivering presents to the Children’s Aid and Adoption Society at Leytonstone, London, 20th November 1931:
Old Christmas, ca 1930s

15. Macy’s Window, Christmas Toys (exact date unknown):
Macy's window, Christmas Toys

16. Beverly Hills, California 1930s:
Beverly Hills, CA 1930s

17. Santa shaking hands with Mickey and Minnie Mouse on roller skates. Central Park, December 1935:
1935 Santa Shakes Hands with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Central Park Bandshell, 1935

18. Santa and Friend, December 1938:
Santa And Friend, 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):
Young shopper, 1939 London

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.:
December 1942, New York. Macy's department store. There are two Santas, concealed from one another by a labyrinth to prevent disillusionment of the children

sources:
Getty image archives
Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
Juniper Gallery
NYC Parks Photo Archive
Avax news
picture archives of the Library of Congress