40+ Oldest Color Photographs Ever Taken Reveal What Life Was Like 100 Years Ago

There’s something mesmerizing about seeing history come to life in color.

These rare historical photos, some of the oldest color images ever captured, offer a vivid glimpse into a world that existed over a century ago.

From everyday moments to iconic scenes, these images give us a sense of what life was like in a time before color photography became commonplace.

They feel surprisingly modern, yet unmistakably historic, showing us the textures, tones, and details that black-and-white photos often miss.

Scroll on to see how these photos bring the past into sharp focus.

1. Sisters Sitting In A Garden Tying Roses Together, 1911

2. Milksellers, Brussels

3. London, Kodachrome

4. Tour Eiffel & Exposition Universelle, Paris, France, 1889

5. Winter Garden, Nice, France, Ca. 1895

6. Charlie Chaplin, 1918

7. East Face, Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France, Ca. 1895

8. Port Of Venice, Italy, Ca. 1889

9. Irish Spinner And Spinning Wheel. Co. Galway, Ireland, 1890

10. Agra, Taj Mahal

11. Heinz And Eva On The Hillside, 1925

12. Singers’ Hall (Music Room), Neuschwanstein Castle, Upper Bavaria, Germany, 1886

13. Among The First Coloured Pictures Ever Taken By Louis Lumière, 1907

14. Photochrom Print By Photoglob Zürich, Between 1890 And 1900

15. Moulin Rouge, Paris, 1914

16. Photo Family Hungary – Kapeller

17. Luce Ben Aben, School Of Arab Embroidery, Algiers, Algeria, Ca. 1899

18. Neuschwanstein, Upper Bavaria, Germany

19. Townhall, Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany

20. Christina In Red, 1913

21. Promenade And Grand Salon, Trouville, Normandy, France, Ca. 1895

22. Folgefonn Glacier, Hardanger Fjord, Norway, Ca. 1897

23. Oberammergau, Upper Bavaria, Germany

24. Field Columbian Museum, Jackson Park, Chicago, 1901

25. oung Girl Amidst Marguerites, C. 1912

26. Fingal’s Cave, Staffa, Scotland

27. La Corniche, Marseille, France, Ca. 1895

28. Mulberry Street, New York City

29. A Girl Holds A Doll Next To Soldiers’ Equipment In Reims, France, 1917

30. Oudezijds Kolk, Amsterdam, North Holland, The Netherlands, Ca. 1901

31. Roches Royal Hotel, Glengariff Harbor, Ireland, Ca. 1895

32. North German Lloyd Mail Steamer König Albert, First Class Dining Room, Ca. 1910

33. The Grenata Street Army, 1915

34. The Cathedral, Amsterdam, Holland

35. Panorama Of The Seven Bridges, Paris, Ca. 1895

36. The Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Ca. 1896

37. Interior Of Corridors, Mission San Juan Capistrano

38. View From The Hotel Fasano, Fasano, Lago Di Garda, Italy, Ca. 1895

39. Flower Street Vendor, Paris, 1914

40. Musing (Mrs. A. Van Besten), C. 1910

41. Daydreams, 1909

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