Here Are The Oldest Photos Ever Taken In St. Louis And They’re Incredible

In this modern age, we take pictures of ourselves, our dinners, and anything else that we want; when we want and as many pictures as we feel like. Most of us have hundreds of pictures on our phones and we add more everyday. It is easy and free to snap a moment in time now. But for most of history taking pictures was a labor and cost intensive act. Pictures were only taken during serious events or to mark a special time (if you could afford such luxury). The images below are some of the oldest ever taken in St. Louis. Look below for a glimpse of our past.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/

With these photos, we have an idea of what life was like for the people in St. Louis in the 1800’s. And life was tough back then. What will history see in our photos, 100 years into the future?

Do you recognize the places in the photos or have images to share? You can upload them to the comments section of our Only In St. Louis Facebook page.

Want to see more history in pictures? Check out the 1904 Olympic Games in Missouri.